News Releases

Hitachi Automotive Systems' Electric Parking Brake is used on
the new Mazda CX-9 SUV

Tokyo, May 20, 2016 ---Hitachi Automotive Systems, Ltd. today announced that its electric parking brake is being used on Mazda Motor Corporation's new three-row midsize crossover SUV, the Mazda CX-9, to be sold in North America and other locations.

In recent years, in the case of cable-operated mechanical parking brakes that are applied manually by using a lever or pressing down on a pedal, there has been an increase in vehicle contact accidents due to drivers forgetting to apply the brake or not applying it adequately on inclines and the like. This has led to an increasing focus on electrically operated parking brakes that can prevent such human errors by applying the brake automatically, and to a growing number of vehicles being equipped with such brakes. Hitachi Automotive Systems has been manufacturing brake systems since 1939, and has fused the brake technology it has honed over the years in the brake business with its electronics technology to develop an electrically operated parking brake, powered by a compact electric motor, that generates a braking force that is automatically released when the vehicle starts off. The new Mazda CX-9, which is a high-end model in Mazda's new generation product line, uses a highly evaluated light, compact, quiet and highly efficient thrust generating mechanism independently developed by Hitachi Automotive Systems.

This electric parking brake is also being used on Mazda's improved version of the CX-5 that was launched in January 2015, marking the first time Mazda employed an electric parking brake on a crossover SUV.

The appropriate braking force ensured by the electric parking brake, combined with the automatic release function, improves vehicle safety. Also, in addition to the reduction in the size and weight of the caliper and motor, the burden of operation on the driver is reduced when stopping and starting on inclines, and the increase in design freedom around the center console made possible by eliminating the conventional manual brake lever provides enhanced comfort.

Hitachi Automotive Systems will continue to strengthen the development of automotive equipment for vehicle safety and the environment, to contribute to the realization of an automotive society that is safe, secure and comfortable, and environmentally friendly.

About Hitachi Automotive Systems, Ltd.

Hitachi Automotive Systems, Ltd. is a wholly owned subsidiary of Hitachi, Ltd., headquartered in Tokyo, Japan. The company is engaged in the development, manufacture, sales and services of automotive components, transportation related components, industrial machines and systems, and offers a wide range of automotive systems including engine management systems, electric power train systems, drive control systems and car information systems. For more information, please visit the company's website at http://www.hitachi-automotive.co.jp/en/.