Porsche Engineering has announced the opening of a second technical R&D facility in Timișoara, Romania, to expand its business in the area of intelligent and connected vehicles. With help from its other Romanian facility in Cluj-Napoca, Porsche hopes that the latest facility will extend the company’s digital capabilities.
“The tech activities of Porsche Engineering in Romania have been a great success story so far. The consistent growth with highly skilled function and software specialists in Cluj-Napoca motivated us to consider expanding to a second Romanian location,” commented Dirk Lappe, chief technology officer, Porsche Engineering. “Five years ago, when we first came to Romania, we were impressed by the creativity, flexibility and fast-learning ability of the people we met. We are happy to further tap into this potential with a second location in the vibrant city of Timișoara.”
The German manufacturer aims to employ 50 people in Timișoara this year, with a mid-term target set for 200 specialists to eventually work at the facility. Primarily made up of software development and testing experts, the team will work on a variety of automotive projects, focusing on highly automated driving functions, machine learning, virtual energy management and intelligent body and cockpit areas.
“At Porsche Engineering in Romania, we are combining the latest technologies from software and function development with automotive expertise to make cars smarter, more user friendly and more efficient,” explained Marius Mihailovici, managing director, Porsche Engineering Romania. “We are developing new functions and features for unique brands, leveraging the latest technologies, and following through our ideas from concept to market. This is quite unusual for the automotive companies operating in Romania and it was one of the key points that attracted great talent to our organization.”
With other sites in Germany, China, the Czech Republic and the Nardò proving ground in Italy, the OEM says that its proximity to first-class universities plays a vital role in its international innovation strategy.
“We are planning to connect with the Timișoara Polytechnic University and West University for common projects from the academic world,” said Mihailovici.
“When I took office, I said that Timișoara has a lot to offer to companies willing to invest in clean and durable technologies,” concluded Dominic Fritz, mayor of Timișoara. “I am glad that this message was heard by Porsche Engineering, and I am looking forward to seeing their new R&D office in action. The municipality will always be open to investors that see the great potential that this city has.”
