WABCO Holdings, a global technology leader and tier-one supplier to the commercial and automotive vehicle industry, has announced that the company has entered into a multi-year agreement with leading global automaker General Motors to supply innovative mechanical vacuum pump technology for gasoline direct-injection (GDI) engines in passenger cars to be produced in North America, Europe and Asia.
Series production is expected to begin in 2012.
The company’s industry-leading vacuum pump technology offers a compact, light-weight design with ultra-low power consumption attributes.
Vacuum pumps are a critical component of the vehicle’s braking system in passenger cars equipped with diesel and GDI engines.
In some applications, vacuum pumps also deliver non-braking functions such as actuation for variable-geometry turbochargers.
WABCO’s patented vacuum pump designs allow these secondary functions to be delivered in isolation from the primary braking function, thus ensuring no interruption to the critical brake-support function.
“WABCO’s vacuum pump technology helps car makers to improve fuel economy and enhance driver satisfaction while producing cleaner, environmentally friendly vehicles,” said Mike Thompson, WABCO Vice President, Car Systems. “We are passionate about continuing to raise the industry standard for automotive engine-driven vacuum pumps while meeting the growing global demand for vacuum pumps that offer high performance and ultra-low power consumption.”
With more than 50 years of experience in vacuum pump design and production, WABCO currently furnishes a global base of passenger car manufacturers.
