(Stockholm, January 20, 2010) - - - Autoliv Inc. (NYSE: ALV and SSE:ALIV), the world¬wide leader in automotive safety, has agreed to buy the outstanding 40% of shares in its Japanese joint venture Autoliv Nichiyu Co., Ltd. The joint venture, which is one of Autoliv's five manufacturing facilities in Japan, primarily produces airbag inflators for the Japanese domestic market.
Located in Aichi Prefecture, the company was originally formed in 1988 as a joint venture. All other Autoliv operations in Japan are wholly-owned subsidiaries. Autoliv Nichiyu Co., Ltd will be re-named Autoliv Aichi Co., Ltd and have annual sales of approximately $35 million of which virtually all is internal sales to other Autoliv companies. The deal is expected to close as of today.
"This investment reinforces Autoliv's long-standing commitment to the Japanese automotive industry and will allow us to better coordinate our global inflator production strategy" stated Jan Carlson, President and CEO of Autoliv Inc. "Globally, approximately 22% of our sales are made to Japanese car makers and these customers are an important component of our global business."
Since its inception, Autoliv Nichiyu has experienced steady growth and today, Autoliv holds an inflator market share of approximately 30% in Japan. Major customers include Toyota, Nissan, Honda, Mitsubishi, Mazda, and Suzuki.
The production of light vehicles in Japan during 2009 was approximately 7.4 million units and it is expected to reach 10 million units by 2013.
Inquiries:
Jan Carlson, President and CEO. Tel. + 46 8 587 20600
Brad Murray, President Autoliv Japan, Tel. +81-45-475-3503
About Autoliv
Autoliv Inc., the worldwide leader in automotive safety systems, develops and manufactures automotive safety systems for all major automotive manufacturers in the world. Together with its joint ventures, Autoliv has 80 facilities with approximately 36,000 employees in 28 vehicle-producing countries. In addition, the Company has technical centers in eleven countries around the world, with 21 test tracks, more than any other automotive safety supplier. Sales in 2008 amounted to US $6.5 billion. The Company's shares are listed on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE: ALV) and its Swedish Depository Receipts on the OMX Nordic Exchange in Stockholm (ALIV sdb). For more information about Autoliv, please visit our company website at www.autoliv.com.
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