Tenneco products for Toyota Etios

American auto component giant, Tenneco Inc has begun producing suspension products for the Toyota Etios, Toyota's new global small car that recently launched in India. It is supplying both front struts and rear shock absorbers, which use an adaptable valve technology. This technology allows Tenneco to finely tune ride and handling performance specific to each and every application, including today’s small car trend in emerging markets. Tenneco is manufacturing this product at its ride control plant in Hosur, India for delivery to Toyota's Kirloskar Motors plant in Bangalore, India. It is to be mentioned that the Hosur plant is one of seven Tenneco manufacturing plants located in India. The company has recently opened a new manufacturing plant in Chennai to roll out emission control products and systems for original equipment manufacturers, initially supplying Nissan’s global small car platform. This has resulted in giving the company strong positioning in each of the three major vehicle producing hubs in India. It may be recalled that the Etios which was launched in Dec 2010 has seen an overwhelming response with more than 22,000 bookings received so far. 1651 units were delivered this month. “We are proud to support Toyota on this strategic, new launch with our global manufacturing and engineering capabilities, including a strong footprint in India,” said Jeff Jarrell, vice-president and managing director, Tenneco Japan. “The ability to deliver on our global strengths locally, combined with emerging market know-how, is a winning solution for our customers’ growth strategies.” The win is the latest in Tenneco’s increasing expansion into fast-growing automotive markets such as India, and symbolizes the company’s ability to support OEMs on a global scale. Tenneco will supply Toyota’s future compact car launch in Brazil as well. Tenneco first established manufacturing in India in 1995 and has grown its operations to now include 1,500 employees at five production plants and two Just-in-Time (JIT) facilities. In addition to Chennai, the company produces emission control components in Halol and Pune. Tenneco’s ride control production is in Bawal, Pune, Hosur, and Puducherry. These facilities serve a growing customer base including Tata Motors, Mahindra & Mahindra, Maruti Suzuki, Renault-Nissan, Ford, Volkswagen, TVS Motor Company, Toyota Kirloskar Motor, and General Motors. The company has invested more than US$20 million in India over the last three years. It aims to become the number one emission control and ride control supplier to light vehicle manufacturers in India.