Allison Transmission's Customer Experience Center and Demonstration and Drive Track in Szentgotthard, Hungary, Operational by Early 2012

SZENTGOTTHARD, Hungary, October 4, 2011 /PRNewswire/ --

Global commercial truck and bus OEMs, Allison customers, Hungarian officials and the media previewed construction activities for both the Allison Customer Experience Center (ACE) and the company's new 15 acre Demonstration and Drive Track located in Szentgotthard, Hungary.

To better serve an expanding global customer-base, Allison Transmission announced plans a year ago to construct a multimillion dollar Allison Customer Experience Center (ACE) and Demonstration and Drive Track adjacent to its new state-of-the-art transmission manufacturing facility located in Szentgotthard, Hungary.  Many who attended were invited to drive trucks, buses and off-road vehicles equipped with Allison automatic transmissions on a variety of new Drive Track road courses.

Allison currently operates commercial vehicle demonstration and drive centers in the United States and Sweden, where thousands of commercial vehicle operators and original equipment manufacturers experience the features and benefits of Allison fully automatic transmissions. The Allison drive centers typically have a varied vehicle inventory including dump trucks, distribution vehicles, concrete mixers, heavy-haulers, fire trucks, buses and other commercial vehicles.

Lawrence Love, Allison Transmission's Executive Director of International Marketing, said, "The success we have with potential customers and OEMs who visit our North American Customer Demonstration Center in Indianapolis is remarkable.  It's an educational process.  Customers learn about transmission technology and evaluate the benefits of an Allison through personal experience by closed course test-driving."  Love went on to say, "Compared side-by-side with other commercial vehicle transmission solutions, we are able to demonstrate how Allison fully automatic transmissions provide superior performance, efficiency and drivability."  This learning experience is valued by the company's customers and forms a meaningful part of their buying decision.

A hundred years ago, James A. Allison was one of four original founders of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway (IMS), home of the Indy 500.  He built the IMS track to test and demonstrate the newest automotive technologies of the day.  Today, Allison Transmission applies that same tradition to present day commercial trucks and buses and believes Mr. Allison would be proud of the design of the Szentgotthard, Hungary, Demonstration and Drive Track.

About Allison Transmission

Allison Transmission is the world's largest manufacturer of fully-automatic transmissions for medium- and heavy-duty commercial vehicles, medium- and heavy-tactical U.S. military vehicles and hybrid-propulsion systems for transit buses. Allison transmissions are used in a variety of applications including on-highway trucks (distribution, refuse, construction, fire and emergency), buses (primarily school and transit), motor homes, off-highway vehicles and equipment (primarily energy and mining) and military vehicles (wheeled and tracked). Founded in 1915, the Allison business is headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana, U.S.A. and employs approximately 2,750 people. Regional headquarters with dedicated support staff are located in China, The Netherlands, Brazil, India and Japan. With a global presence in 80 countries, Allison has over 1,500 independent distributor and dealer locations. More information about Allison is available at http://www.allisontransmission.com.