ArvinMeritor Celebrates a Heritage of Developing Breakthrough Clean Air Solutions

June marks the fortieth anniversary of the development anniversary of the catalytic converter

TROY, Mich., June 11 -- ArvinMeritor, Inc. celebrates 40 years of providing innovative, effective clean air solutions to the transportation industry this month.

The Beatles were wowing America on the Ed Sullivan Show. Martin Luther King was being awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. And the first Ford Mustang was about to roll down the lines in Dearborn, Mich.

It was on June 17, 1964, that the California Motor Vehicle Pollution Control Board (MVPCB) approved Arvin Industries' (an ArvinMeritor precursor) catalytic converter control "device" for new-car application -- an event that would eventually impact the auto industry dramatically. Today, virtually every gasoline-powered car and truck in the United States, Canada, Europe, Japan, Australia and much of Asia has an exhaust system with a catalytic converter, which reduces exhaust emissions to a tiny fraction of what they were four decades ago.

That same experience and expertise in light vehicle exhaust technology is now being applied to diesel engine exhaust emissions -- generally regarded as the biggest clean-air challenge of our generation. Aimed at heavy truck, light truck and passenger car applications in North America, Europe and Asia, ArvinMeritor's Clean Air Solutions portfolio is comprised of products and technologies available today, as well as those under development. These advances provide effective applications to meet upcoming near-term diesel exhaust emission regulations, as well as provide innovative solutions for the increasingly stringent standards mandated for the future.

Arvin began a serious study of the treatment of vehicular exhaust emissions in 1957, when it was first established that they were a likely contributor to smog. Early work surrounded both catalytic mufflers and flame after burners. In October 1960, Universal Oil Products Company and Arvin signed an agreement to exchange technical information and to cooperate in testing catalytic devices. By 1961, Arvin had submitted a formal application to the MVPCB for testing of the "catalytic device." More than 20 companies submitted applications, but only nine -- of which Arvin was one -- were accepted.

After exhaustive research, laboratory testing and a million-plus miles of driving tests, the Arvin device received its approval for new-car application in 1964. Moreover, the emission level from cars using Arvin's device met California's projected 1970 pollution control standards six years before they went into effect.

Later in 1964, while automakers approached the emissions control challenge by making engine, carburetor and ignition modifications, Arvin continued to work with the auto manufacturers and the MVPCB on the best long-term emissions solution. Efforts paid off in 1974, when U.S. auto manufacturers ordered the first catalytic converters to be installed in production vehicles.

Today, the catalytic converter is the primary technology employed by the global auto industry to control exhaust emissions of light vehicles. And, in its pioneering work in the development of catalytic converter exhaust systems, Arvin Industries substantially changed the automotive world and impacted air emissions for the better.

ArvinMeritor, Inc. is a premier $8-billion global supplier of a broad range of integrated systems, modules and components to the motor vehicle industry. The company serves light vehicle, commercial truck, trailer and specialty original equipment manufacturers and related aftermarkets. Headquartered in Troy, Mich., ArvinMeritor employs approximately 32,000 people at more than 150 manufacturing facilities in 27 countries. ArvinMeritor common stock is traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol ARM. For more information, visit the company's Web site at: http://www.arvinmeritor.com/