Magneti Marelli S.p.A. is an Italian company which deals with development and manufacturing of systems, modules and high-technology components for the automotive industry. A subsidiary of Fiat Group, it has 32,000 employees and a turnover of 5.4 billion euro in 2008.
Headquartered in Corbetta (province of Milan), the company includes 77 manufacturing plants, 11 R&D centres and 26 application centers in Italy, India, France, Germany, Spain, Poland, Czech Republic, Russia, Turkey, United States, Mexico, Brazil, Argentina, China, Malaysia, and South Africa.
Magneti Marelli was founded in 1919 as a joint-venture between Fiat and Ercole Marelli, and was named as F.I.M.M. - Fabbrica Italiana Magneti Marelli; the first plant was established in Sesto San Giovanni near Milan, Italy. The company started as a magneto and electrical equipment manufacturer.
Magneti Marelli currently deals with intelligent systems for active and passive safety of vehicles, as well as in the powertrain area.
The business lines include automotive lighting systems, body control systems, powertrain control systems, electronic instrument clusters, telematics systems, and computers, suspension systems and components, exhaust systems, and motorsport, wherein Magneti Marelli develops specific electronic systems for Formula One, Motorcycle Grand Prix and the World Rally Championship.
Sub-brands of the company include Carello, AL-Automotive Lighting, Siem SpA, Cofap, Jaeger, Veglia Borletti, Vitaloni and Weber.
Magneti Marelli worked with Ford Motor Company and Microsoft Auto to develop an in-dash computer (carputer) for Ford's work truck division introduced in 2008 — with a built-in 6.5-inch, high-resolution touch screen and Bluetooth, USB connectivity, GPS Navigation, voice recognition, as well as general office applications, e.g., word processing, contact, and calendar.