STOCKDORF, Germany and SHANGHAI, April 18, 2013 /PRNewswire/ --

Highlights: panorama roofs in lightweight construction and with extraordinary opening size as well as a newly developed heating system for electric cars

Webasto, one of the top 100 automotive suppliers worldwide, is presenting at Auto Shanghai in hall N4, booth A001 its broad product portfolio. Under the motto "Your Global Partner for Roof and Thermo Systems" the company shows its latest panorama roofs and heating systems for cars. The highlights: the world's biggest openable panorama roof, roof systems with ambient lighting, solar technology and lightweight construction. The fair will open its doors from April 20 to 29, 2013.

     (Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20130418/610528 )

"China is the most important and largest automotive market for Webasto. With seven production plants we have already a very strong footprint here. To satisfy the demands of our customers we have to follow their footprint and expand our production. In 2013 we are going to open three new facilities in China," explains Dr. Holger Engelmann, Chairman of the Management Board of Webasto SE. "In addition we are developing the Chinese market for our parking heaters. Especially in the cold regions, parking heaters offer comfort from the start and reduce engine wear."

Highlights and innovative technologies for panorama roofs

Webasto shows the world's largest openable one-piece panorama roof at its booth. The externally guided roof slides across the roof panel when opened / closed, giving occupants ample headroom and exceptional scope of vision without a crossbeam. The 1.4 m² glass panel consists of the safety and lightweight glazing Webasto Glas ProTec^®.

Lightweight constructions are becoming more and more important to cars. To fulfill the requirements of the OEM, Webasto develops and produces roof systems with lightweight material. One of them is polycarbonate, which is extremely light, up to 50% lighter than glass. This material is ideally suited for glazing components of roof systems. The displayed Audi A1 has a panorama roof which is surrounded by a polycarbonate u-shaped frame. Due to this the roof has a high-class all-glass look that, up to now, was only featured in luxury-class vehicles.

Another innovation is the ambient LED lighting system integrated into a roof system. The result: in the car the roof's outline is illuminated by ice blue LED. The ambient light is switched on when the door is opened and the passengers are entering the car. This increases the look and feel of the interior significantly, giving the car a very individual touch, especially at night.

Transparency and active cooling offer a newly developed solar roof. The integrated crystalline solar cells produce 154 Wp. This power enables the car's battery to be charged and electric HVAC to be run before driving.

Heating systems for more comfort

Electric cars are environmentally friendly, but have a limited range. In the cold season, electrically heating the vehicle consumes up to 50 percent of the battery's capacity. As a premiere Webasto is exhibiting its newly developed electric High Voltage Heater (HVH) heater. With an efficiency of 99%, the high-voltage heater converts electricity into heat with virtually no loss. This is made possible using the so-called layer technology, which Webasto is using for the first time in a heater. The Webasto HVH is designed to be standard equipment and can be installed in all hybrid and electric vehicles.

For more comfort and safety of passengers, Webasto presents its new generation of parking heater: Thermo Top Evo. Parking heater pre-heats the engine and interior of the car before driving. They can now be operated smartly with an app. The navigation is intuitive and clearly arranged. Smartphone users can activate their parking heater immediately per app, for example, or program it up to 24 hours in advance - from wherever they are.

About Webasto:

Webasto Group, based in Stockdorf near Munich has been a family-owned business ever since the company was founded in 1901. The group operates internationally at over 50 locations (over 30 of these production sites) in the divisions roof and thermo systems. Webasto is one of the top 100 automotive suppliers worldwide. For 2012 the Group expects a sales volume of 2.4 Billion Euros and employs over 10,000 employees. The company´s core competencies encompass the development, production and sales of complete roof and convertible systems as well as heating, cooling and ventilation systems for passenger cars, commercial and special vehicles, recreational vehicles and boats. For more information, please visit: http://www.webasto.us

Press Contact:

Webasto Roof Systems
Angela Pan
Marketing Communications Supervisor
Phone: +86-21-3357-7235
Email: angela.pan@webasto.com

Webasto Thermo Systems
Joya Wang
Marketing Manager
Phone: +86-10-8478-2320-87
Email: joya.wang@webasto.com

SOURCE Webasto Group