Press and Media

11 September 2019

TÜV SÜD: Paving the way into global markets

Manufacturers seeking to have their new vehicles or vehicle components approved for specific markets need to comply with a host of different regulations. Applicable regulations differ even on important major markets, such as the USA, Europe or China. As an internationally recognised testing and certification service provider operating branches and testing facilities all over the world, TÜV SÜD assists OEMs and Tier 1 and 2 suppliers to gain access to global markets and supports them throughout approval and licensing processes. TÜV SÜD's portfolio of GMA services spans advisory services during design and development, document management, testing and type approval, conformity of production (COP) and post-marketing surveillance by means of follow-up tests based on sampling. GMA is just one of the topics presented by TÜV SÜD at IAA 2019, held in Frankfurt am Main between 22 and 24 September. Further topics addressed in Hall 4.1 include HAD, Intermodal Mobility, Battery Testing, DVS und PhotoFairy360°.

FMVSS for the USA, CCC in China, KMVSS in South Korea, ADR in Australia, ECE in Europe – “As markets develop rapidly around the world, so does the number of regulations governing the approval of components and vehicle types. In the field of vehicle crashes alone, there are seven times more regulations today than back in 1980”, explains Wolfgang Schöner, Team Leader International Homologation Services at TÜV SÜD. “We partner OEMs throughout the entire design and development process, from the conceptual design phase to the start of production (SoP) and beyond, and we do so around the globe.” Our Global Market Access (GMA) services are based on TÜV SÜD's locations and accreditations or recognitions as Designated Body throughout the world. Maintaining locations in the USA, India, China, Korea and Singapore (ASEAN), TÜV SÜD reaches all relevant markets and covers all regulations related to the approval of new vehicle types worldwide. “We offer a single point of contact for all markets, making market access as simple and practice-focused as possible”, says Schöner.

 
Regional knowledge opens markets
The experts go far beyond purely regulatory requirements in doing so, because regional and market-specific characteristics play a critical role for actual market success. For example, the first Chinese vehicles such as Landwind X6 flopped on the European market because they achieved only low star safety ratings in the Euro NCAP. Safety problems? Absolutely unacceptable in the European market! TÜV SÜD's experts know the markets inside out. They work with manufacturers right from the outset to closely examine each project, thereby guiding vehicles and vehicle components to type approval and paving the way for market success. Schöner explains: “To sell an electric vehicle in South Korea, charging that vehicle must be possible at every lamp-post there. If I am aware of this fact, I will equip the vehicle with the correct charging system right from the start.” TÜV SÜD's experts have now established a database summarising the regulations requiring compliance in the individual markets and the national characteristics to be observed around the globe. In future, this database will give customers an online overview of all criteria relevant for the approval of vehicles and their components.

Impartiality inspires trust
Customers and regulatory authorities alike rely on TÜV SÜD's expertise. When it comes to the sensitive issue of exhaust-gas measurements for European cars, for instance, authorities in South Korea fully rely on the third-party reports of TÜV SÜD. To establish the technological basis for performing advance emission measurements in Germany on cars intended for the Korean market, the specialists from public sector measurement institute K eco (Korean Environment Cooperation) and TÜV SÜD compared the measurement results of various vehicles in Germany and South Korea within the scope of intra-laboratory tests. “The partnership between TÜV SÜD and K eco is a major plus for car manufacturers in Europe. In us, they have a third-party contact in all matters concerning approval for, and access to, the South Korean market. And in turn, we also inspire trust in European cars among the people of South Korea.”

Shaping mobility around the globe
TÜV SÜD's experts are represented in all important bodies worldwide, playing a proactive role in shaping the regulations for innovative technologies such as electromobility or autonomous driving and thereby ensuring standards are harmonised, which will significantly facilitate market access in the future. Taking the example of highly automated vehicles, TÜV SÜD is a European partner in the International Alliance for Mobility Testing and Standardization (IAMTS). TÜV SÜD’s experts work with the Society of Automotive Engineers International (SAE), China Automotive Technology and Research Centre (CATARC), Shanghai Intelligent Automotive Centre (SIAC) and the International Transportation Innovation Centre (ITIC). They are committed to developing, harmonising and standardising internationally recognised test methods and standards in the field of automated driving. After all, the demand for reliable, predictable and reproducible tests for intelligent connected vehicles (ICV) is growing across all geographical and regulatory boundaries worldwide. IAMTS aims to bring together the complex information derived from testing, verification and validation methods worldwide and use them as a basis for developing test methods and scenarios and methods for the validation of intelligent connected vehicles. Wolfgang Schöner comments on these plans as follows: “TÜV SÜD will contribute its expertise in safety testing and validation of automated and connected vehicles, as an organisation committed to playing an active role in shaping the mobility of the future and strengthening the trust of society as a whole in automated driving.”

Further information on TÜV SÜD's IAA presence is available at www.tuev-sued.de/iaa-press.

Press-contact: Vincenzo Lucá