ANN ARBOR, Mich. — As part of its continuing strategic plan implementation, Affinia Group Inc. has sold its Commercial Distribution Europe business unit, known as Quinton Hazell, to Klarius Group Limited and Auto Holding Paris S.A.S. The divestiture enables Affinia to focus on its core businesses and global growth strategy.

Quinton Hazell is a diverse aftermarket manufacturer and distributor of automotive components throughout Europe. The company has approximately 750 people and is headquartered in Hinckley, Warwickshire, which is also its main U.K. warehousing and distribution operation. It also has other locations in the U.K., France, Germany, the Netherlands, Ireland, Italy and Spain.

"The central element of our strategic repositioning over the past four years has been to develop a global manufacturing footprint to assure our customers of high quality, properly designed aftermarket components at market competitive prices," said Terry McCormack, president and chief executive officer of Affinia. "While Quinton Hazell is an outstanding organization and has been a mainstay of the European market for many years, we believe our customers will be best served if we redeploy these assets in support of our global core product initiatives."

Since its founding in 2004, Affinia has pursued a strategic global repositioning program that has resulted in expanded manufacturing and sourcing capabilities in China, India, Brazil, Mexico and Eastern Europe. This program has also strengthened Affinia’s access to emerging growth markets, including China, India, Brazil and Eastern Europe. At the same time, the company has closed a number of facilities throughout North America and in parts of Europe, which the company says has provided an enhanced ability to provide high-quality, globally competitive products.