Narayan AmmachchiColombia is embarking on an ambitious project to build a research center to propel its prospective automotive industry. The research center, which will be located somewhere in the Cali region, is assigned with the task of helping the country become Latin America’s biggest auto parts exporter, generating revenues of over $3 billion by 2032.
Several government agencies, education institutes and private organizations – including ANDI, the Colombian Association of Auto Parts Manufacturers, ACOLFA, Department of Science – have joined hands to help the country realize this dream. The government says the plan is to collaborate, innovate and accelerate the growth of technology sector.
Once built, reports say, the research center will play a key role in innovating Colombia’s technology sector, supporting a wide range of industry verticals including software and IT services, cosmetics and toiletries, outsourcing services, health care and tourism.
According to El Espectador, consulting firm McKinsey had recommended in 2007 that the government construct a research center to give an innovative edge to its automotive sector.
The research center will support the development of new technologies, new products and materials, besides offering labs to test and trial products and providing training to young enthusiasts.
The first project of the research center, according to Contextoganadero.com, will involve building electric buses that run on solar power. A prototype of the vehicles, according to the site, has already been built. The buses need to be charged for four hours to move a distance of 80 miles.
A large number of hybrid buses are already circulating the streets of Bogota and Cali. The government wants to increase the number of eco-friendly vehicles and become a leading exporter of such vehicles in the years ahead.
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