Now You See Them, Now You Don't: Chrysler Group Transcends Minivan Competition With Disappearing Seats From Intier Automotive

NEWMARKET, Ontario, Feb. 4, 2004 -- In the ongoing battle for minivan supremacy, segment originator Chrysler Group recently surpassed the competition with a new feature: 2005 Chrysler and Dodge minivans offer innovative Stow 'n Go seats, a minivan-first developed by Intier Automotive Inc. in conjunction with DaimlerChrysler whereby the second- and third-row seats fold completely into the floor and disappear with a virtually effortless one-hand operation.

Intier won the contract for its innovative seating solution following a design competition amongst major Tier I suppliers. The full interior supplier described it as their most challenging seat program to date, moving from award of business to production in just 15 months. To fully understand the consumer market, Intier initiated, designed and conducted minivan-specific consumer research to identify and meet market expectations, and also benchmarked more than 40 competitive vehicles on three continents to ensure uniqueness and leading-edge technologies.

"We relish a good engineering challenge," said John Oilar, Intier Automotive chief engineer on the program. "Beginning with the design competition and carrying through to the development and engineering of the system, we kept challenging ourselves to raise the bar a few notches higher and provide Chrysler Group with a seating system that we know consumers will love."

For the first time ever, the second row seats fold flat and disappear into a well to achieve a flat load floor. The engineering feat is made possible largely due to the innovative mechanisms used to stow the seats into the floor. The second-row translating mechanism allows the seat to move inboard while at the same time collapsing for storage in one motion.

While establishing this benchmark in fold-flat technology, the comfort of the second row was maintained using translating armrests and super high- density foam. The armrests pivot inward for storage and outward when the seats are upright, and the super high-density foam achieves a minimal stack height and allows for thinner, lighter cushions without sacrificing comfort.

In the third row, a 60/40 split bench seat pivots and folds into a storage well via one-hand stowing operation that requires no efforts greater than 20 pounds, thereby meeting the "5th percentile female" guideline for easy stowing and unstowing of the seats. Each section can be actuated individually to provide maximum versatility for various cargo/passenger arrangements. In total, the complete seating system offers up to 256 different seating configurations.

The complete seat system is manufactured at Integram Windsor Seating, an Intier facility located in Tecumseh, Ontario. Production began in January 2004 with vehicles arriving at dealerships in March 2004.

Intier Automotive is an innovative leader in the development and manufacture of vehicle interior and closure components and systems for the global automotive industry. The Company's capabilities are among the most diversified in the industry, ranging from the understanding of end consumers' needs and wants, through market and consumer research, concept development, design and engineering, testing and validation and finally the manufacture of interior and closure systems. Intier is also a leader in vehicle interior integration and program management. Product expertise includes cockpit modules, modular doors and panels, complete seat systems, and closure systems, including liftgates and electro-mechanical systems. Intier has approximately 23,800 employees at 68 manufacturing facilities, 17 product development, engineering and testing centers and 13 sales offices throughout North America, Europe, Brazil and Asia Pacific.