At the Tokyo Motor Show 2015 MAHLE will be showcasing innovations geared specifically to the needs and development trends of the Asian market, which remains one of MAHLE’s core markets.
At the Tokyo Motor Show MAHLE will be unveiling–for the very first time–highly advanced drive motors for electrically powered motorcycles, for which there is a particularly high demand in the Asian region. The electronically controlled motors are brushless DC (BLDC) motors that are characterized by exceptionally low wear and high efficiency. Such electric motors from MAHLE are already being used by European motorcycle manufacturers and stem from the Company’s new business unit “Electric Drives and Applications, a division that the Group has strengthened substainably with its new subsidiary, MAHLE Letrika, as well as a majority holding acquired in the Japanese company, Kokusan Denki, in 2015.
MAHLE will also be using the Tokyo expo to reveal insights into new filter technologies for vehicle cabins. While current air filters already capture some 60 percent of respirable particulate matter, MAHLE is developing a solution that keeps over 95 percent of PM2.5 particles, that are considered particularly harmful, from reaching occupants. PM2.5 is the term used to describe ultrafine dust particles that are small enough to penetrate the pulmonary alveoli. With MAHLE’s new filter technology, the car will become the perfect place to breathe freely.
For MAHLE, the Japanese market is not just the historical origin of its Asian business: Back in 1968, by concluding a license agreement with the former Izumi Corporation, MAHLE created the foundation for its activities in Japan, and thus in Asia. Izumi evolved into MAHLE Engine Components Japan Corporation which is now Asian’s largest manufacturer of diesel pistons for commercial vehicles. Today, MAHLE is represented in Japan by twelve sites, including three major R&D centers, where it currently employees some 2,500 staff in all business divisions. “Almost a quarter of MAHLE’s sales in Asia are generated in Japan. This reflects the importance of Japan for our Company’s development in Asia”, says Wolf-Henning Scheider, Chairman of the Management Board and CEO of the MAHLE Group during the Tokyo Motor Show. Meanwhile, MAHLE is represented in China, India, Indonesia, South Korea, the Philippines, Singapore, and Thailand, and thus in the most important markets in Asia. Despite the weak Chinese market the sales forcast for Asia remains stable with no significant effects expected by MAHLE. In 2014, the Group generated around 20 percent of its sales in Asia.
