Yazaki Nears Completion of its Transfer of High-Voltage Production and Manufacturing Capabilities From Japan to U.S.

CANTON, Mich., Jan. 9, 2006 -- Yazaki North America, Inc. (Yazaki), a leading supplier of vehicle power and data solutions to the automotive industry, announced today that it has completed the first two phases of its three-phase plan to transfer its high-voltage engineering and manufacturing capabilities operations from Japan to North America.

"We're extremely pleased with the progress we've made, completing phase one and two of the transfer ahead of our scheduled timeframe," said George Perry, president and CEO, Yazaki North America, Inc. "At this pace, we're well on our way to developing a strong local capability to provide quality, cost-effective high-voltage products and technologies to our customers in North America."

Yazaki is well positioned in the high-voltage field in Japan and has been developing components to support electric drive technologies for more than 10 years. However, the transfer allows the company to build on their leadership position in the rapidly growing hybrid electric vehicle (HEV), high-voltage connection systems and components business in the United States (its high- voltage products are used on all hybrid electric vehicles sold in North America).

Phase one of the transfer involved Yazaki North America dispatching a team of engineers, led by High Voltage Cables & Systems Vice President Kevin Pimlott, to Japan for a year to work directly with their Japanese counterparts, learning best practices and processes as they master engineering and manufacturing disciplines in order to bring the necessary skill sets back to North America.

The completion of the second phase means that Yazaki has moved the manufacturing of high-voltage cables to a facility in North America. At the completion of the third and final phase of the transfer, Yazaki will have established sufficient subsystem manufacturing and engineering capabilities to produce their full range of high voltage products in North America. This full range of products includes cable and connector systems, power distribution modules, and complimentary devices that may be integrated into hybrid architectures.

North American OEMs will not, however, have to wait until the transition is complete before they can count on Yazaki to deliver products and technology. Throughout the entire transition period, Yazaki will continue to respond to customer requests by engaging the necessary resources from its global company.

Phase three of the transfer is underway and will be completed over the next two years.

Yazaki Corporation is a global leader in the research, development and delivery of vehicle power and data solutions, as well as advanced electronic technologies for vehicle applications. Yazaki produces electrical distribution systems, fiber optics, instrumentation, solid-state power centers, connection systems and electronics. Worldwide, the company employs over 150,000 people in 37 countries, 1,500 of whom are based in the company's North American headquarters and research center campus in Canton, Michigan. For more information on Yazaki, log onto http://www.yazaki-na.com/ .