Goodyear and Siemens VDO Automotive Connect to Improve Tire and Vehicle Safety

    FRANKFURT, Germany, Sept. 11 Goodyear, the world's leading
tire company, and global electronics leader Siemens VDO Automotive have joined
forces to develop an advanced tire pressure warning system to enhance tire and
vehicle safety.
    Goodyear Chairman and CEO Sam Gibara made the announcement today during a
security analyst presentation in conjunction with the Frankfurt International
Motor Show.  Under their agreement, Goodyear and Siemens VDO Automotive will
develop and market a system to alert drivers to low tire air pressure and
excessive tire temperatures.
    The joint development agreement, aimed toward a rapid market entry, will
draw on Goodyear's expertise in tires and tire pressure monitoring, tire
sensors and tire temperature and pressure interpretation and Siemens VDO's
proficiency in electronics, radio frequency (RF), wireless and vehicle system
integration technologies.
    The U.S.A.'s new Transportation, Recall, Enhancement, Accountability and
Documentation (TREAD) Act requires that effective November 2003, all new
vehicles, beginning with the 2004 model year, have a system to alert the
driver to low air pressure in one or more tires.  Both companies anticipate
other countries will soon enact similar legislation.
    European automakers and their suppliers, including Goodyear and Siemens
VDO, already are developing low pressure warning systems for those markets.
    "This joint development agreement builds on tire air pressure monitoring
work done by both Goodyear and Siemens VDO," Gibara said.  "We intend to help
automakers meet TREAD Act and other requirements worldwide and ultimately help
consumers maintain proper inflation, which leads to improved treadwear, better
fuel economy and optimum overall tire performance."
    "Goodyear's reputation and proven record for placing driver safety at the
top of their product priority list seemed like the perfect fit for our tire
monitoring technology," said Siemens Automotive Corporation President and CEO
John Sanderson.  Siemens Automotive Corporation is the United States operating
unit of Siemens VDO Automotive AG and will take on its parent company's name
later this year.
    The jointly developed, passive tire monitoring and display system will be
easily adaptable to new automobiles and light trucks and be available for
industry commercialization worldwide.
    Goodyear, based in Akron, is the world's leading tire company.  Siemens
VDO Automotive is a wholly owned company of electronics leader Siemens AG,
headquartered in Berlin and Munich, Germany.
    Goodyear manufactures its products in 90 plants and sells its products in
153 countries.  It has more than 100,000 associates worldwide, annual
production of approximately 220 million tires of all types and more than $14
billion ($US) in annual sales.  A tier-one automotive supplier, it also
manufactures and markets several lines of belts, hose and other engineered
rubber products for the transportation industry and various industrial and
consumer markets, as well as rubber-related chemicals for various
applications.
    Siemens VDO Automotive is one of the world's leading suppliers of
electronics, electrical and mechatronic technologies to the automotive
industry.  As a development partner in the automotive industry, the company
manufactures products for powertrain, engine control electronics and fuel
injection technology that improve engine performance and reduce emissions.
    The company is a market leader in information and car communication
systems with instrumentation, audio and navigation systems, telematics and
multimedia applications, through to complete cockpits.  Siemens VDO Automotive
products for chassis and carbody contribute to greater vehicle safety and
security.  These products include ABS and fuel tank systems and access control
systems.
    A separate Trading/After Market division markets products for retrofitting
in cars and commercial vehicles.  The company was created in April 2001 as a
result of the merger between Siemens Automotive and Mannesmann VDO.
    The company's parent organization, Siemens AG, is headquartered in Berlin
and Munich and is a leading global electronics and engineering company,
employing over 447,000 people in 193 countries, with worldwide sales in excess
of $74 billion in fiscal 2000 (10/1/99 - 9/30/00).  The United States is
Siemens' largest market, where it employs over 73,000 and recorded sales of
more than $17 billion in fiscal 2000.
    Goodyear's NYSE symbol is GT; Siemens' is SI.  The companies' Web Sites
are http://www.goodyear.com and http://www.siemensvdo.com .

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