Autoliv Wins Daimler Award

March 22, 2012 - Sweden

At the Daimler Key Supplier Meeting in Sindelfingen near Stuttgart, Autoliv Inc. - the worldwide leader in automotive safety systems - was recognized for its contributions during 2011. Autoliv was selected the winner of the Supplier Award 2011 in the category Interior.

At the award ceremony, the Vice President of Procurement Mercedes Benz Cars, Dr. Klaus Zehender, recognized the excellent cooperation between Daimler and Autoliv, which has resulted in several groundbreaking innovations. In his speech, Dr. Zehender specifically named the Collision Prevention Assists system in the new Mercedes B-Class and the “PreSafe” system in the Mercedes E-Class, B-Class and E-Class Coupe. Another successful cooperation according to Dr Zehender was the “BeltBag”, which is a seatbelt with an integrated airbag to reduce the load on the vehicle occupant in severe crashes.

“We are proud and humbled to have been recognized by Daimler as a winner of the prestigious award”, said Autoliv's CEO Jan Carlson who received the award from Dr. Wolfgang Bernhard, member of the Mercedes Benz Board.

This is the sixth award Autoliv has received so far for its contributions to customers during 2011. In November last year, Autoliv received a Supplier Innovation Award from BMW for Autoliv's new camera-based driver assist system launched in the BMW 1- and 3-series. In February this year, Autoliv received Toyota's most prestigious supplier recognition, The Global Contribution Award, “for superior quality, delivery, technology, innovation and cost improvement performance”. In China, Autoliv has recently received a Gold Award from Volkswagen Shanghai, an Excellent Supplier Award from Great Wall and an Excellent Development Supplier Award from First Automotive Works.

About the Daimler Award

With the annual Daimler Supplier Award, the company recognizes outstanding performance in the areas of quality, costs, logistics, technology, and innovation. Daimler has defined these value drivers as well as the principles for supplier collaboration in its globally standardized cooperation model known as the Daimler Supplier Network. In addition, the values of fairness, reliability, and trust are further aspects of the evaluation.

In his opening speech at the event, Dr. Dieter Zetsche, Chairman of the Daimler Board of Management and Head of Mercedes-Benz Cars and Vans, provided an overview of business development and the strategies for the years ahead, thanked the suppliers for their close cooperation, and highlighted what Daimler expects of it partners: “We have set ambitious goals for Daimler in the coming years. To reach them, we need strong partners with the will to innovate and grow with us.”

In addition to some 200 Daimler executives, the meeting was attended by around 450 representatives of the company's key suppliers.

About Autoliv

Autoliv Inc., the worldwide leader in automotive safety systems, develops and manufactures automotive safety systems for all major automotive manufacturers in the world. Together with its joint ventures, Autoliv has more than 80 facilities with nearly 48,000 employees in 29 countries. In addition, the Company has ten technical centers in nine countries around the world, with 21 test tracks, more than any other automotive safety supplier. Sales in 2011 grew by 15% to US $8.2 billion.