IAV GmbH started early to develop international markets and to work on multinational projects. In order to be able to offer products and technological services internationally, IAV has established several research, production and sales subsidiaries in the USA, Asia, Latin America and Europe.

IAV Inc. in the United States was founded in 1998 in Ann Arbor, Michigan, as one of the first branches abroad. The number of employees rose steadily, peaking at 170 in 2014.

The American location was set up with the aim of being represented in what was then the largest automotive market. One of the focal points was the development of hybrid electric vehicles, which were seen as a solution for clean and efficient vehicles in the USA in the late 1990s and early 2000s.

Business developed positively, so that the GmbH decided to invest in the international development center “Technical Center North America”. The aim was to drive forward research and development in the field of future powertrains.

The establishment of IAV in Michigan was also supported by politicians. Jennifer Granholm, then Governor of Michigan and now Secretary of Energy in the Biden cabinet, championed IAV’s investment in advanced propulsion technologies, so IAV received funding through the Michigan Economic Development Corporation MEDC.

Battery as the engine of the future

Today, battery electric vehicles are the main focus of powertrain development in Northville. The Technical Center is currently being converted into a competence center for batteries and e-drives so that it can continue to benefit from the advantages of an international focus in the development of modern, zero-emission powertrains.

10,285.14 kilometers from Northville, an IAV site was established in Japan in 2007.

After IAV’s first projects with Japanese customers had been successful, it was obvious to expand the business field to Japan and open a sales representation. Developing the market in Japan was a must for IAV as a technology service provider anyway, because for a long time, every third car sold worldwide came from Japan.

As one of the world’s most important technology leaders, Japan also has a high demand for technological services in the automotive environment, which they are increasingly requesting from Germany. Since the 2000s, IAV’s business activities in Japan have intensified to such an extent that the branch now generates a significant share of IAV GmbH’s sales.

New products and services for the mobile future

Initially, IAV’s activities in Japan focused primarily on powertrain development. In recent years, it has increasingly added projects in the fields of highly automated driving, autonomous driving and connected vehicles, the development of which will be the focus in the future.

Seven years later, IAV received an order in 2012 to develop a complete vehicle for the Chinese market. As a result, the first office was opened in Shanghai that same year. In parallel, IAV began to develop hybrid vehicles for Chinese OEMs. In addition, developments took place in the field of HMI (human-machine interface) as well as the production of battery cells.

Technologies of the future made in China

Today, IAV has offices in the cities of Shanghai, Beijing and Hefei and operates three development centers, which are primarily concerned with Future Powertrain, Vehicle Solutions & Autonomous Driving, Software Systems & Connectivity and Functional Safety.

By 2030, IAV’s Chinese subsidiary plans to continue to grow sustainably and profitably. To this end, it aims to grow from the current 200 employees to 1000 talents and targets sales in the billion range.

Whether in Berlin, Stockholm, Seoul or São Paulo – IAV is active worldwide as a technology service provider, working with the best experts in their field to develop innovations and future technologies such as autonomous driving, robots and AI systems.