Volkswagen and Valeo Earn a 2013 Automotive News PACE Innovation Partnership Award for the Water Charged Air Cooled Air Intake Module

TROY, Mich., April 16, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Volkswagen and Valeo have earned a 2013 Automotive News PACE (Premier Automotive Suppliers' Contribution to Excellence) Innovation Partnership Award for its collaboration on developing a new Water Charged Air Cooled (WCAC) Air Intake Module (AIM) for Volkswagen's 4-cylinder 1.6 and 2.0 TDi modular engines.  Called "SiLLK" (Saugrohr integrierter Ladeluftkuhler) by the OEM customer, the compact and powerful Valeo AIM promotes engine downsizing for fuel consumption (CO₂) and emissions (NO_x) reductions to help vehicles meet worldwide emissions regulations.

"A strong, collaborative partnership between the OEM customer and the Supplier is essential to bringing game-changing innovations to market," said Valeo Powertrain Thermal Systems Research and Development and Marketing Director Georges De Pelsemaeker.  "It is an honor to receive this award.  It helps recognize almost a decade of charged air cooling and engine cooling development activities with our valued customer."

The compact AIM uses a highly effective fluid coolant heat exchanger integrated into the intake manifold to minimize air pressure losses and reduce turbo lag during acceleration.  The AIM not only accommodates the throttle body and Exhaust Gas Recirculation (EGR) valves produced by Valeo Powertrain Systems, it also provides vehicle manufacturers with additional packaging space and flexibility under the hood.

"The distinguished PACE Award is good indicator that Volkswagen is on the right path with its clean diesel strategy," said Oliver Schmidt, general manager, Environmental and Engineering Office, Volkswagen Group of America. "Volkswagen is proud to have found a partner with Valeo that is capable to put the innovations into production in order to deliver advanced technology to customers in our lineup of clean-diesel, fuel-efficient vehicles."

Valeo accepted the honor with Volkswagen at the 2013 Automotive News PACE Awards ceremony on April 15, 2013 at the Max M. Fisher Music Center in Detroit.  The Automotive News PACE Awards honor superior innovation, technological advancement and business performance among automotive suppliers.

In the past, Valeo won PACE awards in 2012 for its Aquablade wiper system; 2008 for its Park4U® park assist system; 2007 for its Multi-Beam Radar (MBR) blind-spot radar sensor; 2006 for its StARS micro-hybrid system; and, 2005 for its LaneVue™ lane departure warning system.

Valeo is an independent industrial Group fully focused on the design, production and sale of components, integrated systems and modules for the automotive industry, mainly for CO₂ emissions reduction. Valeo ranks among the world's top automotive suppliers. The Group has 125 plants, 21 research centers, 40 development centers, 12 distribution platforms and employs 72,600 people in 29 countries worldwide. 

In North America, Valeo's regional headquarters are located in Troy, Mich., and the company has 16 production sites and seven research and development centers.  The company employs approximately 9,500* people across the United States (2,275) and Mexico (7,167).

The company's innovative solutions are developed by four business groups - Powertrain Systems, Thermal Systems, Comfort and Driving Assistance Systems and Visibility Systems.  Valeo's key products support and advance automotive electrical systems; transmission systems; engine management systems; air management systems; hybrid and electric vehicle systems; climate control; powertrain thermal systems; compressors; front-end modules; driving assistance; interior controls; interior electronics; lighting systems; wiper systems; and, wiper motors.

More information about the Valeo Group and its activities can be found on the Internet at www.valeo.com

*Total number of employees as of end of year 2012 (Dec. 31, 2012).

For more information, please contact:
Brad Warner
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Safe Harbor Statement

Statements contained in this report, which are not historical fact, constitute "Forward-Looking Statements". Even though Valeo's management feels that the Forward-Looking Statements are reasonable, investors are put on notice that actual results may differ materially due to numerous important factors, risks and uncertainties to which Valeo is exposed. Such factors include, among others, the company's ability to generate cost savings or manufacturing efficiencies to offset or exceed contractually or competitively required price reductions. The risks and uncertainties to which Valeo is exposed mainly comprise the risks resulting from the investigations currently being carried out by the anti-trust authorities as they have been identified in the Registration Document, risks which relate to being a supplier in the automotive industry and to the development of new products and risks due to certain global and regional economic conditions. Also included are environmental and industrial risks as well as risks and uncertainties described or identified in the public documents submitted by Valeo to the French "Autorite des Marches Financiers" (AMF), including those set out in the "Risk Factors" section of Valeo's Registration Document registered at the AMF on March 29, 2012 (ref. no. D.12-0237).  The company assumes no responsibility for any estimates made by analysts and any other information prepared by third parties which may be used in this report. Valeo does not intend or assume any obligation to review or to confirm the estimates of analysts or to update any Forward-Looking Statements to reflect events or circumstances which occur after the date of this report.

SOURCE Valeo