ArvinMeritor's New Suite of Clean Air Solutions Meet Stringent New Emissions Standards

Advanced technologies help fleet operators, OEMs and engine makers face challenges

TROY, Mich., June 11 -- ArvinMeritor, Inc. today introduced a broad portfolio of innovative Clean Air Solutions to help North American fleet operators and original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) face strict new emission standards scheduled to take effect in 2007 and 2010. The global automotive supplier, with more than 90 years of design, manufacturing and integration expertise for light and commercial vehicles, has developed an emissions management product line to meet the needs of its commercial vehicle customers.

"Increasingly stringent emission regulations around the world are a major concern for fleets, operators and the manufacturers from whom they purchase trucks and tractors," said Tom Gosnell, president of ArvinMeritor's Commercial Vehicle Systems business group. "ArvinMeritor is uniquely positioned to provide effective solutions for emissions management. We have made tremendous progress in the last 18 months in applying our experience and expertise in exhaust emission solutions in light vehicles to commercial vehicles.

"This is, without question, the most exciting synergy that has come out of the ArvinMeritor legacy. We're a major player, and these products are highly complementary to our complete drivetrain system, Drivetrain Plus, that we've offered since '92," Gosnell added.

Responding to the need to reduce particulate matter (PM) and oxides of nitrogen (NOx), ArvinMeritor has developed a portfolio of solutions that can be tailored to specific applications of every engine builder and truck OEM. This portfolio includes:

For Particulate Matter

* Thermal Regenerator - Available now for retrofit; 2007 for OEM. Actively regenerates the filter, using diesel fuel as a heat source

* Catalyzed Diesel Particulate Filter - Available in 2007. Meets EPA 2007 PM emissions standards

For NOx

* Selective Catalytic Reduction - Available 2005 in Europe; 2007 in United States. Assists the catalytic reduction of the NOx on an ongoing basis, when liquid urea supplied from a separate tank is metered into the exhaust stream

* NOx Filters enabled through ArvinMeritor's Plasma Fuel Reformer technology - Available in 2010. Hydrogen-rich gas is generated onboard and on demand, using the vehicle's diesel fuel as a source and supplied directly to the NOx trap, as required. The hydrogen-rich gas has proven to be an outstandingly efficient regenerator of the trap.

For Hydrocarbons

* Diesel Oxidation Catalysts - Available now. A catalyst in the exhaust system removes up to 90 percent of hydrocarbon and carbon monoxide emissions.

The company has signed contracts to supply a major North American commercial truck manufacturer with PM diesel exhaust filters to satisfy the 2007 standards, and has signed similar supply contracts with a number of diesel engine manufacturers. In addition, ArvinMeritor was recently awarded supply contracts for the SCR system to IVECO (Turin, Italy) and another major European commercial vehicle manufacturer.

ArvinMeritor has also announced plans with Gillig Corporation, based in Hayward, Calif. and one of North America's largest producers of transit buses, to collaborate on the development and testing of new emission control technologies for the North American transit bus industry. Through the partnership, the two companies will first introduce technologies designed to reduce PM and NOx emissions, which are common pollutants in urban areas. These technologies are ArvinMeritor's Thermal Regenerator, which is ideally suited to solving the filter regeneration issues normally related to duty- cycle of transit buses, and ArvinMeritor's Plasma Fuel Reformer. The Plasma Fuel Reformer produces on-demand hydrogen gas that can be used to reduce NOx to levels compatible with the U.S. 2010 requirements, when applied to 2004 model diesel engines.

"These contracts and developmental programs reflect our customers' confidence in our technology and our abilities to offer emission solutions that meet their needs," Gosnell said. "Our customers depend on us to deliver, and we do."

The Clear Air Solutions products will be supported by the company's strong and highly respected North American Field Organization -- a group of close to 100 sales and service professionals. The organization serves fleets and dealers with specification and product information, as well as provides service troubleshooting diagnostics.

Background

The 2007 and 2010 U.S. regulations for the commercial vehicle industry demand PM and NOx emissions to be reduced by 90 percent to 95 percent from current levels. Similarly stricter European standards will be mandated in 2005 and 2008. It is expected that, to comply, all manufacturers will need to implement a combination of exhaust after-treatment systems with engine design and control changes. ArvinMeritor's core expertise in exhaust systems management revolves around four factors: the control of thermal stresses; the distribution flow of gases through a filter; the control of the acoustic signature unique to each manufacturer; and the development of rugged and long- lasting mounting systems.

ArvinMeritor also is working closely with fleet operators to validate and test real-world applications of its Clean Air Solutions technologies for 2007 applications. For instance, it is equipping five long-haul trucks operated by a major truckload motor carrier with the ArvinMeritor Thermal Regenerator diesel PM filter. Automatically controlled by a "smart" electronically controlled system, the Thermal Regenerator uses diesel fuel as a heat source to actively eliminate PM trapped in the filter.

The motor carrier's test will provide us invaluable information and insight into the performance and operation of the Thermal Regenerator -- early in the process. The test will also provide thorough data on reliability, fuel economy and emissions improvements," said Gosnell. "We are expecting to implement many more fleet tests in the next two years."

ArvinMeritor's Plasma Fuel Reformer is an exclusive, breakthrough technology that has enormous potential in enabling future diesel and gasoline exhaust emission solutions. The Plasma Fuel Reformer uses an electrical current -- more specifically an electrical plasma arc -- to partially combust a mixture of air and hydrocarbon fuel to create a hydrogen-rich gas.

"The Plasma Fuel Reformer has been co-developed with MIT, and ArvinMeritor has exclusivity on its use for licensed applications," Gosnell said. "Our competitive advantage is that we will create hydrogen onboard, on demand. There will be no requirement for hydrogen tanks onboard the vehicle, no storage required and no need for nationwide infrastructure distribution. That hydrogen can be used in many ways to improve exhaust emissions.

"We expect the first applications will be in commercial vehicles, such as the extremely efficient NOx traps we are developing to meet the 2010 U.S. regulations. But we also see this technology migrating to passenger car diesels and, eventually, to gasoline engines."

The development of the Plasma Fuel Reformer technology is supported, in part, by a grant from the State of Indiana 21st Century Research and Technology Fund. (See separate News Release: "Breakthrough ArvinMeritor Technology.")

ArvinMeritor, Inc. is a premier $8-billion global supplier of a broad range of integrated systems, modules and components to the motor vehicle industry. The company serves light vehicle, commercial truck, trailer and specialty original equipment manufacturers and related aftermarkets. Headquartered in Troy, Mich., ArvinMeritor employs approximately 32,000 people at more than 150 manufacturing facilities in 27 countries. ArvinMeritor common stock is traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol ARM. For more information, visit the company's Web site at: http://www.arvinmeritor.com/ .