Kautex Textron Wins Significant BEV Battery Housing Contract with Leading Automotive OEM

BONN, Germany--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jul 28, 2025--

Kautex Textron GmbH & Co. KG (Kautex), a Textron Inc. (NYSE: TXT) company, announced it has received an order from a leading automotive OEM for a full-BEV thermoplastic composite lower battery housing unit. The lower housing is part of the company’s Pentatonic battery enclosure portfolio, facilitating battery electric and hybrid electric vehicle production.

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The Kautex Pentatonic product line offers lightweight, customizable EV solutions made from thermoplastic composite or composite metal hybrids. These solutions include products which not only enhance the thermal management of the battery pack but also contribute to the overall lightweight design, boosting vehicle performance and extending driving range.

The lower housing seals and protects the vehicle battery while meeting extensive structural and stringent thermal requirements, such as crush and bottom impact testing, and external and internal fire tests. It will be produced for a major BEV platform, spanning across multiple vehicle brands. This Kautex Pentatonic solution offers advantages over its conventional metal counterparts, with lower cost through a reduction in components due to its high functional integration and thus a leaner bill of material. The thermoplastic composite material helps to lower the carbon footprint of the part, while the lightweight housing contributes to reducing carbon emissions while driving. This multi-material approach provides corrosion resistance with no compromise in performance throughout the lifespan of the vehicle.

“We are thrilled to announce our latest order from a leading automotive OEM, marking a significant milestone for Kautex,” says Joerg Rautenstrauch, President & CEO, Kautex. “Our innovative BEV lower housing is a testament to our dedication to providing cutting-edge solutions that meet the highest standards of safety, performance, and sustainability. This Pentatonic win is a reflection of our team's hard work and creativity, and our unwavering focus on delivering value to our customers.”

This order marks Kautex’s second Pentatonic business win, following its initial success in January 2023 with a full-BEV underbody protection skid plate that entered serial production in 2024. Pentatonic has garnered numerous awards, including the SPE Grand Innovation Award in Europe, as well as the Lingxuan and Gasgoo Innovation Awards in China. Additionally, Kautex has deployed three on-road test vehicles in the US, Japan and Europe, validating the performance of full-BEV and hybrid Pentatonic enclosures across various terrains and weather conditions. Collectively, these vehicles have been road-tested for over 100,000 miles.

About Kautex Textron GmbH & Co. KG

As a Tier One automotive supplier with 30 plants in 13 countries, Kautex is a pioneer in the design and manufacture of traditional and hybrid fuel systems, engine camshafts and plastic industrial packaging solutions. For the era of new mobility, Kautex is also expanding its portfolio to offer thermoplastic composite and composite-metal hybrid battery systems as well as assisted and autonomous drive vehicle cleaning systems.

About Textron Inc.

Textron Inc. is a multi-industry company that leverages its global network of aircraft, defense, industrial and finance businesses to provide customers with innovative solutions and services. Textron is known around the world for its powerful brands such as Bell, Cessna, Beechcraft, Pipistrel, Jacobsen, Kautex, Lycoming, E-Z-GO and Textron Systems.

For more information, visit: www.textron.com.

Certain statements in this press release may project revenues or describe strategies, goals, outlook or other non-historical matters; these forward-looking statements speak only as of the date on which they are made, and we undertake no obligation to update them. These statements are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause our actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements.

The Kautex Pentatonic product line offers lightweight, customizable EV solutions made from thermoplastic composite or composite metal hybrids.

CARY, N.C. (AP) — Clayton Kershaw isn't done pitching just yet, agreeing Thursday to join the U.S. team for this year's World Baseball Classic.

The three-time NL Cy Young Award winner wanted to pitch for the Americans in the 2023 tournament but was prevented because of insurance issues. He had a $20 million, one-year contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers at the time.

“I was too broken for the insurance to cover my arm and everything,” Kershaw said on MLB Network, “so now that it doesn't matter I get to go and be a part of this group.”

A left-hander who turns 38 two days after the March 17 championship game, Kershaw announced last September that he was retiring at the end of the season, his 18th in a stellar career for the Dodgers. He won his third World Series title and finished 223-96 with a 2.53 ERA and 3,052 strikeouts.

“I just want to be the insurance policy,” Kershaw said. “If anybody needs a breather or if they need me to pitch back-to-back-to-back or if they don’t need me to pitch at all, I’m just there to be there. I just want to be a part of this group.”

Later Thursday, new Chicago Cubs third baseman Alex Bregman announced he will join the U.S. team.

When Kershaw received a call from U.S. manager Mark DeRosa, he thought he was being invited as a coach.

“I didn't have a whole lot of interest in picking up a baseball again," Kershaw said. “I started throwing 10, 12 days ago and it doesn’t feel terrible, so I think I’ll be OK.”

Kershaw joins a U.S. pitching staff that includes right-handers David Bednar, Clay Holmes, Griffin Jax, Nolan McLean, Mason Miller, Joe Ryan, Paul Skenes and Logan Webb along with left-handers Tarik Skubal and Gabe Speier.

The American roster also includes catchers Cal Raleigh and Will Smith; infielders Ernie Clement, Gunnar Henderson, Brice Turang and Bobby Witt Jr.; outfielders Byron Buxton, Corbin Carroll, Pete Crow-Armstrong and Aaron Judge; and designated hitter Kyle Schwarber.

The U.S., which lost the 2023 championship game to Japan, opens March 6 against Brazil at Houston, part of a group that also includes Britain, Italy and Mexico.

Shohei Ohtani struck out then-Los Angeles Angels teammate Mike Trout to end Japan's 3-2 win in the 2023 championship. Kershaw doesn't anticipate facing Ohtani, his teammate for the Dodgers' World Series titles in 2024 and 2025.

“I think something will have gone terribly wrong if I have to pitch against team Japan in the finals or something. I think we got plenty of guys to get that guy out and not me,” Kershaw said. “But if that happens, I'll be nervous. I'll be nervous at this point.”

AP baseball: https://apnews.com/hub/MLB

FILE - Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw celebrates the end of the top of the 12th inning against the Toronto Blue Jays in Game 3 of baseball's World Series, Monday, Oct. 27, 2025, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson, File)