Kariya (Japan) - DENSO Corporation announced today that it has developed a new air conditioning unit, which is approximately 20 percent smaller in volume than the conventional product. The new system will be installed on Toyota's new compact car, the "iQ," to be launched in Japan in November and in Europe in early 2009.

With improvements including new resin molding technologies, DENSO reduced the size of the blower fan for the new air conditioning unit. This allows the blower unit containing the blower fan to be reduced by almost half the size of the conventional unit, contributing to the size reduction of the air conditioning unit.

The new air conditioning unit also can be mounted in the center of the instrument panel to create more legroom for the front passenger. DENSO achieved this by integrating the blower unit - which generally is separated from the main unit and located above the front passenger's leg space - into the uppermost side of the main unit.

DENSO Corporation, headquartered in Kariya, Aichi prefecture, Japan, is a leading global supplier of advanced technology, systems and components. Its customers include all the world's major carmakers. Worldwide, the company employs approximately 119,000 people in 32 countries and regions, including Japan. Consolidated global sales for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2008 totaled US$40.2 billion. DENSO common stock is traded on the Tokyo, Osaka and Nagoya stock exchanges. For more information, go to www.denso.com, or visit our media website at www.densomediacenter.com .