2007 was a 'good year,' says company president

    PLYMOUTH, Mich., April 14 /PRNewswire/ -- Aisin World Corp. of America
(AWA), a worldwide supplier of automotive components, announced today its
2007 global and North American sales figures, updated facility information,
and provided a review of technology on display at the 2008 SAE World
Congress.

    "By paying attention to what really matters -- the customer -- and by
keeping our house in order, we find ourselves in a stable position as we
face the challenges of 2008," said Don Whitsitt, president, AWA. "We showed
modest growth and held our own in 2007, despite difficult economic
conditions."

    Sales, Employment Growth

    Globally in 2007, Aisin recorded a total sales performance of just over
$20 billion, representing an 11.6 percent increase over 2006. In North
America in 2007, Aisin Group recorded a total sales performance of an
estimated $3.7 billion, an increase of approximately 7.6 percent over 2006.
Employment grew globally by 11.4 percent from 59,500 to just over 66,000.
In North America, employment grew by approximately 9 percent to 9,789
associates.

    New and Expanded Facilities

    In 2007 and early 2008 the establishment or expansion of several
facilities, and merger agreements in global regions outside the United
States took place, including:



    -- Aisin AI Co., Ltd.
       -- Completed its Kira Plant in 2007, the second manufacturing base for
          manual transmissions. The plant will produce FWD manual
          transmissions

    -- AT Kyushu Co., Ltd.
       -- Established by Aisin Takaoka in 2007 to produce iron castings.

    -- Aisin Kyushu Casting Co., Ltd.
       -- Established by Aisin Seiki for the manufacture of aluminum die cast
          products such as timing chain cases, oil pans, cylinder head covers,
          and resin type intake manifolds.

    -- ADVICS Co., Ltd.
       -- Established branch office in Belgium
       -- Merger of Chinese manufacturing operations with Tianjin Aisin
       -- Automobile Parts (also a brake component manufacturer), scheduled
          for 2008
       -- Purchase of 80 percent of stock in Sumiden Brake S & E from Sumitomo
          Electric Industries

    In North America, Aisin established several companies or expansions,
with dedications taking place recently:



    -- Aisin Manufacturing California, Inc., Stockton, California
       -- New plant dedicated March 2008; manufactures door frames.

    -- Aisin Canada, Inc., Stratford, Ontario, Canada
       -- Second Aisin Canadian plant; dedicated March 2008; manufactures door
          frames (first plant is located in Woodstock, Ontario)

    -- AHA Human Resource Development Center, Seymour, Indiana
       -- New 15,500 square foot facility; dedicated by Aisin Holdings of
          America March 2008 for training and education of Aisin associates.

    -- Aisin Automotive Casting Tennessee, Inc., Clinton, Tenn.
       -- Expanded by 250,000 square feet in 2007; produces aluminum die cast
          parts.

    Aisin Group at SAE World Congress

    Aisin will also feature a variety of technologies from Aisin Group
companies at the SAE World Congress. A number of technologies coincide with
technical presentations being made by Aisin representatives. The
technologies represented at World Congress give indication of the wide
diversification of product that Aisin has developed.

    Serving literally every major auto manufacturer worldwide, Aisin's
product offering has grown well beyond drivetrain components to include
advanced technologies such as intelligent head restraints and navigation
systems, to body components and roof systems. This diversification has
provided growth opportunities through Aisin's ability to meet the wide
variety of technology needs of its global customer base.



    Technologies featured at the Aisin Group exhibit include:

    -- 3-Stage Variable Discharge Oil Pump
       Designed to improve fuel efficiency by reducing pump drive power
       through varying the pump discharge.

    -- 4WD Hybrid Transmission
       In addition to its fuel efficiency capabilities, the 4WD Hybrid
       Transmission provides extreme quietness suitable for the most luxurious
       vehicles.

    -- Medium Torque Capacity FWD 6-speed Automatic Transmission
       World's first light-weight, compact, high-performance 6-speed automatic
       transmission improves fuel efficiency and acceleration performance
       compared to a conventional FWD 5-speed transmission. In use globally on
       such vehicles as the VW Golf, Passat, and New Beetle, and on several
       iterations of BMW's Mini-Cooper. It is also in use by Skoda, Audi, and
       Seat.

    -- High Torque Capacity RWD 6-speed Automatic Transmission
       Light weight, compact transmission designed for use in large SUVs
       provides improved fuel efficiency and vehicle performance through
       optimization of gear ratios.

    -- High Torque Capacity RWD 8-speed Automatic Transmission
       The 8-speed provides excellent acceleration, low noise levels and
       superior shift performance.

    -- ESC Modulator
       The "ADS-V2G" ESC modulator incorporates unique gear pumps to control
       brake functions such as anti-lock brake systems, traction control
       systems and electronic stability control. The modulator also supports
       various extended functions such as radar cruise control and pre-crash
       safety systems.

    -- Crawl Control
       ADVICS integrated several braking force functions to develop its Crawl
       Control to assist low-speed, off-road driving, providing good off-road
       performance and easing the burden on the driver. Crawl Control also
       assists in pulling vehicles out in the event they get stuck. The robust
       system also reduces load application on the drive shaft and
       differential gears.

    -- Electric Water Pump for Cooling Inverter
       The electric water pump circulates coolant water around the engine or
       inverter of a hybrid vehicle. The use of electric motor controls the
       water supply so that a specific amount of water can be provided as
       needed, reducing fuel consumption.

    -- Electric Oil Pump for Cooling Motor
       Designed for use on hybrid or economically-running vehicles, the
       electric oil pumps circulate lubricating oil or coolant oil to the
       engine and transmission when the engine is stopped.

    -- High Torque Capacity Transfer Case for RWD Vehicles
       This class-leading transfer case in a light weight, compact design is
       used in combination with a high torque capacity transmission for rear
       wheel drive applications, and can be used to distribute torque to front
       and rear wheels in a 4WD configuration.

    -- DVD Voice Navigation System
       Designed for navigations and in-vehicle entertainment in luxury
       vehicles, the system features a high resolution 8-inch VGA display, and
       it features a complete North American database including Alaska and
       Puerto Rico with 10,000 points of interest. The system is compatible
       with XM Traffic.

    -- Driver Monitoring System
       Prevents accidents due to inattentive driving; it actually warns the
       driver through audible alerts when his face direction is turned away
       from the road for longer than a predetermined period of time.

    -- Pre-Crash Intelligent Head Restraint
       This technology lessens whiplash injury by reducing shock to the neck.
       It quickly moves the front part of the head restraint forward when the
       system determines that a crash is unavoidable, thereby shortening the
       distance between the head and the head restraint.

    -- Rear Seat Relaxation System
       This rear seat relaxation system provides a comfortable travel space by
       combining and controlling four adjuster systems for sliding, reclining,
       a mid-folding system and ottoman and leg rest control and an ECU for
       overall adjuster control.

    Aisin Group Quality

    Aisin Group companies continue to surpass industry and customer quality
standards. Within the last year, many Aisin Group companies have been
recognized for quality achievements, including, but not limited to:



    -- Aisin World Corp. of America and Aisin Electronics were presented with
       the "Superior Award for Top Suppliers" for 2006 by Toyota Motor
       Engineering & Manufacturing North America, Inc.

    -- Aisin AW was presented with a technology and development award for its
       4WD Hybrid Transmission HR-10F for high luxury passenger vehicles
       (Lexus LS 600h and Lexus LS 600hL) by Toyota Motor Corporation. This is
       the seventh consecutive year that Aisin AW has received the award.

    -- Aisin World Corp. of America was presented with the General Motors
       Corporation "2006 Supplier of the Year Award" for overall business
       performance in providing GM with world-class parts and services.

    Aisin in the Community

    Aisin also continues to express its commitment to community through its
involvement in a variety of charitable and human service organizations,
such at the American Heart Association; American Cancer Society; Boys and
Girls Clubs of Southeastern Michigan; Boy Scouts of America; Detroit Auto
Dealers Association Charity Preview; Purple Rose Theatre Company; Think
Detroit PAL (formerly Detroit Police Athletic League); University of
Michigan Solar Car Team; and South Bay YMCA, Torrance, Calif. Aisin
representatives are board members of numerous charity and industry
organizations, including the Automotive Hall of Fame, Original Equipment
Suppliers Association, SAE Foundation and the Detroit Hispanic Development
Corporation, a non-profit human services organization committed to
developing the strengths and skills of the underserved community,
predominately of Southwest Detroit, by providing quality programming and
services for youth and adults.

    About Aisin World Corp. of America

    Based in Plymouth, Mich., AWA is a subsidiary of the Aisin Group,
headed by Aisin Seiki Co., Ltd. with corporate offices in Kariya City,
Aichi, Japan. The Aisin Group is a worldwide supplier of automotive
components, such as brakes, transmissions, drive train, chassis, body and
information-related systems and components, and engine-related parts. In
North America, the Aisin Group has 28 manufacturing, R & D and sales
centers, and approximately 10,000 employees.



    Contacts:  Rohatynski-Harlow Public Relations
               Joe Rohatynski 313.378.6570
               Joe@JoePR.com or
               Marc Harlow 810.599.2558
               Marc@HarlowPR.com

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