Fiat plans USD150 mn R and D hub in Hyd, create 1k jobs

FCA ICT India, FCA’s new innovation and technology development facility, will create nearly 1,000 new cutting-edge technology jobs by the end of 2021 and it has plans to increase hiring over the next two to three years.

This will be FCA’s second largest facility outside North America, Europe, Middle East and Africa.

“The $150 million investment to set up a Global Digital Hub in Hyderabad cements our continued commitment to India and our customers,” said Dr Partha Datta, President-MD, FCA India.

“FCA ICT India will be our technology backbone that will not only help us develop products for future mobility but will also sharpen our efforts to enhance customer-centricity. This is a significant step forward in realizing our vision to make our Indian operations more capable to develop digitally-driven products and technologies locally for India and also for the world,” he told a virtual news conference.

Karim Lalani, director and head of FCA ICT India, said the new centre will drive strategic competencies in niche technology areas for connected vehicle programs, artificial intelligence, data science, and cloud technologies.

He said the company was building an innovation powerhouse to deliver at the speed of customer expectations by harnessing intelligence throughout the customer lifecycle. It will be establishing an ecosystem of strategic partners, start-ups, digital accelerators and universities in Hyderabad.

Lalani said the newly-recruited employees will work on exciting products and concepts that will define the future of mobility at FCA. The Global Digital Hub will serve as a transformation and innovation engine for FCA and drive global IT strategy, and deliver excellence through a robust platform, technology and service centres of excellence.