DENSO Corp., one of the world’s largest automotive suppliers, announced it will open a new office in Minato-ku, Tokyo, in April 2018 to conduct R&D on advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS), automated driving and connected vehicles. DENSO will transfer part of the R&D functions currently located in its head office in Aichi Prefecture and existing Tokyo office to the new facility and expand its workforce to improve R&D capabilities through the early 2020s.

The new R&D office will not only develop advanced technologies, but also work with the head office to organize and lead the operations of DENSO’s satellite R&D bases worldwide. Regional hubs will play a larger role in R&D as DENSO decentralizes development in 2018 to become more agile and expedite innovation. The new office will collaborate with universities, research institutes, startups and other partners around the world to develop new technologies by leveraging the characteristics of each region, and will formulate and carry out business ideas to develop competitive products that better meet the needs of customers.

These company says these partnerships align with DENSO’s widespread adoption of safety technologies that will play a critical role in the advancement of future mobility.