Fully Automatic Transmissions for Airport Vehicles

Vehicles equipped with Allison fully automatic transmissions received considerable attention, reflecting the growth trend of automatic transmissions in the commercial vehicle industry in China in recent years.

The highly recognised and “Leading through innovation” themed 2012 Beijing International Automotive Exhibition featured the latest trends, setting new benchmarks within the automotive industry. A range of Allison fully automatic transmissions were included in vehicles displayed by such well-known OEMs as Foton, JAC, FAW and Navistar.

The Foton bus (model BJ6123C7BTD) put a fresh light on an Allison automatic and LNG engine combination, and is now commonly used in the Beijing bus market. Steven Chew, Managing Director for Allison Transmission China, commented that, “With no clutch, Allison automatic transmissions can ensure non-interrupted power transmission through a unique hydraulic torque converter, maximising engine torque while cushioning the effect of shocks on the driveline.” Allison transmissions are unparalleled in terms of acceleration at start-up, riding comfort and minimization of driveline wear and tear.

Allison transmissions are not only used in city buses and coaches, but also in trucks and specialty vehicles. A JAC tractor (model HFC4251P1K7E33ZTF) equipped with an Allison 4500 Series transmission made its debut at this Beijing exhibition. Two Allison-equipped FAW fire engines were also on display. One city fire engine featured an Allison 3000 Series, while the other was equipped with an Allison 4000 Series and featured a high-rise chassis – the first of its kind in the Chinese market.

Having entered the fire engine market a year ago, FAW has since adopted Allison transmissions in all of its fire engines. Zheng Guoshu, Sales Manager and Engineer at FAW Bus and Coach Co. Ltd., said “According to our research, almost all airport and city fire engines and rescue vehicles in the United States are equipped with Allison automatic transmissions. Fire engine users in Europe, Asia, Australia, South America and the Middle East have mostly chosen Allison.”

Compared to a manual transmission, the faster acceleration made possible by Allison’s Continuous Power TechnologyTM ensures quick arrival at emergency sites. The automatic truck delivers superior performance, especially when fully loaded, and even when facing challenging road conditions, such as steeply graded slopes.

Navistar, a well-known North American OEM, also exhibited at the Beijing Auto Show. Degas Yu, Chinese Sales Manager at Navistar (Shanghai) Trading Co., Ltd., commented that a chief advantage of Allison automatic transmissions is that they allow drivers to focus on driving, thus reducing potential risks to students and other motorists. Now actively promoting Allison-equipped school buses in the Chinese market, Navistar relies on Allison’s more than 40 years of experience with school buses to help ensure students arrive at school and return home safely.

This press release may contain forward-looking statements.  All statements other than statements of historical fact contained in this press release are forward-looking statements.  In some cases, you can identify forward-looking statements by terminology such as "may," "will," "should," "expect," "plans," "project," "anticipate," "believe," "estimate," "predict," “intend,” “forecast,” “could,” "potential," "continue" or the negative of these terms or other similar terms or phrases. Forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and involve known and unknown risks.  Factors which may cause the actual results to differ materially from those anticipated at the time the forward-looking statements are made include, but are not limited to:  risks related to our substantial indebtedness; our participation in markets that are competitive; general economic and industry conditions; our ability to prepare for, respond to and successfully achieve our objectives relating to technological and market developments and changing customer needs, the failure of markets outside North America to increase adoption of fully-automatic transmissions, the discovery of defects in our products, resulting in delays in new model launches, recall campaigns and/or increased warranty costs and reduction in future sales or damage to our brand and reputation; the concentration of our net sales in our top five customers and the loss of any one of these; and labor strikes, work stoppages or similar labor disputes, which could significantly disrupt our operations or those of our principal customers.  Although we believe the expectations reflected in such forward-looking statements are based upon reasonable assumptions, we can give no assurance that the expectations will be attained or that any deviation will not be material. All information is as of the date of this press release, and we undertake no obligation to update any forward-looking statement to conform the statement to actual results or changes in expectations.

About Allison Transmission
Allison Transmission is the world’s largest manufacturer of fully-automatic transmissions for medium- and heavy-duty commercial vehicles, medium- and heavy-tactical U.S. military vehicles and hybrid-propulsion systems for transit buses. Allison transmissions are used in a variety of applications including on-highway trucks (distribution, refuse, construction, fire and emergency), buses (primarily school and transit), motor homes, off-highway vehicles and equipment (primarily energy and mining) and military vehicles (wheeled and tracked). Founded in 1915, the Allison business is headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana, U.S.A. and employs approximately 2,800 people. Allison has manufacturing facilities and customization centers located in China, The Netherlands, Brazil, India and Hungary. With a global presence, serving customers in North America, Europe, Asia, Australia, South America, and Africa, Allison also has over 1,500 independent distributor and dealer locations worldwide. More information about Allison is available at www.allisontransmission.com.