Swedish manufacturer of automotive safety systems Autoliv, Inc. has expanded its operations in Turkey with the recent opening of two new manufacturing facilities.

The first plant, in the Taysad Industrial Zone in Gebze outside Istanbul, will have the capacity to produce one million steering wheels per year, when it is fully utilised. This corresponds to approximately one-fifth of Autoliv's existing European steering wheel capacity. The new plant will produce both leather-wrapped and polyurethane-foamed steering wheels.

The second new plant on the same site will assemble rewinding spring cassettes for seatbelt retractors.

Autoliv currently has more than 1,000 of its 40,000 employees in Turkey compared with less than 250 in 2000. Sales have grown from $10 million in 2000 to exceed $200 million this year. The latest move to increase its facilities in Turkey is part of the company’s strategy to reduce production costs.

Autoliv Turkey supplies companies such as Toyota, Renault, Ford, Tofas-Fiat and Hyundai/Kia.

Autoliv, together with its joint ventures, has 80 facilities with nearly 39,000 employees in 30 vehicle-producing countries. In addition, the company has development and engineering centres in six countries around the world, including 20 test tracks. Sales in 2005 amounted to $6.2 billion.