Gentex Announces Toyota Avalon Business
23 September 1999
Gentex Announces Toyota Avalon Business ZEELAND, Mich., -- Gentex Corporation
, the Zeeland, Michigan-based manufacturer of automatic-dimming
rearview mirrors and commercial fire protection products, has begun shipping
interior automatic-dimming mirrors for the 2000 Avalon, Toyota's all-new,
large sedan.
Gentex's Night Vision Safety(TM) (NVS(R)) Mirrors are an active, crash-
avoidance safety feature that use a combination of sophisticated sensors and
electronic circuitry to detect glare from trailing vehicles and automatically
darken to eliminate the glare and make nighttime driving safer.
Automatic-dimming rearview mirrors once were available only on luxury
vehicles, but now are beginning to move down-market into mid-priced vehicles
like the Avalon. One of the first such vehicles to offer an NVS(R) mirror was
the Toyota Camry Solara, which comes with the same type of mirror now
available on the Avalon.
"It's great to see this safety feature included on such a popular
vehicle," said Gentex Executive Vice President Ken La Grand. "We're working
toward the day when NVS(R) automatic-dimming mirrors are as common a safety
feature as seatbelts, and the Avalon represents another step in this
direction.
"It's also exciting to see our relationship with Toyota grow and mature.
We plan to work hard to become an extension of their commitment to quality,
value and safety."
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. Revenues from the sale of automatic-dimming mirrors represent
about 91 percent of total Company revenues.
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, Daewoo,
DaimlerChrysler, Fiat, Ford, General Motors, Gulf States Toyota, Hyundai,
Infiniti, Kia Motors, Land Rover, Lexus, Nissan, Opel, Porsche, Rolls Royce,
Samsung, Southeast Toyota Distributors and Toyota.
Founded in 1974, Gentex operates out of three facilities in Zeeland,
Michigan; an automotive sales office in Livonia, Michigan; automotive sales
and engineering subsidiaries in Germany and Japan; and four 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, for its commitment to developing and maintaining a
highly skilled workforce, and for encouraging employee ownership of the
Company's stock.
