Major Chinese Truck Manufacturers Increasingly Adopt WABCO’s OptiRide Electronically Controlled Air Suspension Technology


BRUSSELS, Belgium, Aug. 30, 2016 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- WABCO Holdings Inc. (NYSE:WBC) (www.wabco-auto.com), a leading global supplier of technologies that improve the safety, efficiency and connectivity of commercial vehicles, today reported that several major Chinese heavy duty truck manufacturers – including China National Heavy Truck Corporation (CNHTC), Dongfeng Liuzhou Motor Company (DFLQ) and Shaanqi – continue to increase adoption of OptiRide™ electronically controlled air suspension (ECAS) in series production. WABCO’s OptiRide technology is by far the global commercial vehicle industry’s best-selling ECAS solution.

Since 2014, WABCO remains the first and only supplier of ECAS systems for truck and bus manufacturers in China, the world’s largest commercial vehicle market. Award-winning OptiRide technology improves fuel economy up to 3 percent while providing optimal ride performance.

Featuring intelligent lift-axle control and load monitoring, the OptiRide technology detects axle overload and provides automatic load transfer to improve the vehicle’s traction performance, which also helps reduce vehicle wear-and-tear and other operational costs. Unlike steel-spring suspension, OptiRide also enables the vehicle’s lifting and lowering, resulting in more efficient cargo handling and time-saving operation. In addition, the optimal ride quality provided by OptiRide delivers better load protection and more stable truck operation which increase vehicle and road safety.

“Leading Chinese truck makers are increasingly upgrading their vehicle platforms and axle configurations to be more competitive for long-haul transport and logistics operations,” said Sujie Yu, WABCO Vice President, Asia Pacific. “OptiRide further differentiates by improving vehicle efficiency and safety and by enhancing driver comfort. WABCO continues to deliver the most cost-effective, specially designed electronic air-suspension control solutions, which superbly satisfy local needs at industry-leading standards for quality, reliability and service.”

“Major customers such as CNHTC, DFLQ, Shaanqi and other commercial vehicle manufacturers benefit from WABCO’s advanced maturity in globalization, alongside leading in-country capabilities such as local engineering, product application and manufacturing,” said Yu. “As anticipated, WABCO demonstrates another first-to-market success in China through OptiRide and its significantly growing acceptance by customers – both in series production and as an option.”

In China, WABCO continues its position of market leadership, which includes anti-lock braking systems (ABS), electronic braking systems (EBS) and electronic stability control (ESC), among other vehicle safety and efficiency technologies. Local original equipment manufacturers view WABCO as the supplier of choice and value the company’s “design for China” strategy and unique ability to execute there through 4 world-class factories. In particular, OptiRide builds on WABCO’s track record of 30 years of technology leadership in ECAS systems.

About WABCO
WABCO (NYSE:WBC) is a leading global supplier of technologies and services that improve the safety, efficiency and connectivity of commercial vehicles. Founded nearly 150 years ago, WABCO continues to pioneer breakthrough innovations for advanced driver assistance, braking, stability control, suspension, transmission automation and aerodynamics. Partnering with the transportation industry as it maps a route toward autonomous driving, WABCO also uniquely connects trucks, trailers, drivers, cargo, and fleet operators through telematics, as well as advanced fleet management and mobile solutions. WABCO reported sales of $2.6 billion in 2015. Headquartered in Brussels, Belgium, WABCO has 12,000 employees in 39 countries. WABCO’s 2015 Annual Report is now available at www.ar.wabco-auto.com. For more information, visit www.wabco-auto.com.

WABCO China media contacts
Lleyton Li, +86 138 1684 9400, lil@prbright.com
Sunny He, +86 139 1734 3181, hes@prbright.com 

WABCO Global media contact
Tobias Mueller, +49 89 470 277 112, wabco@klenkhoursch.de

WABCO investors and analysts contact
Christian Fife, +1 248 270 9290, christian.fife@wabco-auto.com