BorgWarner Acquires Oregon Companies, Forms Cascadia Motion to Explore Electric, Hybrid Propulsion Solutions

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BorgWarner has acquired and merged Rinehart Motion Systems and AM Racing into Cascadia Motion. The new company will offer electric and hybrid propulsion solutions. // Photograph Courtesy of BorgWarner

Auburn Hills’ BorgWarner, a global auto supplier, has acquired Oregon’s Rinehart Motion Systems and AM Racing and merged them into a new, wholly-owned company named Cascadia Motion. The new entity will explore electric and hybrid propulsion solutions for niche and emerging applications. Terms of the transactions were not released.

BorgWarner says it took this step because it recognizes that the demand for electric and hybrid propulsion systems is growing rapidly and goes beyond mainstream passenger and commercial vehicles.

“Rinehart Motion Systems and AM Racing are two established companies in the specialty electric and hybrid propulsion sector,” says Hakan Yilmaz, chief technology officer at BorgWarner. “Bringing them together as Cascadia Motion will allow us to offer design, development, and production of full electric and hybrid propulsion systems for niche and low-volume manufacturing applications.”

Cascadia Motion is expected to leverage the proficiencies of both companies into a start-up atmosphere designed to incubate new technologies. Rinehart Motion Systems brings expertise in propulsion inverters and controls for electric and hybrid electric vehicles in professional motorsports, motorcycles, specialty road cars, bus, and heavy-duty sectors. AM Racing designs and manufactures single- and dual-core electric motors and gearsets used in all these same market segments.

Cascadia Motion should expand the BorgWarner’s ability to support a wide variety of customers with small scale projects, specialty products, and low volume manufacturing needs. In addition, BorgWarner’s global production facilities can be utilized as Cascadia Motion customers grow to require high-volume production.