SACHS Automotive Introduces Advanced Vehicle Leveling System

    TROY, Mich., March 2 SACHS Automotive of America will
feature its Nivomat system, an advanced vehicle leveling technology, at the
SAE 2001 World Congress and Exposition in Detroit March 5-8, 2001.

    "Nivomat automatically corrects vehicle level based on vehicle load," said
Julio Caspari, president, NAFTA Chassis Division.  "The system greatly
enhances driving comfort and safety."

    "Nivomat is an advanced technology that is simple in design and requires
no maintenance."  The system consists of two compact units mounted to the rear
wheels in place of the shock absorbers.  Each unit is a self-contained
leveling system with a pump, reservoir, sensor and leveling mechanism.

    "The pump, actuated by the relative motion between the body and the axle,
increases pressure in the Nivomat unit until the optimal vehicle level is
achieved.  This happens quickly, automatically and without additional fuel
consumption," he explained.

    "Nivomat takes over the function of the traditional shock absorbers and
improves on it, by adapting shock damping to vehicle load," Ron Gesquiere,
vice president of sales and application engineering, said.  "The level of the
vehicle and the shock performance is basically unchanged at loaded and
unloaded conditions."

    The SACHS system provides increased comfort and safety to vehicle
occupants, Gesquiere pointed out.  With conventional shock absorbers,
especially in utility vehicles, vans, and station wagons, large additional
loads can cause the rear of the vehicle to lower and make the ride
uncomfortable and dangerous.  Problems can include "bottoming out" of the
suspension, reduced handling performance on curves, misaligned headlights at
night and diminished crash protection.