Name: Visteon Corporation  

                    Address: One Village Center Drive                     

City: Van Buren Township, Mich 

CEO:  Michael F. Johnston

Products: Automotive

Year Founded: 2000     

      Visteon Corporation presented information on the latest trends in automotive electronics at the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE), Mexican chapter, conference held at DaimlerChrysler in Mexico City. Ryan Goldsberry, Visteon’s market research director, discussed the results of recent research in customer and consumer trends in automotive electronics. 

      “Offering more value and strategic solutions for our customer requires us to be knowledgeable about the future wants and needs of the consumer,” said Goldsberry. “Over the course of a year, Visteon conducts market research projects including internet surveys, product clinics, focus groups and futuring exercises to help understand long-term trends.” 

      Visteon Mexico accounts for nearly 19 percent of Visteon’s global production. Other Visteon Mexico highlights include:

      •Visteon employs more than 10,000 employees in Mexico.

      •Visteon exports to the United States, Canada, Japan, Europe, South America, Australia and Philippines.

      •J.D. Power Highest Quality Award radio is manufactured in Mexico.

      •Environmental Excellency 2004 Award, granted by PROFEPA through President Vicente Fox.

      •Mexico facilities focus on electronics, lighting, climate and interior.

      Goldsberry focused comments on sound quality, entertainment, connectivity and driver information in vehicle electronics — the technologies designed to put the comfort and convenience of home on wheels.

Sound quality

      “In sound quality, the trend is more digital sources, formats, algorithms, speakers and more powerful amplifiers.  This creates opportunities for automakers to deliver a richer, fuller audio experience for consumers,” said Goldsberry. “And Visteon has developed several solutions in its product portfolio, including the award-winning Boston Acoustics family of branded audio products.”

      Visteon’s HD radio receivers deliver high-definition sound by receiving AM and FM broadcasts in digital format in addition to the traditional analog format. The result is dramatically improved sound quality: digital FM sounds comparable to a compact disc while digital AM sounds comparable to today’s analog FM. Both enjoy static-free reception and data reception capability. Additonally, HD radio can offer consumers more content options, through a technology called multicasting.  By using multicasting, radio stations can send out more than one broadcast over a single FM frequency. Expertise in MACH Digital Signal Processing (DSP) technology and related patents has enabled Visteon to achieve a leadership role in developing HD Radio products for the automotive industry.

      Visteon’s leadership in the development and delivery of automotive-grade digital audio solutions demonstrates the company’s commitment to meet consumer-driven trends in the marketplace. Visteon’s efforts in the development of HD Radio included extensive work with the broadcast industry to upgrade their technology so it would be available to meet consumer demand — offering optimum value and return for the consumer, automaker and supplier, said Goldsberry. 

Satellite radio

      “Consumers are beginning to take notice in the potential of satellite radio. Both major content providers, SIRIUS and XM, have had recent marketplace success in the U.S.,” said Goldsberry. Visteon’s Satellite Radio System is an integrated solution that allows automotive manufacturers to offer consumers the opportunity to subscribe to either SIRIUS or XM satellite radio services. This system is designed for integration with current automotive audio systems, utilizing existing space for the head unit and one package location for the satellite receiver module. In addition, Visteon is well positioned to provide the consumers with the next generation in satellite data service features like dynamic traffic to integrate with navigation or audio systems.

      In its partnership with Kenwood, Visteon offers radio head units to the Mexican aftermarket — branded Kenwood by Visteon — for reproducing AM/FM/CD and compressed audio playback MP3 and WMA formats. The power of these systems is delivered through amplifiers with Metal-Oxide Semiconductor Field-Effect Transistor (MOSFET) technology. Visteon speakers and subwoofers may support the head units delivering sheer audio power.

      Visteon leverages its long history of developing industry leading audio technology and its global manufacturing capability to deliver a broad range of audio systems, components and radio head units.  This leading position is demonstrated through the fact that for three of the past four years, Visteon has received the J.D. Power and Associates highest-quality supplier award for its AM/FM/Single CD Player.   

Infotainment

      Consumers are becoming increasingly comfortable with digitally distributed, or downloaded, content.  Because of the rapid proliferation of digital content, there are challenges in balancing consumer-friendliness with effective schemes for digital rights management.  Visteon collaborates with both content providers, and leading technology partners to develop consumer-friendly systems that ensure consumers are able to play their favorite content in a manner that is appropriate for in-vehicle usage,” said Goldsberry.  “In the world of in-vehicle multimedia products, trends are to dramatically improve cost, capacity, and ruggedness.  To address these trends, Visteon has developed solutions such as Compressed Audio Music Systems and Navigation Systems,” said Goldsberry.

MP3 music systems

      Visteon’s MACH MP3 Music System brings compressed audio playback into the vehicle, giving drivers a portable, user-friendly and customizable format.

Dockable family entertainment system

      “When designing our portfolio of Family Entertainment Systems, we asked consumers to look at a variety of configurations in vans, trucks and vehicles. Their input helped create a more efficient setup, choice of an optimal screen size and taught us what features could make a real difference in consumer enjoyment”, said Goldsberry. “For instance, we found that by adding wireless headphones, children can enjoy a movie or music without tangled cords.”

      The dockable application of Visteon’s Family Entertainment System is a portable multimedia device that integrates with the vehicle’s multimedia network and can also be detached to take with you.

      The 2005 Frost & Sullivan Award for Product Innovation Leadership in Infotainment was presented to Visteon Corporation for its continuous pursuit towards developing innovative, user-friendly products that offer maximum value to its customers.