TRW's Collision Mitigation Braking Delivers Affordable City Driving Safety

LIVONIA, Mich., July 1 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- TRW Automotive Holdings Corp. (NYSE: TRW), the global leader in active and passive safety, has today unveiled its Collision Mitigation Braking (CMB) technology which provides drivers with additional braking support in the event of an imminent collision with a moving or stationary object.  The system is primarily designed for urban driving conditions including heavy traffic.

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The system uses a radar sensor to directly measure the distance and relative speed to objects in front of the host vehicle. If a potential collision is identified, a warning is triggered to alert the driver; this warning can be audible, visual or haptic.  If the driver does not react to the warning and the system determines that a collision is likely to occur, a certain amount of brake pressure can be applied automatically to slow the vehicle and reduce the severity of the impact. If the driver does respond to the warning and depresses the brake pedal, the brake system will automatically provide maximum brake boost to slow the vehicle as quickly as possible and mitigate the collision. With the development of TRW's 24GHz radar, this technology is now more affordable than ever.

Dr. Alois Seewald, director engineering for integrated active and passive safety technologies at TRW, explained: "Radar has, until now, been regarded as a luxury option, but TRW's AC100 24 GHz product is roughly half the price of 77GHz radar: bringing the benefits of advanced safety, such as Collision Mitigation Braking for city driving to a wider vehicle market.

"The breadth of feature offerings, combined with the fact that radar technology can operate in all weather conditions, makes 24GHz radar an ideal choice for vehicle manufacturers, compared to alternative technologies such as Lidar-based systems that offer limited functionality and diminished performance in poor weather due to the need for a clear optical path."

CMB technology has been designed with city traffic and traffic jams in mind. It is applied at close distance (6-7 meters or 20-23 feet) where a 20kph (12.4 mph) speed reduction by braking, with limited deceleration, can be achieved before the potential crash. Generally speaking, if relative speed to the approaching object is below 20kph, the function works to help avoid the collision, if it is above 20kph, the system will help to mitigate the impact of the collision.

Dr. Seewald continued: "A great deal of crash reducing potential is associated with systems such as Collision Mitigation Braking. The challenge for automotive suppliers is to develop such systems for the full range of vehicle segments and markets – to make this key safety technology available for all drivers and to ultimately assist in reducing the number of road fatalities.

"We strongly believe that everyone deserves the best possible safety solutions and are working with our customers to make this vision a reality. Making such systems affordable is also important as international governments seek to regulate these technologies. This approach is key to our Cognitive Safety Systems strategy."

TRW's 24GHz technology has a range of up to 150m (492 feet) and can also enable driver assistance functions such as Adaptive Cruise Control for a full range of driving conditions including high speed highway driving up to 160kph (99.4mph), so it is ideal for the needs of today's mass market vehicles.

About TRW

With 2009 sales of $11.6 billion, TRW Automotive ranks among the world's leading automotive suppliers. Headquartered in Livonia, Michigan, USA, the Company, through its subsidiaries, operates in 26 countries and employs over 60,000 people worldwide. TRW Automotive products include integrated vehicle control and driver assist systems, braking systems, steering systems, suspension systems, occupant safety systems (seat belts and airbags), electronics, engine components, fastening systems and aftermarket replacement parts and services. All references to "TRW Automotive", "TRW" or the "Company" in this press release refer to TRW Automotive Holdings Corp. and its subsidiaries, unless otherwise indicated.  TRW Automotive news is available on the internet at www.trw.com.

Forward-Looking Statements

This release contains statements that are not statements of historical fact, but instead are forward-looking statements within the meaning of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. We caution readers not to place undue reliance on these statements, which speak only as of the date hereof.  All forward-looking statements are subject to numerous assumptions, risks and uncertainties which can cause our actual results to differ materially from those suggested by the forward-looking statements, including those set forth in our Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2009 (our "Form 10-K") and our Form 10-Q for the quarter ended April 2, 2010, such as: the financial condition of our customers adversely affecting us or the viability of our supply base; disruptions in the financial markets adversely impacting the availability and cost of credit negatively affecting our business; any shortage of supplies adversely affecting us; any further material contraction in automotive sales and production adversely affecting our results, liquidity or the viability of our supply base; escalating pricing pressures from our customers; commodity inflationary pressures adversely affecting our profitability or supply base; our dependence on our largest customers; costs of product liability, warranty and recall claims and efforts by customers to adversely alter contract terms and conditions concerning warranty and recall participation; costs or liabilities relating to environmental, health and safety regulations; limitations on available cash and access to additional capital due to our substantial debt; strengthening of the U.S. dollar and other foreign currency exchange rate fluctuations impacting our results; any increase in the expense of our pension and other postretirement benefits or the funding requirements of our pension plans; risks associated with non-U.S. operations, including foreign exchange risks and economic and political uncertainty in some regions; work stoppages or other labor issues at our facilities or at the facilities of our customers or suppliers; assertions by or against us relating to intellectual property rights; the possibility that our largest stockholder's interests will conflict with our or our other stockholders' interests; and other risks and uncertainties set forth in our Form 10-K and in our other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. We do not undertake any obligation to release publicly any update or revision to any of the forward-looking statements.

SOURCE TRW Automotive Holdings Corp.