for nine out of 10 top selling cars in UK

Sogefi components are in nine of the top 10 selling cars, including new VW Polo contract – success reflecting Sogefi’s emphasis on R&D activities.

Sogefi components are now to be found in virtually every top selling car in the UK, according to the top cars ranking by international technical information specialist IHS. This is an even higher proportion than the impressive figure of eight out of ten Sogefi recorded for the whole of Western Europe.

The list of top selling UK cars fitted with Sogefi components as standard includes the Ford Fiesta and Focus, the next best sellers, the Vauxhall Corsa and Astra, the Nissan Qashqai and Ford Transit and the BMW 1 and 3 series. On the two top selling Fords, Sogefi supplies the diesel module, manifold, turbo inlet, thermostat housing and rear coil springs, with the Focus also getting Sogefi front coils.

Significant win
Sogefi has recently secured a significant contract as the supplier of oil filters for Europe's fourth best selling vehicle last year, the Volkswagen Polo. This spin-on filter will be supplied to Polo models from April 2014 onwards with the new Euro 6 compliant 1.4 litre 3 cylinder, turbo charged, direct injection diesel engine. This is expected to create follow-on demand for the company’s aftermarket filter brands Fram®, CoopersFiaam and Purflux.

Sogefi's continued success with such a broad range of manufacturers in the UK and in Europe as a whole reflects its deep and ongoing commitment to innovation and research and development.

R&D paying dividends
This commitment was underlined recently by the signing of a new collaborative agreement between the company and the Politecnico di Milano, one of the world's most prestigious technical universities, to engage in joint research and development initiatives in the automotive sector over the next three years.

This research will focus on materials, processes, design and testing of engine systems and suspension components. It will involve collaboration between Sogefi scientists and engineers and academics working in such diverse fields as energy, mechanical, aerospace and chemical engineering.

Andrea Taschini, General Manager of Sogefi's Aftermarket Business Unit, observes that "Innovation in the car sector, starting from reducing weight and improving the efficiency of vehicles, now depends significantly on the components companies. Sogefi in particular is increasing its investment in research and development, which has gone up in recent years from around 2% to just under 3% of total revenue."

“The value of our focus on R&D”, he also points out, “is by no means confined to original equipment customers, but equally extends to all aftermarket customers who enjoy access to products featuring identical technologies and specifications through Sogefi's aftermarket brands – Purflux, CoopersFiaam, Fram® and, in Italy, Tecnocar.”

Sogefi Aftermarket Business Unit is one of Europe’s major providers of both original and replacement car filters, and Europe’s leading provider of filters to the independent aftermarket. In the UK the company’s CoopersFiaam, Fram® and Purflux aftermarket brands offer a complete range of advanced, OE-quality, automotive oil, air, fuel and cabin air filters, covering all major American, European and Asian car makes. As part of its commitment to communicating the benefits of OE quality to customers, Sogefi is a founding member of OESAA (the Original Equipment Suppliers Aftermarket Association). OESAA aims to increase UK garage awareness of the key differences between genuine OE parts and ‘matching quality’ parts, to help ensure professional repairs and enhance motorist understanding.

More information is provided on Sogefi’s filter brand websites: www.coopersfiaam.com,www.fram-europe.com,

The UK’s top selling cars: Sogefi’s original equipment in full

No. 1 Ford Fiesta • Diesel Module
• Manifold
• Turbo Inlet
• Thermostat Housing
• Rear Coil Springs

No. 2 Ford Focus • Diesel Module
• Manifold
• Turbo Outlet
• Thermostat Housing
• Front Coil Springs
• Rear Coil Springs

No. 3 Vauxhall Corsa • Air Intake System
• Manifold
• Thermostat Housing
• Front Stabiliser Bars

No. 4 Vauxhall Astra • Diesel Module
• Manifold
• Cooling Parts
• Thermostat Housing

No. 6 Nissan Qashqai • Oil Module
• Turbo Inlet
• Cooling Parts
• Front Stabiliser Bars
• Rear Stabiliser Bars

No. 7 Ford Transit • Oil Module
• Front Coil Springs
• Front Stabiliser Bars
• Rear Stabiliser Bars

No. 8 Volkswagen Polo
• Oil Module
(supply started in 2014)

No. 9 BMW 1er
• Manifold

No 10 BWM 3er
• Oil Module
• Manifold