G-TEKT Corporation and Ahresty Corporation announced that they have basically agreed to start joint development of auto body components and EV-related parts with the aim of creating new value that contributes to the rapid shift to EVs in the automotive industry and to efforts to become carbon neutral. G-TEKT, as an auto body components manufacturer, has been promoting efforts to contribute to the global environment through the manufacture of lightweight and highly rigid auto body components. In May 2021, G- TEKT announced the "establishment of EV-related business" as one of the pillars of its new management strategy and launched a new product development project for aluminum-based battery housings for EVs, making full use of body in white analysis technology it had cultivated.

In addition, G-TEKT is mass-producing aluminum auto body components in the European market, and optimization of parts made of aluminum material, including auto body peripheral areas, is a future development challenge. Ahresty, whose core business is automotive die casting, is strategically shifting its die casting business portfolio by expanding sales of parts for EVs and vehicle body components in line with its "2040 Vision" and its "10-Year Business Plan" being its long-term management plan. Aluminum is lighter than steel and highly recyclable.

Taking advantage of these characteristics, Ahresty will continue to address the needs for lighter body components for EVs and contribute to the reduction of CO2 emissions and the future global environment. The two companies will focus on the potential of aluminum materials from viewpoints such as weight reduction and life cycle assessment ("LCA"), complement each other's knowledge in their respective technical fields, and promote the development of auto body components and EV-related parts to create new value in an EV-oriented society.