New Donnelly Products Featured on Concept Truck for SEMA Show
3 November 1998
New Donnelly Products Featured on Concept Truck for SEMA Show LAS VEGAS, Nov. 3 -- A production-ready power sliding rear
window is one of five products Donnelly Corporation has supplied
for the SLP Engineering, Inc. concept truck, which will debut at this year's
SEMA (Specialty Equipment Market Association) show in Las Vegas.
The dual panel, power sliding backlite opens and closes with a push of a
button -- much easier and more convenient to operate than the manual slider
found on many trucks today. The power sliding window is a joint development
between Donnelly and Hi-lex Corporation, with Donnelly supplying the window
technology and Hi-lex providing the motor and drive mechanism.
"As this show vehicle helps demonstrate, Donnelly has a production-ready
power sliding window, one that already meets OEM requirements," said Donn
Viola, chief operating officer for Donnelly's North American Automotive
Operations. "As trucks continue to redefine their role in the marketplace,
features like the power sliding window will become more important for driver
comfort, convenience and safety, particularly for those who drive extended cab
trucks."
Along with the power sliding backlite, the SLP concept truck, based on the
Ford Ranger, will feature these other Donnelly products:
* Flush-bonded quarter window: Donnelly's patented single-sided bonding
process attaches all the window hardware to the inside surface of the glass
(without requiring through-glass bolts called "beauty buttons"), allowing for
a smooth, aerodynamic appearance on the outside of the vehicle.
* Break-away outside mirror with ground illumination lighting and
supplemental turn signal: The Illuminator(TM) security light illuminates the
ground next to the vehicle, providing increased safety and convenience for
people as they approach their vehicle. The supplemental turn signals located
in the mirror housing alert drivers in the vehicle's blind spot of an intended
turn or lane change. And the outside mirrors fold in toward the vehicle
sides, making it easier to park or to drive through narrow openings.
* Comp/temp EC mirror: This Donnelly design was the first electrochromic
(automatic-dimming) mirror to market with a simultaneous compass and
temperature display. The display is situated in the mirror's "chin," the
bottom edge of the mirror casing.
* Illuminated outside door handles: LEDs (light-emitting diodes) placed
in the back plate of the door handle shine on the back side of the door handle
itself, making the handle more obvious in low lighting conditions. As with
the interior lights of the vehicle, the LEDs turn on when the driver actuates
the key fob.
SLP's small pickup truck, dubbed the "Lone Ranger," debuted at the Ford
Motor Company display at the SEMA show, the largest automotive aftermarket
convention in North America. This truck marks the first time Donnelly has
worked on a project with the conversion company SLP Engineering, a pre-eminent
low-volume, high-performance manufacturer in the domestic automotive industry.
Under contract with General Motors' Chevrolet Motor Division, in the 1999
model year SLP will convert approximately 5,000 Camaro Z28s into the higher
performance Camaro SS, and the company will also produce 1,000 Firebird
Firehawks for the Pontiac Division of GM.
Donnelly Corporation is an international automotive supplier dedicated to
serving customers around the globe with industry-leading components and
systems in automotive mirrors, windows, door handles and interior trim and
lighting. Through its various product lines, Donnelly is a supplier to every
major automotive manufacturer in the world. The company has been based in
Holland, Michigan since 1905, and today has more than 5500 employees and
operates in 14 countries worldwide. Donnelly is recognized as a leader in the
application of participative management, and has been named to Fortune
magazine's list of the "100 Best Companies to Work for in America."
