Delphi's Climate Control Technology Chosen For Volkswagen Commercial Vans and First-Ever SUV
Wednesday November 13, 8:04 am ET
biz.yahoo.com
LOCKPORT, N.Y., Nov. 13 /PRNewswire/ -- Volkswagen has selected Delphi Corporation (NYSE: DPH) to provide climate control technology on a major multi-vehicle program.
(Photo: newscom.com )
Delphi's Harrison Thermal Systems division will provide climate control systems for a Volkswagen application that involves commercial vans and the automaker's first sport-utility vehicle, the Touareg, which reached the market at its official debut at the Paris 2002 Mondial Auto Show in September. This marks Delphi's first thermal management business with Volkswagen in Europe.
"This new relationship is a critically important one for us in Europe, and we look forward to growing it as we demonstrate our ability to exceed Volkswagen's high expectations for quality, delivery, technology and value," said Marshall Andrews, managing director of European and South American Operations, Delphi Harrison Thermal Systems.
Across the multi-vehicle program, Delphi offers best-in-class performance in climate control technology and passenger vehicle comfort over a wide range of flexible and economical modules featuring a multitude of functions, he added.
The program ranges from manually actuated base heater modules and rear- mounted passenger compartment compact modules to technologically sophisticated climate control systems and individually controlled temperature, air- distribution, and air-flow in four different zones.
Engineers from Volkswagen and Delphi developed an intelligent common-part- structure that offers a maximum of variants to be used in vehicle applications ranging from utility vehicles to absolute top-class vehicles.
Delphi will manufacture several product variants to support this VW program, including automatic and manually operated systems, modules designed for left and right-hand drive, and heater-only options. The product will also offer the opportunity to control passenger comfort in the driver position only, or individually in all other passenger positions.
The contract is worth more than $220 million (USD) over its lifetime, according to initial customer forecasts. Systems and components will be produced at various European sites including Ostrow, Poland, one of several thermal management facilities in Europe that is designed within the full framework of the lean-driven Delphi Manufacturing System, with others in France, Italy and Hungary. System performance and coolant cycles were tested at Delphi Thermal's comprehensive test facilities in Luxembourg.
The units will be shipped to support Volkswagen's assembly sites in Hannover, Germany, Poznan, Poland, and the automaker's new facility in Bratislava, Slovakia, which will manufacture the sport-utility vehicle.
Delphi Thermal's first-ever business with Volkswagen globally involves the company's new Compact Variable Compressor facility in Jaguariuna, Brazil, which supports the VW Gol, Brazil's long-time sales leader. |
