New Exide Range Providing Power for Growing Hybrid Market

Old Trafford was the site chosen for the launch of two new ranges of Exide Technologies batteries specifically designed for hybrid vehicles. The Micro-hybrid AGM and Micro-hybrid ECM were unveiled to executives from major UK automotive buying groups at the Manchester United home ground on December 10. The two line-ups, each containing three battery types, are intended to provide an original equipment specification aftermarket option for all currently available micro-hybrid vehicles.

In his introductory remarks, Exide Technologies sales and marketing director Andrew Bevington explained how the company had defined the micro-hybrid as the fastest growing, and quite possibly the largest, market sector – and how the all-new batteries had been developed to meet this potential demand: “In 2008 the European automotive industry produced 1.1 million hybrid cars – 418,000 of these vehicles were micro-hybrids. By 2013 this figure is estimated to grow from 1.1 to 17 million, with 13.6 million of these being micro-hybrids.”

The fifty plus guests present at the Old Trafford launch were also introduced to Manchester United legend Norman Whiteside, who then posed for photographs with the Club’s Premiership and Carling Cup trophies and signed autographs. “With such ground breaking technology to be launched we felt it only appropriate that we combined traditional launch presentations with the up to the minute techniques and the fact that by doing so we have reduced emissions form some who may have otherwise travelled to the event seems particularly in keeping with the reasons for hybrid technology,” commented Exide Technologies marketing manager Craig Everett.