Press release:
1998 General Motors Sport Utility Vehicles to Feature Gentex
Auto-Dimming Three-Mirror System Using All New Technology
ZEELAND, Mich., Aug. 13 /PRNewswire/ -- Gentex Corporation (Nasdaq:GNTX), the Zeeland, Michigan-based manufacturer of automatic-dimming mirrors and fire protection products, today announced that it is supplying three new Night Vision Safety(R)(NVS(R)) Mirrors for the new 1998 Chevrolet and GMC Suburbans, and the GMC Yukon and Chevrolet Tahoe models. These vehicles are the first vehicles in the world to offer a three-mirror NVS system utilizing Gentex's new lightweight exterior NVS Mirror sub-assemblies, and the new interior NVS Compass/Temperature Mirror
that was developed using Gentex's patented electrochromic technology and the Prince/Johnson Controls, Inc. patented AutoCal(R) compass and outside temperature display technologies. An interior NVS Mirror with the AutoCal(R) electronic compass previously was available on these models beginning in the 1995 model year.
NVS Mirrors automatically darken precisely to the level required to reduce glare from the headlamps of vehicles approaching from the rear. The brighter the glare, the darker the mirrors become.
Automatic-dimming mirrors are an especially important feature for trucks and sport/utility vehicles, since their exterior mirrors are larger and may reflect a significant amount of glare into the driver's eyes. An NVS system, with an interior mirror and driver's- and
passenger's-side exterior mirrors, eliminates virtually 100 percent of this glare.
The new NVS flat and convex exterior mirrors use thin glass technology and processes that were developed by Gentex to reduce each exterior mirror's weight by up to 50 percent, which was the deciding factor in obtaining this new business on these sport/utility vehicles that tend to have large mirrors that are more prone to vibration than smaller mirrors. Exterior automatic- dimming mirrors using thin glass are available to automakers exclusively from Gentex, and General Motors
(NYSE:GM) is the first automaker to utilize this breakthrough technology on its vehicles.
``This is one of the largest orders we have ever received for auto-dimming mirrors and our dollar content per vehicle will
be the highest that Gentex has ever achieved on any one vehicle,'' said Gentex Executive Vice President Kenneth La Grand. ``Over 50 percent of the approximately 600,000 total units we expect to ship for these 1998 GM sport/utility vehicles are incremental units.''
``During the 1997 model year, over 90 percent of all Chevrolet Tahoes, GMC Yukons, and Chevrolet and GMC Suburbans were equipped with an interior NVS Compass Mirror. General Motors has always been very safety conscious and has been a leader in adding NVS Mirrors to its vehicle lineup, so it is not surprising that it would be the first
automaker to offer this new three-mirror NVS System,'' La Grand concluded.
Gentex Corporation is an international company that provides high-quality products to the worldwide automotive industry
and North American fire protection market. The Company develops, manufactures and markets proprietary electro-optic products, including interior and exterior electrochromic, automatic-dimming Night Vision Safety(TM) (NVS(R)) automotive rearview mirrors that dim in proportion to the amount of headlight glare from trailing vehicle headlamps, and an extensive line of fire protection products for commercial applications. The Company's Automotive Products Group is ISO
9001 registered and is in compliance with QS-9000, quality designations that soon will be required to supply production
or service parts to automakers.
Gentex was the first company in the world to successfully develop and produce a commercial electrochromic mirror for the motor vehicle industry. The Company is the leading supplier of these mirrors to the worldwide automotive industry. Gentex customers include Audi, Bentley, BMW, Chrysler, Daewoo, Fiat, Ford, General Motors, Gulf States Toyota,
Honda, Hyundai, Infiniti, Kia Motors, Lexus, Mercedes-Benz, Mitsubishi, Nissan, Opel, Porsche, Rolls Royce and Southeast Toyota Distributors.
Founded in 1974, Gentex operates out of three facilities in Zeeland, Michigan; an automotive sales and marketing office in Livonia, Michigan; an automotive sales and engineering subsidiary in Germany; and five regional U.S. sales offices for the Fire Protection Products Group. The Company is recognized for its quality products, its application of world class manufacturing principles and for its commitment to developing and maintaining a highly skilled workforce. |
