KW Suspension

Offering an immense independent aftermarket suspension portfolio, state-of-the-art manufacturing technology, development, and test center, KW automotive has been operating successfully in all markets for over 25 years. In recent years, the owner-managed company has developed over 16 different damping technologies to comply with its claim “The perfect suspension for every demand”. The versatile product range of the KW suspensions brand is divided into the categories “Street Comfort”, “Street Performance” and “Track Performance” for the respective application. Sporty drivers rely on the height-adjustable spring sets and KW coilovers with their wide range of damping options, as well as the Nürburgring Nordschleife-tested KW Clubsport coilovers with road approval and parts certification. The entrepreneurial group has subsidiaries in the most significant markets, such as Belgium, Great Britain, China, Japan, Switzerland, Taiwan and the USA. 360 employees from the 1200 employees worldwide of the Group are located at the headquarters in Fichtenberg. Software and hardware solutions are further business segments as well as events for virtual motor sports in the scope of the brand RaceRoom. Equally, the suspension manufacturers AL-KO Damping Unit, Belltech and Reiger Suspension as well as the alloy wheels manufacturer BBS are brands of the KW entrepreneurial group.

Motorsport and industry partner

Being a development partner for sophisticated regulated suspension systems, the German company has a complete product portfolio of hydraulics, electronics, sensor technology, control units, and damper controls as well as the necessary know-how for the application and calibration of complex dynamic chassis control systems. In addition to its core business, the development and production of manually and adaptively adjustable coilovers and other suspension components for the aftermarket as well as the accessories program of various car manufacturers in the premium segment, KW automotive is also active in the original equipment of special models and super sports cars of the automotive industry.

Over the past few years KW has established itself significantly in customer motorsports and produces homologated racing dampers and suspensions for an increasing number of race cars from various car manufacturers. Various car manufacturers such as BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Porsche, Toyota, and much more focus on KW automotive’s suspension technology in their customer sports programs. Racing teams worldwide rely on the patented valve technology of KW Competition suspensions from the multiple overall winner of the 24h-Race-Nürburgring (2002, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2011, 2018, 2020), Winner of the Dubai 24 Hours (2017, 2020), ADAC GT Masters (2018 and 2020), ADAC TCR Germany (2018), Spa-Francorchamps 24h Race (2015, 2019, 2020), the Bathurst 12h Race (2019) and 9h Race (Kyalami 2019). For more than 25 years, KW automotive has been providing the essential suspension technology and is the internationally popular partner for individual applications for super sports cars, racing cars of various categories, classic cars as well as the complete production of small batches for brand cups or exclusive vehicles. With its immense suspension portfolio, state-of-the-art production technology, development, and test center, KW operates successfully in all markets with its brands “KW suspensions”, “ST suspensions”, “Belltech Sportcars”, “Reiger Suspension”, “ap Sportfahrwerke” “LSD Doors” and “RaceRoom”.

ST suspensions

Founded in Southern California back in the late seventies, ST suspensions have focused on the development of lowering springs, sport suspensions, and sway bars for sporty compact models. Over the decades, ST has become one of the most recognized brands in the US market. Since 2005, ST suspensions is part of the KW automotive Group and since then also carries coilovers manufactured at KW automotive in Germany in its product range. ST suspensions suspension components, which were previously offered exclusively in North America, have been distributed globally since 2014. ST suspensions offers a complete product range in a top quality in the mid-price segment, which is very interesting for numerous markets. For this reason, parts of the KW brand “Weitec – Fahrwerktechnik” such as the sports suspensions, springs, or spring distance kits have also been integrated into the ST product range. The traditional company Power Tech with its spacers and rim locks, acquired since the beginning of 2013, is also part of the KW automotive group, and these products are also offered under the name ST suspensions, just like the newly developed ST AZX and ST DZX.

ap sport suspensions

The ap sport suspension brand has been a part of KW automotive since May 1, 2019. The suspension components of the ap Sportfahrwerke brand are classic tuning components such as height-adjustable ap coilovers, lowering springs, and sports suspensions only. Customers of ap Sportfahrwerke get therefore an aftermarket entry-level tuning product at the best price with the engineering of the market leader for individual suspension solutions. Quality-wise, these products are above the usual standard in this low-price segment.

Reiger Suspension

Since January 1, 2021, Reiger Suspension from the Netherlands is a KW automotive brand. Founded in 1977 in the Netherlands, Reiger Suspension has built an impressive reputation in the development and manufacture of shock absorbers for harsh competition in off-road motorsports under the leadership of Reiger Suspension founder Gerard Seesing. In the family-owned company KW automotive, Gerard Seesing found the ideal partner to secure the future of his life’s work. There are many similarities between Reiger and KW automotive, which multiply each other and lead to numerous synergy effects. Under the KW automotive roof, Gerard Seesing and the 70 Reiger employees will continue to manufacture the well-known Reiger off-road motorsport components in the Netherlands. New aftermarket off-road damper products for pick-up trucks and SUVs are already in development. The merger and integration into KW automotive will create one of the world’s largest programs of racing suspensions.

Countless car manufacturers rely on the dampers and suspension components manufactured at the Dutch plant in Hengelo in rally racing, rally, and motocross. Among the greatest successes of the Reiger Suspension factory customer teams are winning the FIA World Rally Championship with M-Sport / Ford, the World Champion Rally Raid, and the Intercontinental Rally Championship as well as winning the Dakar Rally several times. With a distance of up to 7,900 kilometers over rocky terrain, gravel, and sand and a high failure rate of over 50 percent, the Dakar Rally has been considered the toughest desert rally for decades. The numerous podium finishes, class wins, and five overall victories in 2012, 2014, 2018, 2019, and 2020 reflect the reliability and performance of Reiger off-road products. The continued dominance of Reiger Rally Dakar customers in South America in 2017, 2018, and 2019 continued in 2020 and 2021. Thus, teams equipped by Reiger won again.

Facts and figures KW automotive GmbH

• Founded in 1992, retail
• Manufacture of chassis, since 1995
• 450 employees, 330 of them at the main plant in Fichtenberg (Germany)
• international subsidiaries in USA, China, Taiwan, Japan, Great Britain, and Switzerland
• sales partners in over 70 countries
• development, production, and sales of individual suspension solutions
• focus on coilovers, racing suspensions for touring cars, and GT Sport
• Electronic dampers and development and tuning of driving dynamics control systems
• Classic suspensions, hydraulic lift systems, height-adjustable spring sets, wheel spacers
• Largest aftermarket suspension portfolio with over 26,000 coilover applications