Valeo's New Bending Light System Scoops Innovation Prize At Automechanika 2002

    PARIS--Sept. 18, 2002--Valeo (Paris: FR; OTC: VLEEY), the world leader in automotive lighting technology, today announced that its new Bending Light system has won the second prize of the prestigious Automechanika 2002 Automotive Innovation Awards in the 'Auto parts' category.
    The award conferred on Valeo resulted from the deliberations of an expert jury appointed by Messe Frankfurt, the organizers of Automechanika 2002, who evaluated the Bending Light system against wide-ranging criteria including innovative merit, quality; user benefit handling, convenience and compatibility with the environment. The award, which recognizes the innovation's significance for the international automobile industry, was presented to Valeo's advanced development team at today's opening ceremony of the Automechanika trade fair in Frankfurt, Germany.
    Valeo's Bending Light system is an intelligent headlight system that significantly improves the illumination of road curves and intersections by automatic directional control of the vehicle's headlamp beams that "turns light into road bends" to optimize forward night-time visibility. Bending Light makes a significant contribution to safety, comfort and convenience by reducing driver stress and fatigue often associated with difficult nighttime driving conditions.
    Thierry Morin, Chairman of Valeo's Management Board, said, "I am honored to receive this prestigious award since it is a most welcome, independent, recognition of the creativity and inspiration of our engineering teams, the driving force which enables us to deliver integrated vehicle lighting solutions to meet demanding customer needs."
    "Historically, Valeo has been long associated with bringing to market innovative lighting technology. In fact, an early example of this is the headlamps fitted to the famous Citroen DS saloon car of the 1960s which used a mechanical linkage between steering and headlamps to swivel the beams. Today, 30 years later, Valeo has developed a revolutionary Bending Light system worthy of the 21st century," Morin added.
    Responding to the needs of vehicle users for improved forward vision in all weather conditions, Valeo's Bending Light system is expected to be the first to be launched on a volume production car in Europe when it goes into production later this year.
    The Valeo Bending Light system consists of either a bi-Xenon projector or reflector headlamp motorized to rotate by up to 20 degrees from the normal position or an additional light source (projector or reflector type) or a combination of the two in order to deliver an increased quantity of light into an on-coming road bend. The system will be compatible with forthcoming vehicle lighting regulations such as "Fast Track" and "Rxx", expected in 2003 and 2005 respectively.
    Valeo is exhibiting the bending lights at its stand at Automechanika, Hall 3.0, stand A11.
    Valeo is an independent industrial Group fully focused on the design, production and sale of components, integrated systems and modules for cars and trucks. Valeo ranks among the world's top automotive suppliers. The Group has 142 plants, 53 R&D centers, 10 distribution centers and employs nearly 72,000 people in 24 countries worldwide (end June 2002).
    For more information on the Group and its businesses, consult our website: www.valeo.com