The cars of the future are already arriving: new models are being introduced every day that are safer, more comfortable, and boast increasingly sophisticated designs. Some run on alternative sources of energy that reduce carbon dioxide emissions, and thus decrease the impact on climate change. And new cars are designed to remove particulates and other emissions from the tailpipe as well, in an effort to clean the air in major cities.

Technological innovations both in and outside the car have made these developments possible. Innovations in seats, steering systems, roofs, windows and doors, have all been produced by automotive component manufacturers, which play a fundamental role in the cars of the future.

According to Sernauto, the automotive component association in Spain, the sector employs more than 200,000 people in Spain and invests 2.8 percent of sales in research and development, more than twice the national average. These companies have grown alongside major car manufacturers such as Seat, Fasa Renault, Ford, Mercedes, Citroën and others for the last half century. Over the past decade, car manufacturers have been increasingly outsourcing to component companies, and so these firms are taking on a greater role in technological innovations for new vehicles.

The Spanish groups Ficosa and Grupo Antolin have both played a significant role in automotive developments; both companies invest 4 percent of revenues in R&D. “We compete in the major leagues,” says Xavier Gilspert, Ficosa’s external relations manager. “Automotive giants in Germany, the U.S., and France have put their trust in us.”

The cars of the future are already arriving: new models are being introduced every day that are safer, more comfortable, and boast increasingly sophisticated designs. Some run on alternative sources of energy that reduce carbon dioxide emissions, and thus decrease the impact on climate change. And new cars are designed to remove particulates and other emissions from the tailpipe as well, in an effort to clean the air in major cities.

Technological innovations both in and outside the car have made these developments possible. Innovations in seats, steering systems, roofs, windows and doors, have all been produced by automotive component manufacturers, which play a fundamental role in the cars of the future.

According to Sernauto, the automotive component association in Spain, the sector employs more than 200,000 people in Spain and invests 2.8 percent of sales in research and development, more than twice the national average. These companies have grown alongside major car manufacturers such as Seat, Fasa Renault, Ford, Mercedes, Citroën and others for the last half century. Over the past decade, car manufacturers have been increasingly outsourcing to component companies, and so these firms are taking on a greater role in technological innovations for new vehicles.

The Spanish groups Ficosa and Grupo Antolin have both played a significant role in automotive developments; both companies invest 4 percent of revenues in R&D. “We compete in the major leagues,” says Xavier Gilspert, Ficosa’s external relations manager. “Automotive giants in Germany, the U.S., and France have put their trust in us.”