Hella North America Wins International Business Award

PLYMOUTH, Mich., May 30, 2006 -- Hella North America has received the German American Chamber of Commerce of the Midwest's (GACCoM) 2006 Merlin Excellence-in-Business Award.

Hella Controller and Treasurer Elaine Wylie and Corporate Counsel John Bulger accepted the award for the company during recent ceremonies at Chicago's Hilton Hotel.

The Merlin Award is named after Peter H. Merlin, one of GACCoM's founders, and honors companies for outstanding achievements in German-American business.

Founded in 1899 in Lippstadt, Germany, Hella is an international company with North American headquarters in Plymouth, Mich., and manufacturing operations in Flora, Ill. and York, S.C. Hella combines its vehicle lighting and electronics expertise to develop leading-edge driver safety, comfort and convenience technologies.

"We are a more than 100-year-old company, but we are continually developing new, innovative technologies for our automotive customers," Wylie said. "The Merlin Award not only recognizes our technological leadership, but it also acknowledges our exemplary international business and management practices."

Although Hella's global reputation for excellence was built on its automotive lighting expertise with sophisticated systems such as adaptive front lighting, the company has achieved leadership status in electronics as well.

Hella innovation is now well-known for safety-related driver-assistance systems such as adaptive cruise-control, side-object detection and lane- departure warning. The company also is a leading manufacturer of body- electronics products, sensors, actuators and relays.

Other 2006 Merlin Award winners included Durr Systems Inc., Robert Bosch Corporation and Sonderhoff USA Corporation. More information about the Chicago-based GACCoM is available on the Internet at http://www.gaccom.org/ .

Hella, a global supplier, develops and manufactures components and systems for lighting and electronics for the automotive industry. In addition, joint venture companies produce complete vehicle modules, air-conditioning systems and vehicle-electric systems. Hella is one of the world's largest companies selling automotive parts and accessories, with its own sales companies and partners in more than 100 countries. Annual consolidated sales for the Hella Group total $3.8 billion.

Hella is one of the 100 largest industrial companies in Germany. A total of 24,000 people are employed in 65 production facilities, production subsidiaries and joint venture companies. More than 2,900 Hella engineers and technicians work in research and development across the Group. Customers include all leading automakers and system manufacturers, as well as the automotive aftermarket.

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