Customers urged to seize growing lambda sensors opportunity

Since first developing its OE range of Lambda Sensors in 1977, DENSO has been relentlessly increasing its efforts to create an offering that is first choice for customers, as well as delivering the highest standards in terms of engine performance, reliability and emissions. Now, every new car, and most cars manufactured since 1980, has a lambda sensor fitted. Vehicles with lambda sensors now account for more than 68% of the European car parc - a proportion set to increase even further in coming years.

The ideal aftermarket partner

Since launching its most recent range extension in October 2015, DENSO’s Lambda Sensors have been received extremely well by many of its customers throughout Europe, with a sharp increase in orders and most importantly, repeat orders.

Not only has the general feedback from customers been overwhelmingly positive, but the message is abundantly clear: products such as lambda sensors have been and continue to be pivotal in their businesses’ success. This in turn has underlined DENSO aftermarket’s key strategy of further increasing its efforts to bring new, highly attractive products to the market.

So, for those wanting to harness the growth opportunities offered by lambda sensors, now is indeed the time for all aftermarket customers to seize advantage of one of the fastest product lines available today, to increase their winning edge over competitors in the market.

Greener technology

In line with EU legislation to cut emissions by at least 40% by 2030, the need to further reduce pollutants and to tighten engine control tolerances has never been more critical. DENSO’s Lambda Sensors offer advanced technology to simultaneously meet these ever-tightening exhaust gas emission standards and achieve optimum engine performance. Now, its ceramic technology-based sensors are able to sense oxygen concentration all along the combustion processes, helping to address emission controls. This is reflected in the latest car models which feature an increased number of oxygen sensors from a single simple sensor - as was the standard in vehicles manufactured in the 1990s - to over three sensors of a more complex nature on a comparable modern 4-cylinder engine. This trend is set to continue in the future, meaning there is further direct sales potential for the aftermarket.

Replacement potential

As one of the most respected and prolific OE suppliers to vehicle manufacturers worldwide, DENSO’s current range offers the independent aftermarket several advantages.Itincludes a wide variety of technologies to offer a replacement part for each sensor, specific to the function it fulfils within the EMS of the vehicle. Furthermore, its advanced A/F technology, which is used in most of the products that are featured in the latest expansion, is exclusively produced by DENSO, and therefore offers unique properties that cannot be reproduced by other manufacturers. Replacement prices of such sophisticated sensors are also relatively high, meaning the recent range extension offers customers a cost-effective solution. Not only that, but with the average vehicle age of each sensor being relatively low, this enables many years of potential sales ahead.

Consistency is king

In contrast with some competitors in the market, DENSO always ensures that its aftermarket products meet the exact same technical specifications as the original DENSO product. Consequently, DENSO does not mix different sensor designs and specifications in favour of a smaller consolidated range. This is clearly visible when comparing the sensor core designs; it is obvious that the same heat shields are attached and that the ‘nose’ of the original sensor corresponds in terms of an identical ventilation hole pattern. The same applies for the internal components – different specifications are never mixed. This way, each DENSO sensor product is guaranteed to be similar in terms of quality, performance, reliability and fitment.

DENSO Lambda Sensors: At a glance

• OEM specification, continually expanded programme
• Regulating sensors (fitted before the catalyst) and diagnostic sensors (fitted after the catalyst)
• Heated and unheated Lambda Sensors (switching type), A/F sensors (linear type), as well as Lean Burn sensors and Titania sensors; both direct fit and universal
• Laser welded and checked at multiple points during production to ensure 100% specification match
• DENSO was the first to make a quantitative measurable sensor ensuring it can not only sense if the air/fuel mixture is too lean or too rich – but also by how much
• 1,988 OE references
• 447 part numbers covering 5,783 applications - representing more than 68% of the European car parc (& expanding)

Find out more

Details of DENSO’s latest Lambda Sensors programme are available on Lambda Sensor page, on TecDoc or from your local sales representative.