The Automotive Lighting (AL) business line was formed in 1999, from a 50-50 joint venture which merged the lighting technology divisions of Robert Bosch GmbH and Magneti Marelli Spa.
After having incorporated the Seima Group (a leading manufacturer of rear lights) in 2001, the Automotive Lighting division also took over Robert Bosch's shareholding in 2003, becoming the sole owner.
Research & Development
Automotive Lighting concentrates on research, development, production and sale of the complete range of technologies for front and rear lighting, fog lights, headlamp cleaning systems, levelling systems, electronic components and central high mounted stoplamps.
Customer focus
Customer focus and global presence are the key factors in the success of Magneti Marelli Automotive Lighting’s global operations: over 10,000 employees work at 20 different sites worldwide.
In Europe, the R&D centres concentrate on innovations in front and rear lighting, and are located at Reutlingen, Germany, and Tolmezzo (UD) in Italy.
There are also local R&D centres distributed over three continents, who work in close contact with customers.
Safety and Design
Headlamps and rear lamps are becoming increasingly important as far as safety is concerned, and also for design and the way the car looks.
They are important styling elements for defining the appearance and identity of a particular model, both during day and at night: this is why the styling departments at Automotive Lighting work closely with their counterparts at car manufacturers.
History
Magneti Marelli Automotive Lighting was the first to launch a Xenon headlamp, in 1991, taking front lighting to a new dimension.
In 2003, Automotive Lightinh equipped its first car with the dynamic curve light, one step towards the Adaptive Frontlighting System, AFS.
In 2005, the world’s first-ever front headlight with an active infra-red module was sold. 2006 saw the launch of the first complete AFS headlight which adapts to changing road and weather conditions.
A subsequent innovation was the introduction of LEDs (light-emitting diodes) in front and rear lights.
These offer new styling possibilities as well as cutting down on energy consumption.
In 2005, Automotive Lighting began mass producing the first rear light based on LED technology.
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