ASHA Ready to Deliver 4WD System of the Future
9 July 1997
ASHA Ready to Deliver 4WD System of the Future
SANTA BARBARA, Calif., July 9 -- In the fall of 1998, the
first four-wheel drive vehicle equipped with what one top automotive official
has called the "cornerstone technology for the next century" will make its
long-awaited debut. It's called GERODISC(TM), and it has already fulfilled
its promise to automotive engineers to improve traction, handling, and safety
of vehicles equipped with two-wheel drive, all-wheel drive, and four-wheel
drive.
"Today's four-wheel and all-wheel drive systems will finally live up to
their reputations which, truth be told, have been misnomers," says Jack
McCormack, ASHA president and chief operating officer. "Two
plus two hasn't really equaled four because these present systems are really
just a pair of two-wheel drive systems that deliver torque to one front wheel
and one rear wheel. Ask any drivertrain engineer. Or better yet, ask owners
of four-wheel drive vehicles who've been stuck in mud or had to put on chains
in the winter."
With GERODISC, engineers won't need complicated, expensive traction
control systems which wear on drivertrains, or antiquated manual lockers, or
even driver-activated levers and buttons. They're headed for the junkyard
filled with yesterday's technologies -- nice, but no longer needed.
"The ASHA GERODISC system is potentially the most technologically superior
traction control system in the world," says Alain Clenet, founder and chairman
of the innovative research and engineering firm. "Currently we have licensing
agreements with leading Tier One automotive suppliers in North America and
abroad for new installations starting in 1999."
GERODISC is a fully automatic, hydro-mechanical traction control device
which improves traction and handling by limiting wheel spin. It is fully
compatible and interfaceable with electronic systems including ABS, electronic
traction control, and the emerging active electronic systems including
Stabilitrak at GM and AVS at Ford. In addition to being more rugged and
durable than competitive systems, Clenet says it is the only known technology
that is compatible with all passenger cars, vans, sport utility vehicles, and
trucks, and it can be used on all types of vehicle platforms: front-wheel
drive, rear-wheel drive, all-wheel drive and four-wheel drive.
"GERODISC is more than just a mechanical device which makes getting stuck
in snow, ice, or mud a thing of the past," adds Clenet. "It is a major step
towards safety since the driver will have much better control of the vehicle.
In fact, tests show that a GERODISC-equipped vehicle handles and performs
better than a similar vehicle in dry or wet conditions or even when equipped
with snow chains."
GERODISC, has been extensively tested and raced in high-performance open
wheel, GTI, and touring sedans in major racing venues around the world.
Clenet says that in addition to reducing lap times, GERODISC, makes these cars
safer to operate, noting that, "Recent crashes at Indianapolis Raceway caused
by half-shaft failures may have been prevented if the cars had been equipped
with GERODISC."
Equally intriguing is the potential for significant reductions in vehicle
weight and component complexity. "In one recent add-delete scenario, we
eliminated 52 pounds of mass and more than $200 in cost," says Clenet. "These
amounts had been unheard of in the past. The impact on fuel economy
improvements is now being actively investigated by powertrain engineers."
Clenet adds that GERODISC is being tested by all major U.S. vehicle
manufacturers and most major European manufacturers for future use.
In addition to exploiting GERODISC, the company has also developed and
patented the ASHA Body Concept (ABC), a commercially feasible manufacturing
process for modularly-based vehicles produced in emerging third-world
countries. ASHA is now preparing to launch its first ABC World Car in the
People's Republic of China using local materials, components, and labor.
According to McCormack, "extensive prototype testing in the southwestern
United States has really proven the concept and design to be outstanding!"
Ambitious growth plans for these and other new products are underway at
ASHA following a $5 million secondary public offering, which was closed on
July 3, 1997. ASHA's common stock now trades on the Nasdaq Small Cap market
under the symbol ASHA.
The recently completed secondary offering through H.J. Meyers and Co.,
Inc., will allow ASHA to:
* Accelerate development and marketing of GERODISC and ABC World Car
technologies
* Conduct a broad range of R&D engineering on future products
* Pursue development and marketing of GERODISC for automotive
aftermarket applications
* Increase working capital and resources
"We are extremely optimistic for both our short and long-term planning, "
says Clenet. "GERODISC and our ABC vehicle are just the beginning of what
we've got on the drawing board."
SOURCE ASHA Corporation