subject: Nexteer Electric Power Steering [print this page] Car manufacturers in Europe as well as in the rest of the World are replacing hydraulic steering systems with on-demand electrically powered systems, which will help to reduce fuel consumption and CO2 emissions by up to 5%. The single-pinion systems package the EPS mechanism in the engine bay, further away from the driver than traditional column-mounted EPS systems.
The new DS3 Racing from Citroen will be using a system supplied by Nexteer Automotive. The Citroen DS3 Racing is a 202bhp limited edition of Citroens premium compact car, the Citroen DS3. The DS3 Racing will be available at a Citroen dealer next year. The Nexteer Automotive system is a version of the technology fitted in the standard Citroen DS3 but, is tuned to meet the demands of performance enthusiasts.
Laurent Bresson, Nexteer Automotive's European & Global Sales Executive Director said, "It's a powerful endorsement for our EPS to feature on such a focused driver's car as the DS3 Racing. The micron-close attention to detail in our manufacturing and the expertise of our in-house software people have helped the engineers at Citroen Racing to create a car with exceptional steering feel."
Nexteer Automotive have pioneered new steering rack components to help improve its single pinion systems refinement and sense of direction, both critical for high performance steering and driving. Nexteer Automotives recent success is hugely down to its desire to keep as much of the design and manufacturing process in house as possible. "Having development and manufacturing entirely in-house gives us superior flexibility and quality control and allows us to more tightly integrate our systems to provide improved quality, packaging, weight and performance," explains Laurent Bresson.
To keep as much as possible in house the company has had to make substantial investment in R&D, over 40 million Euros were spent in the R&D departments to ensure they have sufficient resource, material and equipment to produce the steering systems.
