Teamwork Wins on Track and in Business

Innovation and teamwork form the foundation of every product and service behind the Hitachi brand. Leveraging more than a century of expertise and experience, Hitachi is Powering Good by creating a more sustainable world for current and future generations. With nearly 800 companies globally across a broad spectrum of industries, the Hitachi Group innovates, designs and manufactures solutions for smarter, safer, healthier and more efficient societies.

Penske Corporation, another world-class leader, operates more than 3,700 transportation services locations worldwide, providing the highest quality solutions and services for a variety of industry segments, including retail automotive, truck leasing, transportation logistics and professional motorsports.

These endeavors require collaboration and a strong team mentality. There is no better example of this work ethic than Team Penske – one of the most successful teams in the history of professional sports, producing more than 540 major race wins, over 620 pole positions and 35 Championships across open-wheel, stock car and sports car racing competitions.

Every day, intense competition to succeed both on the race track and in the business world grows stronger. For Team Penske, a record-setting lap or poorly-timed pit stop can mean the difference between victory and defeat. The same is true in business. For Hitachi, organizations and end users demand industry-leading innovation, efficiency, quality and performance with every product and service.

While Team Penske races for wins and fights for championships across all levels of competition, Hitachi races to innovate, continually developing solutions that offer unique, strategic advantages to original equipment manufacturers and consumers around the globe. Separately, these two companies represent a wealth of expertise and experience. Together, they demonstrate the compounded value of collaboration and the strength of cross-industry teamwork.

As a leader in fuel injection technology and technical partner for INDYCAR racing applications, Hitachi has helped power Chevrolet to six consecutive IndyCar Series Manufacturers’ Championships (2012-2017). Hitachi leverages its automotive and data analytics expertise to help Team Penske maintain its winning tradition in one of the world’s most competitive racing environments. “The partnership with Josef and the Penske team is a great example of Hitachi collaboration in action, where we are working together toward a common goal as well as leveraging each other’s strengths and unique expertise,” said Dr. Brice Koch, President & CEO, Hitachi Automotive Systems, Ltd. “Josef and the entire Penske team have done an incredible job this season, leading from the front, and we are proud to see him lift the championship title. Ours is a partnership that has grown stronger each year, producing consistently high-quality results and we look forward to seeing that continue. Congratulations to the entire team!”

This winning partnership has grown and evolved over the years to include co-creation. Penske Corporation has leveraged Hitachi’s digital and IoT technologies to optimize its transportation and logistics business. “We have been working with Penske Corporation to create dramatic innovations in the fleet management field since 2018,” said Koji Takaichi, President & CEO of Hitachi America, Ltd. “We are very happy that our expanded partnership brought this great opportunity to collaborate with them, leveraging their extensive knowledge in transportation and logistics, coupled with Hitachi’s operational technology and information technology expertise.”

Team Penske and Hitachi have shared success both on and off the track since becoming partners in 2012. After a productive five-year relationship with three-time Indianapolis 500 winner Helio Castroneves, Hitachi teamed with 2017 IndyCar Series Champion Josef Newgarden beginning with the 2018 season. Newgarden quickly impressed his new sponsors, earning three wins and four poles. In 2019, Newgarden led the championship standings for most of the season, capturing four wins and two poles, elevating his career stats to include two championships, 14 wins and eight poles.

“It has been a terrific season for Josef (Newgarden) and the No. 2 Hitachi Chevrolet team,” said Penske Corporation Founder and Chairman Roger Penske. “We want to thank everyone at Hitachi for their continued partnership and collaboration with our team. We appreciate everything that Hitachi brings to Team Penske – from their work with Chevrolet on the IndyCar direct fuel injection systems to how their technology helps our teams both on and off the track, as well as their teamwork and support on race weekends with Hitachi personnel and customers. We are proud to carry the Hitachi brand on our race cars and we are so excited to celebrate this championship with everyone at Hitachi.”