Hella Earns Two Major International Design Awards

PLYMOUTH, Mich., Jan. 12, 2004 -- Two Hella KG Hueck & Co. lighting products have earned the prestigious iF Design Award 2004 presented by Industrie Forum Design in Hanover, Germany.

Hella earned the honors in iF Design's product category in competition with 1,630 products submitted by 735 companies from 32 countries. Hella's award-winning products were the "Jumbo 320" auxiliary headlamp and a new clear-glass daytime running light.

The iF Design Award program is one of the best known and most significant design competitions in the world. The awards competition has recognized design excellence since 1954. A list of winners is published in the annual three-volume iF Yearbook, the definitive reference work for current trends in international design.

Hella's Jumbo 320 auxiliary headlamp is available in both halogen and xenon versions with an LED position light.

"With this headlamp, Hella is setting new trends in the off-road and commercial vehicle sectors," said Joe Borruso, president of Hella North America. "The Jumbo 320 is extremely robust and offers high performance with innovative clear-glass optics. It can operate in either 12- or 24-volt electrical systems."

Borruso noted that the Jumbo 320 also meets requirements for many just-in- time delivery and commercial-freight businesses, as well as the toughest off- road applications.

Hella's other iF Design award winner -- a clear-glass daytime running light (DRL) -- combines modern lighting technology with high-quality design. It offers both added safety and distinctive styling.

"The clear-glass design of this second-generation DRL is a perfect match for modern vehicle front ends and blends in well with a vehicle's overall design features," Borruso said. "An innovative fastening concept makes it possible to mount the lights on almost any vehicle."

Hella's new DRL features optimum performance in daytime light conditions. The DRLs are switched on automatically with vehicle ignition and deactivated when the engine is switched off or the low beam lights are switched on. This increases safety and comfort. The new clear-glass DRL offers improved recognition compared to vehicles that use a low-beam signal for the DRL function.

Lower energy use for the 16-watt DRL system also offers a slight increase in fuel economy. The measured energy savings are more significant when compared to vehicles using low beams for the DRL.

Lighting, electronics, complete vehicle modules, air conditioning systems, vehicle wiring systems and signal processing for the automobile industry, as well as parts suppliers to the aftermarket, are the core competence fields of automotive supplier Hella KG Hueck & Co. Sales for the Hella Group are approximately $3.8 billion, placing Hella among the top 100 German industrial companies.

With its corporate headquarters in Lippstadt, Germany, the company employs more than 22,800 people at 61 manufacturing facilities, production subsidiaries and joint-venture companies in 18 countries. Over 1,800 engineers and technicians work in research and development. All of the world's leading automobile and systems manufacturers are Hella customers as well as the automotive components aftermarket.

Additional information is available on the Internet at www.hella.com .