BRUSSELS, Belgium, and HANNOVER, Germany, Sept. 19, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- WABCO Holdings Inc. (NYSE: WBC) (www.wabco-auto.com), the leading global supplier of braking control systems and other advanced technologies that improve the safety, efficiency and connectivity of commercial vehicles, today announced that it has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Valeo, an automotive technology leader at the center of several automotive industry innovations. Within the scope of this agreement, the parties intend to develop sensor technologies helping pave the way for Valeo to supply WABCO with advanced short and mid-range sensors, including 77GHz radar and solid-state LiDAR, to develop and industrialize the next generation of Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS), among the key building blocks for vehicle autonomy.
WABCO and Valeo bring complementary competencies to this strategic agreement. While Valeo is a technology leader for ADAS sensors in the automotive industry, specifically the passenger car segment, WABCO is a leader in commercial vehicle ADAS, covering trucks, buses and trailers. This agreement will enable Valeo to expand its presence in the commercial vehicle industry benefiting from the access, domain expertise and customer relationships that WABCO has cultivated. For WABCO, this would mean exclusive access to best-in-class short and mid-range ADAS sensors that will help advance its ADAS roadmap toward autonomous driving. Also, given the high-volumes of sensor demand in the passenger car segment, WABCO will benefit from the economies of scale.
“Differentiated sensor technology is an essential pillar in WABCO’s ADAS innovation roadmap towards increasing levels of vehicle automation, and this Memorandum of Understanding with Valeo is a very meaningful step to further envelop commercial vehicles with a 360° cocoon of safety,” said Jorge Solis, President, WABCO Truck, Bus and Car Original Equipment Manufacturers Division. “Combined with our advanced braking, steering and stability control systems, these best-in-class sensor technologies will enable us to bring differentiated solutions to advance autonomous driving,” said Solis.
“Valeo's pioneering Radar and LiDAR technologies, already in production for the passenger cars industry to fulfill Euro NCAP standards and enable level 3 autonomy, will play a crucial role to reduce fatalities and deliver unique value to fleet customers. That is why we are pleased to join forces with WABCO to distribute the latest ADAS technologies to the commercial vehicles market, reinforcing its global strategy to bring enhanced safety and autonomous driving capability to a large scale adoption,” said Marc Vrecko, President, Comfort and Driving Assistance Business Group at Valeo.
The first market application using Valeo’s sensing technologies will be WABCO’s OnCityALERT™, an urban turning driver assistance solution. OnCityALERT will utilize Valeo’s 77GHz radar technology to constantly monitor blind-spots on the passenger side of the vehicle – even in low visibility conditions. The system warns about cyclists and pedestrians potentially crossing the predicted driving path, prompting the driver to take corrective action. On average, traffic accidents involving heavy trucks in the European community result in about 7,200 fatalities and over 100,000 injuries each year. 23 percent of all traffic-related severe injuries are unprotected road users and of that number, 20 percent of accidents occur during a turning maneuver to the nearside.
“OnCityALERT marks the entry point to WABCO’s OnCity™ suite to help protect cyclists and pedestrians in one of the most dangerous urban driving situations for commercial vehicles,” said Philipp Helmich, Vice President, Vehicle Dynamics and Control at WABCO. “The OnCity suite will provide scalable performance levels from warning to autonomous intervention and is a key building block for autonomous driving,” Helmich added.
The OnCityALERT system is designed as a robust one-box solution that will be easily adaptable to a wide range of truck and bus platforms. It can be installed at the factory and will also be available in an easy-to-install retrofit kit. This system is also fully integrated with WABCO’s modular, scalable ADAS portfolio. The system aims to help commercial vehicle manufacturers meet the anticipated Vulnerable Road User legislation that is expected to come into force in the European Union over the next few years.
WABCO at IAA Commercial Vehicles 2018
WABCO will showcase its industry-leading technologies and services that improve the safety, efficiency and connectivity of commercial vehicles worldwide at IAA Commercial Vehicles 2018. This includes the latest technologies in braking, advanced driver assistance, fleet management solutions and aerodynamics.
Visit WABCO in Hall 16 at Booth B10
Deutsche Messe Exhibition Grounds, 30521 Hannover, Germany
Press Day: September 19, 2018
Public Days: September 20 - 27, 2018, 9 AM – 6 PM CET
For more information about WABCO’s participation at IAA Commercial Vehicles 2018, please visit
WABCO Press Conference
WABCO’s press conference will be held on September 19, 2018 from 1:45 to 2:10 PM CET in the Convention Center, Rooms 13 and 14.
WABCO’s Live Demonstrations at ‘New Mobility World’
WABCO will demonstrate daily its latest aerodynamics technologies for commercial vehicles, an advanced electronic security system, as well as its newest trailer cargo management solutions. Also on display during the demonstrations, WABCO will highlight its eTrailer prototype showcasing the future of trailer electrification. Visit “New Mobility World Live” in the outdoor exhibition area, north of Hall 26.
WABCO’s Speaker at ‘New Mobility World’ Forum
Forum Event: The New Era of Smart Data and Intelligent Telematics
Topic: Applying Intelligent Vehicle Technologies to Fight Cargo Crime
Speaker: Christiaan Verschueren, Vice President, Trailer Systems, WABCO
Date: September 27
Time: 10:00 to 11:00 AM CET
Location: Pavilion 11, Section D
About WABCO
WABCO (NYSE: WBC) is the leading global supplier of braking control systems and other advanced technologies that improve the safety, efficiency and connectivity of commercial vehicles. Originating from the Westinghouse Air Brake Company founded nearly 150 years ago, WABCO is powerfully “Mobilizing Vehicle Intelligence” to support the increasingly autonomous, connected and electric future of the commercial vehicle industry. WABCO continues to pioneer innovations to address key technology milestones in autonomous mobility and apply its extensive expertise to integrate the complex control and fail-safe systems required to efficiently and safely govern vehicle dynamics at every stage of a vehicle’s journey – on the highway, in the city and at the depot. Today, leading truck, bus and trailer brands worldwide rely on WABCO’s differentiating technologies. Powered by its vision for accident-free driving and greener transportation solutions, WABCO is also at the forefront of advanced fleet management systems and digital services that contribute to commercial fleet efficiency. In 2017, WABCO reported sales of $3.3 billion and has nearly 15,000 employees in 40 countries. For more information, visit www.wabco-auto.com and, for WABCO’s 2017 Annual Report, visit ar.wabco-auto.com.
WABCO global media contact
Nina Friedmann, +49 69 719 168 171, wabco@klenkhoursch.de
WABCO investors and analysts contact
Sean Deason, +1 248 270 9287, investorrelations@wabco-auto.com