- Technology company presents products focusing on energy efficiency
- ZF as a partner for the global growth strategies of Japanese carmakers
- App-guided tour gives trade show visitors a great overview of ZF’s highlights
Tokyo. ZF is back as an exhibitor at the Tokyo Motor Show: Between November 22 and December 1, 2013, the technology company presents its innovations at booth W1001 in Hall West. The world’s first automatic passenger car with nine gears is among ZF’s exhibition highlights.
ZF is presenting its innovations at the Tokyo Motor Show in the last two weeks of November this year – and thus shows its presence in Japan, a country keen on automobiles. The Group is represented in Japan with a development center and 20 service partners, but it has no production location. “We have been cooperating for decades with our partners, the Japanese manufacturers,” says ZF’s Chief Executive Officer Dr. Stefan Sommer, “above all with their locations abroad in the US and in Europe.” The Sales generated by ZF with these transplants amounted to €363 million in 2012. “In the next few years, we want to accompany the growth of our Japanese customers and further extend our activities on this market,” underlines Sommer.
Technologically well-prepared
At the Tokyo Motor Show, ZF not only draws attention to its worldwide development and production network. The Group also has the right products to offer: With the 9-speed automatic transmission for passenger cars with a front-transverse engine layout, that started volume production this year, the company has added an energy-efficient multi-ratio transmission to its product portfolio. This first 9-speed automatic transmission worldwide features an extremely high total spread of 9.81 and at the same time very small gear steps. The response and shift times are below the threshold of human perception. Compared to today’s standard 6-speed automatic transmissions with front-transverse installation, fuel consumption is cut by up to 16% when traveling at a constant speed of 120 km/h.
The 9-speed automatic transmission is also compatible with all-wheel drive applications. Here again, ZF has a solution in its product portfolio: ECOnnect, the automatically disengageable all-wheel-drive system can reduce the additional consumption of all-wheel-drive vehicles, which is due to their operating principle, to a minimum. Fuel consumption can be reduced by up to five percent compared with conventional all-wheel drives. At the same time, vehicle dynamics and driving safety are enhanced substantially by distributing torque to the individual wheels, for example.
App-based overview
At the Tokyo Motor Show, ZF gives all trade show visitors a great overview: With “ZF AutoShowMe”, the free smartphone app, they can obtain information about ZF’s presentation in Tokyo beforehand and also learn interesting facts about the technology company.
This includes, among other things, ZF’s motorsports activities: Since the previous season, ZF has been supporting the popular Japanese Super GT racing series. Since then, the ZF logo has been visible on the starting numbers of the GT500 and GT300 teams’ racing cars. In addition, a Japanese Facebook page informs motorsports enthusiasts about the news and background of the eight races and ZF’s commitment. The “ZF Race Reporter” campaign gives the motorsports fans from Japan the opportunity to report on the race directly from the pit lane.
ZF welcomes its visitors, everyone interested, and customers to the Tokyo Motor Show in Hall West 1/2 at booth W1001. The ZF trade show app is available for Apple and Android devices and can be downloaded for free on the respective Internet platform.
