Gentex Honored by General Motors as 2004 Supplier of the Year

ZEELAND, Mich., May 4, 2005 -- For the eighth consecutive year and the ninth time overall, Gentex Corporation, the world's leading supplier of automatic-dimming rearview mirrors to the worldwide automotive industry, has been named a General Motors Supplier of the Year. The award was presented to Gentex Chairman and CEO Fred Bauer today during a special employee recognition ceremony at Gentex's Riley Street Manufacturing Facility in Zeeland, Michigan.

Gentex supplies GM with interior and exterior auto-dimming mirrors, which automatically darken to reduce glare from the headlamps of vehicles approaching from the rear. The brighter the glare, the darker the mirrors become, making nighttime driving safer. Many of the mirrors also house additional electronic features, such as compass and temperature displays, microphones, high-beam headlamp control systems, and LED turn signals.

"Our Supplier of the Year winners are the Best of the Best, and Gentex Corporation is part of this elite group based on its outstanding performance in 2004," said Bo Andersson, vice president, GM Global Purchasing and Supply Chain. "Its balanced focus on performance and behavior supports GM's priorities, and makes it a role model for suppliers worldwide."

"We certainly are honored to have been selected for this prestigious award, and value the relationship we have developed with General Motors over the years," said Gentex Executive Vice President Garth Deur. "General Motors is a long-term customer, and has been very aggressive in adopting our auto- dimming mirror and other Gentex technologies."

The GM Supplier of the Year award began as a global program in 1992. Winners are selected by a global team of executives from purchasing, engineering, manufacturing and logistics who base their decisions on supplier performance in quality, service, technology and price. This year, General Motors honored 78 suppliers for their excellence throughout 2004.

Founded in 1974, Gentex Corporation is an international company that provides high-quality products to the worldwide automotive industry and North American fire protection market. Based in Zeeland, Michigan, the Company develops, manufactures and markets interior and exterior automatic-dimming automotive rearview mirrors that utilize proprietary electrochromic technology to dim in proportion to the amount of headlight glare from trailing vehicle headlamps. Many of the mirrors are sold with advanced electronic features, and approximately 96 percent of the Company's revenues are derived from the sales of auto-dimming mirrors to nearly every major automaker in the world.