Hella Introduces Lighting Innovations at SEMA/AAPEX

Visit Hella at SEMA Booth #22713 and AAPEX Booth #638

LAS VEGAS, Oct. 27 -- Hella Inc., a global automotive lighting technology leader, will introduce an array of new lighting and aftermarket products at the annual SEMA/AAPEX show held Nov. 1-4 at the Las Vegas Convention Center.

In the spotlight is DynaView(R) Evo2, a retrofit lighting system that offers a revolutionary answer to the visual challenges of night driving. DynaView Evo2 represents the latest advance in adaptive cornering-light technology.

In the last few years, even as industry research and development costs have risen and budgets have been flat, Hella has introduced more than 60 new aftermarket vehicle lighting products, matched by nearly 70 new product introductions in vehicle electronics and more than 300 new items in fuel systems. Hella's aftermarket portfolio includes nearly 3,000 lighting products and systems designed to provide unique lighting solutions for racing, off-road, marine and off-highway heavy-duty vehicles.

"This year, we're introducing even more state-of-art lighting technology that our aftermarket customers can truly appreciate, " notes John Remakis, marketing manager for Hella's North American aftermarket operations in Peachtree City, Georgia. "We're continually innovating and expanding our product line, whether it's vehicle lighting, electronics or fuel systems.

"Even as industry cycles shift, our engineering and design teams continually strive to keep Hella ahead of the pack in developing new and innovative lighting products that are right for the times," Remakis says.

Hella's expanding product lineup shown at SEMA/AAPEX this year includes automotive auxiliary lighting, high-performance driving lighting, electronics and work lamps.

Hella's new aftermarket lighting products showcased for 2005-2006 include:

* Versatile DynaView Evo2 lighting system: The next big thing in adaptive forward lighting, or cornering light technology; combines the safety functions of cornering lights and fog lamp in one set of lamps that can be retrofitted to most passenger and recreational vehicles.

* Rallye 4000 Compact Xenon lamps: Feature a rugged design in a compact- sized lamp, ideal for sport-utility and off-road vehicles.

* Hella's Xenon Blue bulbs: High-performance Xenon Blue bulbs produce a brighter, whiter light that is closer in color temperature to actual daylight. This provides increased visibility and less eye fatigue for the driver in all conditions.

* An expanded lineup of electric and electronics product categories includes sensors, actuators, vacuum valves and other engine-management items.

Durable Hella xenon lamps use an impact-proof light arc in place of a sensitive filament, which makes the danger of sudden light failure practically non-existent. Ballast electronics for these Hella products can be mounted at a sheltered spot inside the vehicle away from the lamp, providing even greater reliability.

Hella xenon lamps also consume 25 percent less energy and have a service life five times longer than halogen lamps. That enables Hella to offer a compact, significantly smaller design size in the Oval 100 Xenon Integral, which makes light placement much easier on exposed points or where it replaces an existing halogen work lamp.

As new European vehicles increasingly enter the U.S. market, the need for consistency in high-quality replacement parts also grows.

Hella R&D technology keeps on top of these trends. So Hella has expanded its electrics and electronics products for European vehicles to fill the need for original-equipment-quality products in the American aftermarket. These new products will be highlighted at Hella's AAPEX display.

Hella also will display several electric and electronics product categories, including sensors, actuators, vacuum valves and other engine- management items. This development is ongoing. Wholesale distributors make these parts available to dealers and other installers.

Hella's expanded relay line also includes more than 50 original-equipment quality replacement relays, including heavy-duty and special original equipment parts.

With its North American headquarters for aftermarket sales in suburban Atlanta, Ga., Hella is a leading supplier to the world's automotive, truck, marine, agricultural and construction equipment manufacturers. Lighting, electronics, complete vehicle modules, air-conditioning systems, vehicle- wiring systems and signal processing for the automobile industry, as well as automotive aftermarket components, are the core competence fields of automotive supplier Hella KGaA Hueck & Co.

Sales for the Hella Group are approximately $3.9 billion, placing Hella among Germany's top 100 industrial companies. With its corporate headquarters in Lippstadt, Germany, the company employs nearly 24,000 people at 65 manufacturing facilities, production subsidiaries and joint-venture companies in 18 countries. Over 2,000 engineers and technicians work in research and development. Hella supplies all of the world's leading automobile and systems manufacturers as well as the automotive components aftermarket.

Additional information is available on the Internet at http://www.hella.com/ .