, formerly Calsonic Kansei Corporation, is a Japan-based multinational automotive parts manufacturer with 58 manufacturing centres spread throughout the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

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South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the southern half of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and borders North Korea along the Korean Demilitarized Zone, with the Yellow Sea to the west and t ...

Mexico Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Latin America, and borders the United States to the north, and Guatemala and Belize to the southeast; while having maritime boundar ...

Thailand Thailand, officially the Kingdom of Thailand and historically known as Siam (the official name until 1939), is a country in Southeast Asia on the Mainland Southeast Asia, Indochinese Peninsula. With a population of almost 66 million, it spa ...

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India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...

, and

Malaysia Malaysia is a country in Southeast Asia. Featuring the Tanjung Piai, southernmost point of continental Eurasia, it is a federation, federal constitutional monarchy consisting of States and federal territories of Malaysia, 13 states and thre ...

. The corporation was the result of a merger in 2000 between Calsonic Corp., which specialized in air conditioners and heat exchangers, and gauge maker Kansei Corp..

Nissan is a Japanese multinational Automotive industry, automobile manufacturer headquartered in Yokohama, Kanagawa, Japan. The company sells its vehicles under the ''Nissan'' and ''Infiniti'' brands, and formerly the ''Datsun'' brand, with in-house ...

increased its shareholding in the company from 27.6 percent to 41.7 percent in January 2005. In November 2016, Nissan confirmed plans to sell its stake to U.S.

private equity firm A private equity firm or private equity company (often described as a financial sponsor) is an investment management company that provides financial backing and makes investments in the private equity of a Startup company, startup or of an existin ...

Kohlberg Kravis Roberts KKR & Co. Inc., also known as Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co., is an American global private-equity and investment company. , the firm had completed private-equity investments in portfolio companies with approximately $710 billion of total ...

, who later obtained the rest of the company as well in February 2017. In early 2019, Calsonic Kansei was merged with auto-parts maker

Magneti Marelli Marelli Europe S.p.A. (formerly Magneti Marelli S.p.A.) is a European subsidiary of Marelli Holdings which develops and manufactures components for the automotive industry. The firm is headquartered in Corbetta, Italy, and includes 86 manufac ...

, which was purchased for 6.2 billion euros from

Fiat Chrysler Automobiles Fiat Chrysler Automobiles N.V. (FCA), now part of Stellantis, was an Italian-American multinational corporation primarily known as a manufacturer of Car, automobiles, commercial vehicles, List of auto parts, auto parts and production systems. ...

, by its parent and 100% owning fund, KKR, with Marelli as its new unified brand.

History

On August 25, 1938, Calsonic Corp. was founded as Nihon Radiator Manufacturing Company, Ltd., with

radiators A radiator is a heat exchanger used to transfer thermal energy from one medium to another for the purpose of cooling and heating. The majority of radiators are constructed to function in cars, buildings, and electronics. A radiator is always a ...

as its product line. Nagao Gentaro was its first president. In 1952, the company was renamed more simply as Nihon Radiator Company.

Nissan Motor is a Japanese multinational automobile manufacturer headquartered in Yokohama, Kanagawa, Japan. The company sells its vehicles under the ''Nissan'' and '' Infiniti'' brands, and formerly the ''Datsun'' brand, with in-house performance tuning ...

would purchase 60% of the company's share in April 1954 for the purpose of securing the supply of radiators. That same year, Nihon Radiator began producing mufflers, and a year later it began producing car heaters. The name "Calsonic" was first used in 1976 to refer to Nihon Radiator's first overseas manufacturing plant in

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

within the

, combining the state's name with the word "sonic" from sonic speed to denote the company's dream of expansion. By 1988, Nihon Radiator changed its name to Calsonic Corporation in celebration of its 50th anniversary. Kansei Corp. was established on October 25, 1956 as Kanto Seiki Company, Ltd., spinning off of Nissan Motor with instrument clusters as its main product. In 1960, the company headquarters and manufacturing plant would be relocated from Akabane, Kita, Tokyo Metropolis to Ōmiya City, Saitama Prefecture (now Saitama City). On April 1, 2000, Calsonic and Kansei were merged to form Calsonic Kansei. Nissan increased its shareholding in the company from 27.6 percent to 41.7 percent in January 2005. On November 22, 2016, American investment firm KKR & Co. announced that it will purchase Calsonic Kansei for $4.5 billion, succeeding over rival private investment firms

Bain Capital Bain Capital, LP is an American Investment company, private investment firm based in Boston, Massachusetts, Boston, Massachusetts, with around $185 billion of assets under management. It specializes in private equity, venture capital, credit, p ...

and

MBK Partners MBK Partners (MBKP) is a private equity firm focused on North Asia. According to Forbes, MBK Partners is one of the largest private equity firms in Asia. In 2023, ''Private Equity International'', ranked MBK Partners as the eighth largest privat ...

. KKR stated that its intention in buying Calsonic Kansei would be to help its international expansion while the company's local Japanese market is shrinking. By March 23, 2017, KKR officially completed the

tender offer In corporate finance, a tender offer is a type of public takeover bid. The tender offer is a public, open offer or invitation (usually announced in a newspaper advertisement) by a prospective acquirer to all stockholders of a publicly traded corp ...

for Calsonic Kansei. On October 22, 2018, Calsonic Kansei announced that it would be merged with components manufacturer

from

(FCA), acquired by the parent fund KKR for $7.1 billion (€6.2 billion). The news was mostly wrongly reported by the press as Calsonic Kansei purchasing Magneti Marelli, while the transaction happened between KKR and FCA. The company's previous bid of nearly $5.9 billion was deemed too low by FCA. By May 2019, Calsonic Kansei and Magneti Marelli united under one brand name, Marelli, as part of its strategy to compete on a global scale. On June 7, 2025, Marelli Holdings warned that it may file for

Chapter 11 bankruptcy Chapter 11 of the United States Bankruptcy Code ( Title 11 of the United States Code) permits reorganization under the bankruptcy laws of the United States. Such reorganization, known as Chapter 11 bankruptcy, is available to every business, w ...

protection in the US. On June 11, 2025, Marelli Holdings filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection with plans to eliminate debt and sell itself to new owners.

Business segments and products

Cockpit module and interior products

*Instrument panels * Air conditioning units *Instrument clusters *Integrated switches

Climate control systems

HVAC Heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC ) is the use of various technologies to control the temperature, humidity, and purity of the air in an enclosed space. Its goal is to provide thermal comfort and acceptable indoor air quality. ...

units *

Condensers __NOTOC__ Condenser may refer to: Heat transfer * Condenser (heat transfer), a device or unit used to condense vapor into liquid. Specific types include: ** Heat exchanger#HVAC and refrigeration air coils, HVAC air coils ** Condenser (laboratory), ...

* Compressors

Compressors

* Variable displacement compressors *Rotary compressors

Heat exchange products

Radiators A radiator is a heat exchanger used to transfer thermal energy from one medium to another for the purpose of cooling and heating. The majority of radiators are constructed to function in cars, buildings, and electronics. A radiator is always a ...

*Motor fans *Internal air coolers *Oil coolers *Evaporators

Electronic products

*Body Electronics **Body Control Modules **Auto Driving Position Systems **Airbag Control Units **Occupant Detection Systems **Keyless entry *Human Machine Interface components *Power electronics components

Exhaust systems

*Exhaust manifold converters * Mufflers * Emission control devices

Sponsorship

Calsonic Kansei is primarily associated with Kazuyoshi Hoshino's Impul racing team in Japan, sponsoring them as Calsonic since 1982 as a title sponsor. By 2016, Calsonic Kansei is the longest-running title sponsor of a motor sports team in the world. As of 2023, Marelli became the main sponsor of the team, as the "Marelli, formerly Calsonic" depicts on the team's racing car. On March 9, 2016,

Formula One Formula One (F1) is the highest class of worldwide racing for open-wheel single-seater formula Auto racing, racing cars sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA). The FIA Formula One World Championship has been one ...

racing team

McLaren McLaren Racing Limited ( ) is a British auto racing, motor racing team based at the McLaren Technology Centre in Woking, Surrey, England. The team is a subsidiary of the McLaren Group, which owns a majority of the team. McLaren is best known a ...

announced a multi-year partnership with Calsonic Kansei. Calsonic is also the official radiator cooling supplier for Scuderia Toro Rosso since 2007.

References

External links

* {{Authority control Japanese companies established in 1938 2000 mergers and acquisitions Auto parts suppliers of Japan Companies based in Saitama Prefecture Manufacturing companies established in 1938 Companies formerly listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange Kohlberg Kravis Roberts companies Companies formerly listed on the Borsa Italiana Companies that filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2025