Name: Watch BorgWarner’s CEO Talk About the Future of the Auto Industry
Uploaded: 2016-03-29
Duration: 3 min 54 s
Description: And where he thinks is company fits in

You know there's a lot of talk of the New York Auto Show, about all the big, cool technology, things that are gonna be coming to the industry. How does BorgWarner fit into this whole new phase of innovation? We're a powertrain company, so what we do is design and manufacture products for engines and transmissions. And as the evolution of the industry continues to expand, we see more electrification in our industry. BorgWarner is right there at the heart working with our customers to design and innovate new transmission and engine technology to help them get better fuel economy, and better emissions, and better performance. Well you certainly have been doing this for a long time, more than a hundred years of providing these very key components for the auto industry. But, you know, what kind of game changers are gonna come out of BorgWarner? Game changers for us Will be as the auto makers look to have brand new engines, brand new hybrid configurations. You've heard about that. The rise of the electric vehicle. All of those are gonna require new forms of propulsion, new forms of power trains, and Bug Warner will be right at the center of it helping design brand new Products that meet those requirements. So, it's exciting times actually, really exciting. Well you sound very excited. And don't take this the wrong way, but a lot of people would say that the real disruption in the auto industry is not gonna come from a 100 year old legacy company. It's gonna come from companies like Google or Apple or Tesla. I mean, what are your thoughts on that? Yeah, I. Here's my take, I think there's room for all. That's really the key I think. I think it's a really important aspect. This industry's evolved for centuries, and it will continue to evolve. And there is absolutely a place for a Baldwin or a Ford, the traditional long- term car companies. But we can't do it alone. We're gonna need to partner with the Apples, and the Googles and the Microsoft and it's gonna be a combination and the companies that can harness that collaboration and that synergy and that partnership are the once that are gonna win. Are you thinking of partnering with any of those companies you just named? Absolutely we do, we do. We engage with a very very Very broad perspective. So we'll talk to the Teslas, we'll talk to the Googles, we'll talk to the Apples, we'll talk to the universities, we'll talk to a lot of different people because you need to be engaged. You need to be engaged with a very broad spectrum of people To bring the collaboration and the innovation to the industry. Well we've seen a lot of consolidation. A lot of mergers and acquisitions going in your part of the industry with the suppliers. And even Borg Warner- Yes. Did a recent purchase. Do you see filling out some of the gaps that you have with more acquisitions? We will grow primarily organically. We're a mid single digit growth company, which is a great place to be. And we'll grow a lot through innovation organically. But we absolutely will do additive acquisitions over the years. And I think a lot of that will be to support the wave and the drive to electrification. So think power electronics, think software, those types of capabilities. And we'll integrate those with our conventional products and keep that growth going. That's the goal. General Motors has said recently that it's gonna have a self- driving car road ready in the next few years. Does that sound realistic to you? Will we see autonomous vehicles on the road? Absolutely, and I think in fairly short order. How broad they become, how many and in what space on the road, I think will be very evolutionary. But I think there's a lot of technology that's moving very quickly. I think it's very exciting, but I also think there's some natural cautiousness from the car manufacturers. We've gotta go at a pace that's responsible and safe for the community and for the driver. [ BLANK_AUDIO ]