WHITE PLAINS, NY-IBM and Magna Electronics, a subsidiary of Magna International Inc. (Ontario, Canada) are teaming up in the rapidly growing area of vehicle electronic systems, signing a formal 5-year collaboration on systems design, software development and engineering of vehicle-based computing systems.

"By combining the respective expertise of IBM and Magna Electronics, we expect to bring vehicle electronic systems with enhanced innovative features and functions to the automotive market more quickly and efficiently," says Matthias Arleth, vice president of Magna Electronics Europe.

"Advanced vehicle electronics and software have become crucial to automakers and their ability to differentiate their products in an increasingly competitive marketplace," says Adalio Sanchez, general manager of IBM Technology Collaboration Solutions. "Pairing IBM's software expertise with Magna's automotive expertise enables a new level of highly reliable, embedded systems innovation."