Hitachi Automotive Systems Announces to Supply Alfa Romeo with Carbon-Fibre Propeller Shaft for the new Giulia

Tokyo, Japan, April 26, 2016 — Hitachi Automotive Systems, Ltd. today announced that the company will supply Alfa Romeo with a carbon-fibre propeller shaft(prop shaft) for the new Giulia that the brand is planning to release in 2016.

The propeller shaft is the drive shaft used to transmit the rotational force generated by the engine to the rear wheels, connecting the transmission and the differential* to rear axle. Vehicle weight reduction plays an important part in reducing both fuel consumption and emissions.

The propeller shaft that will be used on the new Alfa Romeo Giulia makes a significant contribution of approx. 5.0Kg to vehicle weight reduction since it is made of carbon-fibre, making it around 40% lighter than a conventional steel prop shaft. It also provides excellent contribution to vehicle safety, since the impact force is reduced by about 50% at maximum due to collapsible behaviour in frontal impact vehicle collision. Furthermore, the utilisation of the carbon fibre prop shaft results allows elimination of centre bearing support structure which eliminates a potential noise transmission path to the passenger compartment hence improving vehicle comfort.

Looking to the future, Hitachi Automotive Systems will continue to develop products and systems that improve the environmental friendliness, safety, comfort and convenience of vehicles to create new value for people, vehicles and society.

*

Differential: When a vehicle corners the inner and outer drive wheels travel different distances. The differential adjusts for the difference in the distance traveled by the wheels to ensure smooth cornering.

About Hitachi Automotive Systems, Ltd.

Hitachi Automotive Systems, Ltd. is a wholly owned subsidiary of Hitachi, Ltd., headquartered in Tokyo, Japan. The company is engaged in the development, manufacture, sales and services of automotive components, transportation related components, industrial machines and systems, and offers a wide range of automotive systems including engine management systems, electric power train systems, drive control systems and car information systems. For more information, please visit the company’s website at https://www.hitachi-automotive.co.jp/en/.