Hybrid Technology Headlines Japan SAE Conference

YOKOHAMA, Japan – Hybrid technology takes center stage at the Japan Society of Automotive Engineers’ annual conference and exhibition, where 475 auto makers and suppliers display their latest technologies.

A senior Honda engineer tells WardsAuto the auto maker will introduce its first full-hybrid, a 2-motor Accord, in early July. The car, which uses a 1.3-kW lithium-ion battery, initially will go on sale in Japan, followed later this year in the U.S. and Canada.

The auto maker also displays its new 3-motor sport-hybrid system for larger-sized vehicles that incorporates Honda’s all-wheel-drive technology. In addition to the three motors, power is supplied by a 1.5L Atkinson-cycle engine and 1-kWh Li-ion battery.

The hybrid system goes by the name Intelligent-Multimode Drive or i-MMD.

Suzuki shows its Ene-Charge and Eco-Cool systems that run off a Li-ion battery supplied by Toshiba and are available in the Wagon R and Alto Eco models.

The auto maker does not specify a launch date for its Swift plug-in hybrid-electric vehicle that earlier reports say is due in 2013.

JATCO, Nissan’s main transmission supplier, displays its CVT8 hybrid gearbox used in the Nissan Pathfinder Hybrid scheduled to go on sale in July. Jun Shiomi, JATCO product chief engineer, says the auto maker is considering the system for as many as five vehicles but offers no details.

According to Shiomi, JATCO claimed an estimated 49% share of the global market for continuously variable transmissions in fiscal 2012 on sales of 3.5 million units. By fiscal 2018, he expects CVT deliveries to double to 7 million-8 million, or 70%-80% of the supplier’s total volume of 10 million units, up from from 4.9 million in fiscal 2012.

JATCO closed its Mizushima, Japan, plant in March but is expanding overseas production capacity.

The supplier says it will invest ¥22.1 billion ($220 million) in a second Mexican plant to start production in 2014. Planned capacity is 400,000 units. By fiscal 2016, JATCO hopes to produce 1.7 million transmissions in Mexico, mostly CVTs; an estimated 1 million units in China; and 500,000 in Thailand.

Aisin, exhibiting its latest CVT and 2-motor hybrid transmission, reports fiscal-2012 transmission sales of 6.3 million units, up from 5.7 million compared with year-ago. An estimated 20% were CVTs.

Aisin, like JATCO, is building up its manufacturing base in China where the supplier plans to open two automatic transmission plants by the end of 2014 with combined capacity of 640,000 units: 240,000 4-speed gearboxes made in Suzhou, Jiangsu province, and 400,000 6-speed units produced in Tianjin.

When both plants are operational, Aisin will have 760,000 units of capacity in China, including an older plant in Tianjin. In North America, production capacity at the supplier’s AW North Carolina operation stands at 400,000-500,000 units.

Sumitomo Electric Industries, displaying its high-voltage under-floor cable, reports the system has been adopted by Honda for its Fit, Insight, Civic, Accord and CR-V hybrids.

Sumitomo also produces high-voltage cable from inverter to motor for most Toyota and Lexus hybrids including the Prius, Aqua (Prius c) and Prius Alpha (Prius v). Yazaki supplies underfloor cables to the same models.

Nissan uses Sumitomo low-voltage cables in its Serena S-Hybrid and might add the equipment to its Pathfinder Hybrid reaching showrooms in July.

In the low-voltage harness market, Sumitomo says it hopes to raise its global market share to 30% by fiscal 2017, from 26% at present. The supplier currently ranks No.2 to Yazaki.

Hitachi Cable, one of Japan’s smaller wire-harness suppliers, shows the high-voltage cable it supplies to Mitsubishi for the Outlander PHEV and i-MiEV electric car, to Chevrolet for the Volt extended-range electric vehicle and to Volvo for an unspecified PHEV.

A spokesman for Toyota Industries reports the supplier produces air-conditioner compressors for the Prius and Aqua hybrids; Prius Alpha PHEV; Lexus CT200h, RX450h and LS600h hybrids; and a Renault EV, the Kangoo Z.E.

Toyota Industries also supplies the DC-DC converter for the Prius, Aqua, Sai, HS259h and RX450h hybrids and the AC inverter for the Prius, Estima, Alphard Vellfire and CT200 hybrids, as well as the Prius PHEV.

Koito Manufacturing, Japan’s leading automotive-lighting supplier, will introduce single-light-emitting-diode headlamps this summer on the new Lexus IS and Toyota Crown Majesta sedans.

The supplier currently produces 2-LED systems on the Prius and Aqua hybrids along with the Lexus GS450h, RX450h, RX450h and HS250h.

A Koito spokesman estimates 30% of new cars sold in Japan by 2015 will have LED headlamps.

Among battery makers, Hitachi Vehicle Energy, a subsidiary of electronics giant Hitachi, displays its Li-ion battery planned for a still-to-be-named PHEV in late 2015. The supplier reports it plans to double lithium capacity at its Hitachinaka plant to 600,000 cells a month in 2014, up from the current 340,000 units.

Toshiba exhibits its SCiB lithium battery which has been adopted for the microhybrid system to power the air conditioner in Suzuki’s 0.66L vehicle lineup. The supplier, which delivers EV batteries to Honda and Mitsubishi, is producing about 6 million cells a month at its Kashiwazaki plant, roughly 50% of capacity.