ArvinMeritor Showcases Modular Suspension Technologies During 2007 Vehicle Dynamics Expo


Development Contracts Awarded for Three Advanced Products

STUTTGART, Germany, May 8 -- ArvinMeritor, Inc. (NYSE:ARM) today unveiled several new light vehicle modular suspension technologies developed by the company's Light Vehicle Systems (LVS) Chassis Systems business unit. Three of the advanced products have been awarded development contracts. Today's announcement was made from the company's exhibit booth at the 2007 Vehicle Dynamics Expo in Stuttgart.

"Our customers consistently tell us they need more performance flexibility from their ride and handling packages, and they need it without incurring costly model variations," said Ed Frutig, vice president and general manager of LVS Chassis Systems for ArvinMeritor. "ArvinMeritor's chassis system solutions are the direct result of listening to our customers. Our systems are scalable, yet modular in design and assembly, and they can be independent or combined into fully integrated chassis systems that deliver active vehicle stability and ride control."

On display in the company's Vehicle Dynamics Expo booth are:
-- ArvinMeritor's Active Air Suspension System: Currently under development on a European mid-size, performance sedan, the Active Air Suspension System provides continuously variable spring rate adjustment. Test results verify that the system can create up to a 3-to-1 spring rate change in under 100 milliseconds, providing low-frequency active body control for improved ride, handling and stability. The system uses many of the same components of a standard air suspension system. This provides modularity and scalability, which results in a high performance, cost effective solution built upon proven technology.
-- ArvinMeritor's Adaptive Damping System: Currently under development on a European performance coupe, the Adaptive Damping System provides best-in-class performance at a competitive price. It has a wide force range, fast response time, the ability to shift on force, and frequency dependent damping capability. This is done with an electro-magnetically actuated combination spool and poppet valve "spoopet," replacing a standard piston in either a monotube or twin-tube shock absorber. All damping is provided by the valve, which eliminates deflected disks and simplifies the OEM's tuning and development time. The simplicity of the valve and the flexibility in manufacturing give ArvinMeritor the ability to provide a high-performance, cost-effective solution.
-- ArvinMeritor's Active Roll Control Stabilizer Bar System: Currently under development on a North American luxury sedan, the Active Roll Control Stabilizer Bar System meets the requirements of multiple vehicles on a single platform. It is derived from a single, center-bar rotary actuator that can be connected to a servo pump to provide single-channel or dual-channel active roll control. This system is capable of independent control of front and rear roll rates, and has the ability to adjust roll couple distribution real-time.
-- ArvinMeritor's Light-duty Axles: ArvinMeritor's newest chassis development product offers a three-axis hypoid gear design that improves noise, vibration and durability; precision-forged differential gears; torque fluctuation-based NVH end of line testing; and improved dynamic sealing solutions.

About Light Vehicle Systems

ArvinMeritor's LVS business group is a market leader in the product categories it serves, supplying integrated systems and modules to the world's leading passenger car and light truck OEMs. With advanced technology and systems design expertise in apertures, chassis and wheels, LVS combines high- quality components into cost-effective, performance-based solutions for virtually every car and light truck on the road today.

About ArvinMeritor

ArvinMeritor, Inc. is a premier global supplier of a broad range of integrated systems, modules and components to the motor vehicle industry. The company serves light vehicle, commercial truck, trailer and specialty original equipment manufacturers and certain aftermarkets from more than 110 manufacturing facilities globally. Headquartered in Troy, Mich., ArvinMeritor employs approximately 27,500 people in 26 countries. ArvinMeritor common stock is traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol ARM. For more information, visit the company's Web site at: http://www.arvinmeritor.com/.

All Topics