Traveling more than 1,800 miles across the Australian outback in a standard automobile is an extremely tough challenge for any driver. Imagine how much more difficult it is to traverse this harsh terrain in a solar-powered vehicle with little or no track record of reliability.
This past May, automotive modules and components manufacturer TRW was purchased by transmission manufacturer ZF for $12.4 billion. The deal creates ZF-TRW—the world’s third-largest auto supplier, with 130,000 employees and annual sales of more than $34.2 billion.