1998 General Motors Sport Utility Vehicles to Feature Gentex Auto-Dimming Three-Mirror System Using All New Technology
13 August 1997
1998 General Motors Sport Utility Vehicles to Feature Gentex Auto-Dimming Three-Mirror System Using All New Technology
ZEELAND, Mich., Aug. 13 -- Gentex Corporation ,
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 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.
SOURCE Gentex Corporation
