Concept Vehicles to Feature Vanceva(TM) Brand Glass Interlayers

Usage of PVB in show vehicles indicative of growing trend in automotive design and production

TROY, Mich., Jan. 6 -- Solutia Automotive, a leading supplier of polyvinyl butyral (PVB) interlayer products for glass to the automotive industry, announced today that its Vanceva(TM) brand interlayers are present on the Jeep(R) Rescue and the Ford Shelby Cobra concept vehicles, both featured at the Los Angeles Auto Show. Combined with Design Los Angeles, an automobile designers' conference running concurrently with the show's press days, the Los Angeles Auto Show gives valuable insight into design industry trends, including possibilities in laminated glass.

Jeep(R) Rescue

The Jeep(R) Rescue combines Jeep's off-road capabilities with technology specifically designed for search-and-rescue operations. Created to withstand the harshest of environments, this rugged vehicle requires some rugged glass. The glass roof, rear windows and backlite are all made with Vanceva's color interlayer, which protects vehicle occupants and decreases the intrusion of exterior noise for a quieter ride, while enhancing the look of the vehicle and increasing privacy.

The Rescue's inclusion of laminated glass recognizes a growing trend in sport utility vehicles. As automakers strive to create vehicles with the ruggedness, look and capacity of an SUV but with the quietness of a car, designers and engineers are constantly searching for ways to decrease the amount of exterior noise entering vehicles. The Dodge Durango and the Buick Rainier, for example, both use Vanceva laminated glass in their side windows specifically for noise reduction, which could be up to six decibels. In the Rainier, that amount of noise reduction is increased by as much as two decibels with the addition of Vanceva's advanced acoustic interlayer in the windshield.

In addition to the acoustic and theft-deterring benefits of laminated glass, Vanceva's color interlayers provide a multitude of design options. Designers employ tinted glass in the rear three quarters of most sport utility vehicles for the purpose of privacy. With laminated glass, a full palette of colors is available to designers -- not just black and gray. Because the interlayer sits between two pieces of glass, the color will resist fading, and the material won't rip, tear, or otherwise be harmed by the elements. The product is also available in lighter colors that allow for a 70 percent light transmittance rate. By using a light color in the front quarter of the vehicle that complements the rear privacy glass, designers can employ colored glass around the whole vehicle while keeping it compliant with most light transmission laws.

Ford Shelby Cobra

Using a gray Vanceva interlayer in the windshield, the designers of the Ford Shelby Cobra extended the vehicle's silver color scheme throughout the entire vehicle. Like the Jeep(R) Rescue, the Ford Shelby Cobra is an example of how the inclusion of color in glass provides sophistication that an increasing number of designers seek.

The use of color in glass is a design element with tremendous potential not only in concept vehicles, but in production vehicles as well. The designers of the Chrysler PT Cruiser Dream III, for example, took a niche automobile, added distinctive paint and chrome, and finished it off with richly custom-colored glass. Using a special blue interlayer created especially for the Dream III, Vanceva made the limited-edition vehicle the ultimate in individuality offered by an OEM.

Solutia also produces a metallic layer under the Vanceva brand name, as visitors to the 2004 Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) Show experienced in several 2005 Ford Mustangs redesigned by Classic Design Concepts (CDC). Demonstrating the versatility of laminated glass as a design element, metallic and color interlayers used together provide richness, texture and privacy in CDC's "Glassback" glass roof. Solutia matched the color layer specifically to the paint color of the vehicle to continue the flow of the color scheme. In addition to style and the benefits inherent in standard laminated glass, the metallic interlayers provide a reduction in infrared radiation (IR) that keeps the interior of the vehicle cooler.

Other benefits of laminated glass include:

* 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, or the equivalent of a 50 SPF sunblock.

* Weight reduction - Laminated glass weighs 11 percent less than comparable tempered glass.

Solutia (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.

Solutia Automotive manufactures interlayers used in laminated automotive glass, and is not a glass producer itself. Information about Solutia Automotive may be found at http://www.solutiaautomotive.com/ .

Jeep(R) is a registered trademark of DaimlerChrysler.

Vanceva(TM) is a trademark and Saflex(R) is a registered trademark of Solutia Inc.