MILAN – Magneti Marelli has been presented with an important award in the automotive sector of the South-American market for its robotized gearbox and LED lighting.
 
For the third time in a row, Magneti Marelli has won the “AutoData Award,” one of Brazil’s most prestigious awards in the automotive sector. The company took home the award in the “Sistemista” (System Supplier) category – which includes the best system suppliers to carmakers – for the development of the FreeChoice automated transmission and the introduction of LED rear lights in the Brazilian market.
 
The award ceremony was held last week in Sao Paulo in the presence of leading representatives of the Brazilian automotive sector.
 
In Brazil, AutoData is one of the most important awards in the sector, according to Magneti Marelli. Every year, AutoData showcases the best carmakers and suppliers in the categories of technological innovation, sustainability and marketing strategy. The award is sponsored by AutoData Editora, a communication company specializing in the automotive sector.
 
Since 2003, Magneti Marelli has won the AutoData award in various categories: in 2007, 2009 and 2011 as “System Supplier.” In 2010, the company won the award in the “Sustainability” category, and in 2008 as “Supplier of Parts and Components.” In addition, Magneti Marelli won the award in the “Technological Innovation” category for four years in a row, from 2003 to 2006.
 
This year, Magneti Marelli says it won the sought-after prize for two main reasons: doubling the production capacity for the FreeChoice automated transmission in Hortolandia (Sao Paulo) by the end of 2012; and the introduction of LED lighting in the Brazilian market.
 
Thanks to the significant growth in volumes posted in recent years, the FreeChoice production line reached its maximum capacity in 2010. FreeChoice (or AMT, Automated Manual Transmission) is an electro-hydraulic technology used to automate the manual transmission and derived from Formula 1, that combines driver comfort and lower fuel consumption.
 
The company’s LED lighting technology has been offered in Magneti Marelli’s global products portfolio for quite some time now but it was adapted for the first time and successfully applied in Brazil for the rear lights on the Fiat Idea, requiring a new production line to be built in the plant located in Contagem (MG).
 
Magneti Marelli has been operating in Brazil since 1978 and currently employs about 8,000 workers. It has 13 production plants and five R&D Centers located in Minas Gerais (Contagem, Itaúna and Lavras) and San Paolo (Amparo, Hortolândia, MauÁ, Santo André and São Bernardo), in addition to commercial facilities for the aftermarket in Brazil’s main cities (Curitiba, Goiânia, Recife, Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo).
 
Magneti Marelli says its constant expansion of its operational facilities bears witness to the company’s nonstop growth, as it closed 2010 with a 12 percent increase in the turnover compared to the previous year, for a total turnover of 2.4 billion R$ (approximately 1 billion Euros).