DENSO to Establish Engineering Center for Diesel Engine Components in Germany

EICHING, Germany, Feb. 24, 2005 -- DENSO Automotive Deutschland GmbH (DNDE), a subsidiary of Japan-based DENSO Corporation, today announced that it will establish Aachen Engineering Center, a new engineering center for diesel engine components. The center, located in Wegberg, Germany, will carry out application design work for diesel engine fuel injection systems. DNDE will invest approximately 13 million euro in the construction of Aachen Engineering Center.

This is DENSO's first overseas engineering center for diesel engine components.

"In Europe, the percentage of diesel engines in passenger cars is as high as 50 percent, and a further increase in demand is expected," explained Hiromi Tokuda, managing officer in charge of DENSO's Powertrain Control System Group. "This facility can help us meet that demand through application designs as well as performance evaluations. In the future, the facility will engineer powertrain components."

In 1994, DNDE established a testing facility for automotive air conditioning systems. The testing facility was expanded in October 2003 when a material evaluation component was added.

DENSO is committed to further expanding engineering facilities in Europe to quickly meet customer needs, Tokuda added.

DENSO Corporation, headquartered in Kariya, Aichi prefecture, Japan, is a leading global supplier of advanced technology, systems and components. Its customers include all the world's major carmakers. Worldwide, the company employs 95,000 people in 31 countries and regions, including Japan. Consolidated global sales for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2004 totaled US$24.2 billion. DENSO common stock is traded on the Tokyo, Osaka and Nagoya stock exchanges. For more information, go to http://www.globaldenso.com/ .

In Europe, DENSO employs more than 12,000 people at 32 companies with consolidated net sales for the above fiscal year totaling US$3.1 billion (2.6 billion euro). Currently, operations are located in The Netherlands, United Kingdom, Germany, Spain, Italy, France, Hungary, Sweden, Poland, Belgium, Portugal, Czech Republic and Turkey.

In the Americas, DENSO employs 14,000 people at 33 companies with consolidated net sales for the above fiscal year totaling US$5.3 billion.

  Profile of Aachen Engineering Center:
  1. Established: April 2005

2. Location: Friedrich-List-Allee 42, 41844, Wegberg-Wildenrath, Nordrhein-Westfalen, Germany (about 50 kilometers north of the center of Aachen)

3. General Manager: Masato Nakagawa (a former chief engineer of DENSO SALES UK LTD.*)

4. Business Fields: Application design and evaluation of fuel injection systems for diesel engines

  5. Employees: 10 (April 2005)
  6. Total Investment: 13 million euro
  7. Site area: 40,000 square meters
  8. Total floor area: 2,110 square meters

*100 percent DENSO-owned group company selling automotive components and providing engineering services, design, and testing

  Background Information:
  Company Profile of DENSO Automotive Deutschland GmbH
  1. Established: January 1984
  2. Location: Eching, Bayern
  3. Capital: 17.5 million euro
  4. Ownership: 100 percent provided by DENSO International Europe B.V.*
  *100 percent owned European holding subsidiary of DENSO Corporation
  5. President: Haruya Maruyama

6. Business Fields: Development and sales of car air conditioners and components

7. Employees: Approximately 250

8. Site area: 57,200 square meters (including the new addition of 40,000 square meters)

9. Building area: 14,910 square meters in total (including the new addition of 2,110 square meters)