VW CEO Presents Award to Donnelly for Phaeton Mirror

HOLLAND, Mich., June 17 Dr. Bernd Pischetsrieder, chief executive officer of Volkswagen AG, recently presented Donnelly Corporation with an award for the exterior mirror for the Phaeton, Volkswagen's new European luxury automobile. The "Volkswagen Group Award" recognizes Donnelly's innovation, technology, project management, collaboration and quality in developing the mirror, which bundles five advanced technology features into its sleek design.

"The Phaeton exterior mirror has more technology than the center console of conventional automobiles," according to a two-page spread in the Phaeton product brochure. The mirror includes:

Illuminator(TM) lighting, which lights the ground for approaching drivers and passengers at the touch of a key fob Turn signals, which improve safety by alerting other drivers of the intention to turn, even when they cannot see the front or rear of the vehicle Powerfold function, so drivers can fold mirrors in to navigate tight spaces Memory positioning, a convenience that automatically adjusts mirrors for multiple drivers Auto-dimming, a feature which is gaining popularity on exterior mirrors as glare from other vehicles makes driving more difficult; Donnelly supplies its advanced solid-state SPM(TM) electrochromic technology on the VW Phaeton. "The features Donnelly is including in its mirror products greatly enhance safety, comfort and convenience," said Niall Lynam, senior vice president and chief technical officer. "The Volkswagen Phaeton mirror is a prime example of our ability to provide advanced thinking and human touch using technology."

The award was presented to Herwig Polzer, general manager of Donnelly Hohe GmbH, at Volkswagen's "Transparent Factory," where the Phaeton is built in Dresden, Germany. Others participating in the ceremony included F.J. Garcia Sanz, head of purchasing, and Wilfried Bockelmann, head of product development at Volkswagen AG.

More information about Volkswagen's Phaeton and its Transparent Factory is available at http://www.glaesernemanufaktur.de /.