Lear's SonoTec EP Wins Auto Interiors 2001 Design & Technology Award

    SOUTHFIELD, Mich., May 16 Lear Corporation's
SonoTec(TM) EP won First Place in the Auto Interiors 2001 Design and
Technology Awards.

    SonoTec EP, a lightweight barrier material made from recycled carpet, won
First Place in the Design & Manufacturing category.  SonoTec EP is currently
being used as a dashboard insulator by General Motors Corp. in vehicles made
by its Saturn division.

    "This is a great honor for Lear Corporation," said Frank Sovis, President
of Lear's Interior Systems Division, the unit that oversees SonoTec EP.  "It
reaffirms our leadership role in Noise, Vehicle and Harshness technology, as
well as our positive environmental stewardship and is an integral part to
making Lear a total interior integrator."

    Barry Wyerman, Director of Lear's Advanced Engineering, Flooring and
Acoustics, Ed Girnys, Project Leader for SonoTec EP, and Dennis Young,
Director of Materials Engineering at Lear's Carlisle, Penn., facility, where
SonoTec EP is manufactured, accepted the award for Lear today at the Detroit
Auto Interiors Show at Cobo Hall.

    "This product was developed to meet both lower weight and recycling
initiatives for automotive NVH components and was rapidly implemented with a
team effort between Lear's engineering and manufacturing groups," said
Wyerman.

    SonoTec EP has a specific gravity that is 60% of traditional filled
barrier materials.  It is designed for use as a lightweight barrier with a
dash insulator system and as a lightweight mass backing with flooring systems.
It is very "moldable" and can be molded at light surface weights.

    SonoTec EP contains as much as 65% post-industrial recycled content and
can be extruded, vacuum formed, thermoformed or injection molded.  It meets
existing OEM Barrier and Carpet Floor Specifications.  The thermoplastic
underpad used with SonoTec EP combines excellent fit and finish and good
Noise, Vibration and Harshness performance.

    SonoTec EP with Foam-in-Place is another iteration of SonoTec EP with a
new foam formulation that reduces the density of cast foam by 10% to 20%.
This new process produces foam that can be more evenly poured in the mold and
is more uniform in density everywhere in the part.  Wear and NVH properties
are comparable to heavier Foam-in-Place foams.