1998 Chrysler Town and Country Adds Gentex Driver's-Side Exterior Mirror To its List of Features and Upgrades Interior Mirror
6 October 1997
1998 Chrysler Town and Country Adds Gentex Driver's-Side Exterior Mirror To its List of Features and Upgrades Interior Mirror
ZEELAND, Mich., Oct. 6 -- Gentex Corporation ,
the Zeeland, Michigan-based manufacturer of automatic-dimming mirrors and fire
protection products, today announced that it is shipping driver's side
exterior automatic-dimming mirrors to Chrysler for the 1998 Town and
Country minivans. The Company also is shipping a new, advanced-feature
interior auto-dimming mirror with auto headlamp sensing for those same models.
A base-feature interior auto-dimming mirror (without headlamp sensing) has
been available on this vehicle since the 1995 model year.
Gentex auto-dimming "Night Vision Safety(TM) (NVS(R))" Mirrors
automatically darken precisely to the level required to reduce glare from the
headlamps of vehicles approaching from the rear. The brighter the glare, the
darker the mirrors become. An NVS system, with an interior mirror and a
driver's-side exterior mirror, eliminates about 90 percent of this harmful
glare. The interior NVS Mirror with electronic headlamp sensing is standard
equipment on the 1998 Town and Country LXi, and has all of the proven features
of the NVS Mirror, plus an automatic headlamp/taillamp control sensor that
enables the vehicle's body controller to turn the vehicle's head- and
taillamps "on" and "off" at dusk and dawn. The driver's-side exterior NVS
Mirror is an optional feature.
"It has been exciting working with Chrysler to add the headlamp sensing
feature to the Town and Country for the first time, as well as introducing a
driver's-side exterior NVS Mirror," said Gentex Executive Vice President
Kenneth La Grand. "We expect that these orders will add over $3.5 million in
incremental revenues over a full-year period. Many of our customers are
upgrading from our baseline interior auto-dimming mirrors to advanced-feature
NVS interior mirrors, since these mirrors allow them to add popular features,
like headlamp sensing and control, to their vehicle models at a relatively low
cost compared with purchasing the features from separate component suppliers."
Gentex Corporation is an international company that provides high-quality
products to the worldwide automotive industry and North American fire
protection market. The Company develops, manufactures and markets proprietary
electro-optic products, including interior and exterior electrochromic,
automatic-dimming Night Vision Safety(TM) (NVS(R)) automotive rearview mirrors
that dim in proportion to the amount of headlight glare from trailing vehicle
headlamps, and an extensive line of fire protection products for commercial
applications. The Company's Automotive Products Group is ISO 9001 registered
and is in compliance with QS-9000, quality designations that soon will be
required to supply production or service parts to automakers.
Gentex was the first company in the world to successfully develop and
produce a commercial electrochromic mirror for the motor vehicle industry.
The Company is the leading supplier of these mirrors to the worldwide
automotive industry. Gentex customers include Audi, Bentley, BMW, Chrysler,
Daewoo, Fiat, Ford, General Motors, Gulf States Toyota, Honda, Hyundai,
Infiniti, Kia Motors, Lexus, Mercedes-Benz, Mitsubishi, Nissan, Opel, Porsche,
Rolls Royce and Southeast Toyota Distributors.
Founded in 1974, Gentex operates out of three facilities in Zeeland,
Michigan; an automotive sales and marketing office in Livonia, Michigan; an
automotive sales and engineering subsidiary in Germany; and five regional U.S.
sales offices for the Fire Protection Products Group. The Company is
recognized for its quality products, its application of world class
manufacturing principles and for its commitment to developing and maintaining
a highly skilled workforce.
SOURCE Gentex Corporation