The German automotive supplier said the facility, formally inaugurated on 8 October, already employs more than 120 engineers and is expected to increase its workforce to more than 300 over the coming years. It did not specify a deadline for reaching that target or disclose the investment involved.
Engineers at the Pune centre are working on software, hardware, systems engineering and mechanical development for customers internationally. Their responsibilities include embedded software, functional safety, cybersecurity and technologies associated with the next generation of steering and chassis systems.
The operation will collaborate with Thyssenkrupp’s development teams in other countries throughout product development, rather than concentrating exclusively on projects for the domestic vehicle market. The company described the facility as an integrated part of its global research and development organisation.
Viktor Molnar, chief operating officer of Thyssenkrupp Automotive Technology, said software, electronics and collaboration between engineering teams across countries were becoming increasingly important to the automotive industry. The Pune operation would provide additional development capacity for customers worldwide, he said.
The expansion reflects changes in vehicle engineering as software increasingly controls functions previously handled primarily through mechanical components. Steering and chassis systems now require developers to coordinate electronic hardware, embedded code and physical components while meeting stringent safety and security requirements.
Functional safety work concerns the identification and control of hazards arising from failures in electrical and electronic systems. Cybersecurity engineering addresses vulnerabilities that could expose connected vehicle functions to interference or unauthorised access. Both are integral to the development of more digitally controlled automotive systems.
The Pune engineers will contribute to customer programmes at different stages of development, including systems design and integration. Thyssenkrupp has not identified individual vehicle manufacturers whose programmes will be handled at the new location, nor has it disclosed specific contracts associated with the expansion.
Björn Erbe, a senior research and development executive in Thyssenkrupp Automotive Technology’s chassis business, said the intention was to establish a significant engineering operation integrated with the group’s international teams. Combining expertise based in Pune with the company’s existing technical resources would enable it to expand development activities, he said.
The centre is situated at Solitaire Business Hub 2 in Pune’s Baner-Balewadi business district. The company identified the city’s established automotive manufacturing sector, universities, engineering businesses and availability of software specialists as factors behind its choice of location.
Recruitment is expected to concentrate initially on software, hardware and mechanical engineering, with specialist capabilities added according to technical needs and customer demand. The company has also indicated that it sees opportunities to work with universities and the wider engineering community in Pune.
The company’s move also places engineering functions and prospective customer engagement in the same city, although it has not yet publicly said whether the new sales organisation will operate from the engineering premises. The plans for sourcing and sales are separate from the confirmed staffing figures for the development centre.
The engineering investment forms part of a broader plan to expand Thyssenkrupp Automotive Technology’s activities in India. The company is strengthening its sourcing operations and establishing a sales team in Pune to build relationships with vehicle manufacturers and pursue business locally.
Manufacturing is not included in the newly inaugurated engineering centre. Thyssenkrupp said it envisages establishing production capabilities in India only if it secures suitable customer projects. No factory location, investment commitment or production timetable has been announced.
The distinction means the confirmed expansion concerns engineering capacity, while local manufacturing remains conditional on commercial demand. The company has similarly not given a precise timetable for the next phase of staffing at the Pune development site.
Plans for the facility were first announced in 2025, and engineering operations were progressively established before the formal opening. The inauguration therefore marks an expansion of an existing development team rather than the beginning of work at an entirely unstaffed location.
Thyssenkrupp’s steering business also announced a partnership with L&T Technology Services in June 2025 for a Pune software development hub dedicated to safety-critical steering applications. That agreement provided for L&T Technology Services to establish and manage the hub on the steering business’s behalf. The latest inauguration announcement did not specify whether the two Pune operations share facilities or personnel.
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