Solutia Automotive Supplies PVB for American Luxury Icon Cadillac

Saflex interlayer product will be used in laminated side windows

TROY, Mich., Jan. 6 -- The Cadillac STS, launched earlier this year, and on display at the Los Angeles International Auto Show, will take the brand to the next level of refinement as it competes head-to- head in the global luxury sedan market. Of the host of technological refinements offered on the vehicle, there is one that most buyers won't see -- laminated glass. The STS will offer as standard laminated glass in the side window positions, a first for Cadillac. Solutia Automotive supplies the polyvinyl butyral (PVB) interlayer used in the laminated glass system offered on the STS.

Laminated glass is a glass-PVB-glass sandwich, and provides a variety of benefits that add to a vehicle owner's comfort and security. Cadillac is including laminated side glass, along with an acoustic grade laminated windshield, to reduce noise intrusion into the vehicle cabin. Testing has shown that laminated glass in side windows reduces noise intrusion into a vehicle by up to six decibels, or the difference between driving through a crowded city street during the day and an empty one at night.

As luxury carmakers continue to fine tune products in the face of ever- increasing competition, one of the refinements being made is to the noise, vibration and harshness characteristics of a vehicle. This is critical from a consumer standpoint and was confirmed by J.D. Power and Associates' 2002 Vehicle Acoustic Study, which showed a clear connection between consumer satisfaction with vehicle quietness and satisfaction with the vehicle overall. If automakers can produce a quieter car, that gives them a competitive edge.

In addition to the noise reduction benefits provided by the glass interlayer, several other benefits are inherent to laminated glass:

  - Intrusion resistance -- the tough PVB interlayer increases intrusion
    resistance by about 10 times over tempered glass.
  - Protection of passengers and interior materials from UV ray
    penetration -- tests by the Australian Radiation and Nuclear Safety
    Agency showed a 90 percent reduction in UV ray penetration with
    laminated glass versus 60 percent using ordinary tempered glass.
  - Weight reduction -- Laminated glass weighs 11 percent less than
    comparable tempered glass.

Solutia Inc. (BULLETIN BOARD: SOLUQ-OB) uses world-class skills in applied chemistry to create value-added solutions for customers, whose products improve the lives of consumers every day. Solutia is a world leader in performance films, producing Saflex(R) and Vanceva(TM) brand polyvinyl butyral interlayers for laminated glass in automotive, architectural and residential applications. Solutia is also a leader in process development and scale-up services for pharmaceutical fine chemicals; specialties such as water treatment chemicals, heat transfer fluids and aviation hydraulic fluid and an integrated family of nylon products including high-performance polymers and fibers.

Additional information about Solutia Automotive can be found at http://www.solutiaautomotive.com/