the next major product developed at the horiba company resulted from the work of masahiro oura, a young researcher who saw the potential for an auto-emissions measurement instrument. masao horiba supported the project once he learned that oura had orders from several major automobile manufacturers. the company's mexa-1 air emissions analyzer, which came out in 1964, was the first in a series of analysis devices of increasing sensitivity. the mexa-1 became important for the company's international expansion. in 1970, horiba partnered with (and later acquired) olson laboratories, expanding into europe and the uk. in 1975, a mexa analyzer was sold to the united states environmental protection agency (epa). the horiba model mexa-200 infrared co analyzer was adopted by the epa for the regulation auto emissions. mexa systems were bought by mercedes-benz in germany, and renault in france.