Commencement of series production in September
Trial units are being placed with selected customers
Ongoing discussions with OEMs
The Board of Antonov plc, the automotive technology company, is launching its AMM variable supercharger drive with Rotrex A/S through US aftermarket distributors Wheel-to-Wheel Tecstar. This is strategically important for the Company as it addresses one of the world’s largest markets for tuner products. Trial units are being placed with selected customers in the US with series production to support initial demand beginning in September.

This strategy enables Antonov’s AMM product to be released into the marketplace as a proven technology and underpins its ongoing discussions with OEM vehicle manufacturers that are interested in high volume applications.

Antonov will manage the manufacture and supply of the initial series production up to 10,000 units per year but expects to licence the technology to high volume clients either directly or through their Tier 1 suppliers.

The AMM is based on Antonov’s patented technology. The AMM is a small stand-alone, self-controlling multi-speed drive module. It can be configured in 2, 3 or 4 speed modules and can be applied to a wide range of power transmission applications. The supercharger is the first application to enter production.

John Moore, CEO of Antonov plc, commented,
"This initial production is a significant step forward for Antonov and the AMM technology. By launching the product into the buoyant US tuner products market, we will generate short term revenues. We are also demonstrating to the high volume players that this is a fully developed product available to them now. We have already had strong interest and will be supplying units to a number of OEM clients for assessment."

Commenting on the launch of the AMM variable drive, Anders Jensen, Managing Director of Rotrex A/S, said,

"The addition of the variable drive to the Rotrex supercharger gives even better low end torque to the engine. It will also open up new opportunities for the application of our superchargers in the future."

Notes to editors:
Antonov plc is a technology exploitation company originally created to develop the inventions of its founder, Roumen Antonov. It now holds a broad intellectual property portfolio in mechanical power transmission. It is currently focusing on applications in the automotive industry due to the high product volumes, but there are also applications in other sectors that are being explored.

The AMM technology is also being applied to other power transmission systems where a simple multi-speed transmission is a benefit. These include a 2 speed pulley drive for engine accessory drives. This enables the vehicle alternator and air conditioning to be run more efficiently whilst providing the output needed by modern cars when the engine is idling. There is also growing interest in the use of a 2 speed AMM in conjunction with an AC electric motor as a lower cost alternative to permanent magnet motors in fuel cell and electric vehicles.

Other Antonov technologies that are in development include:
the AAD (Antonov Automatic Drive), a six speed automatic transmission for front wheel drive passenger cars that offers lower costs and greater efficiency than current designs;
the DCA (Dual Clutch Automatic), based around a new configuration of dual clutch counter shaft transmission that offers compact packaging, enabling the system to be fitted into the existing vehicle package space.

Rotrex A/S is working with Antonov to commercialise the AMM for application with superchargers.

Rotrex has been involved in the development of OEM supercharger applications since 1997 and has grown its aftermarket supercharger business organically. It counts all the major European automotive OEMs amongst its customers. Rotrex is the developer and manufacturer of superchargers for engine capacities ranging from 0.2 litre to more than 6.0 litre.