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Daimler-Benz Adds Donnelly Corporation's Auto-Dimming Mirrors to SLK Roadster

6 November 1997

Daimler-Benz Adds Donnelly Corporation's Auto-Dimming Mirrors to SLK Roadster

    NAAS, Ireland, Nov. 6 -- Daimler-Benz has added
even more safety features to the already long list of equipment available on
the SLK Roadster.  The convertible sports car now offers both interior and
exterior electrochromic (EC) mirrors, substantially improving the safety and
convenience of driving at night.
    The complete interior EC mirror and the exterior EC mirror cells are
produced by Donnelly Corporation .  Using Donnelly's patented
GLAREFREE(TM) technology, the mirrors dim automatically to reduce headlight
glare from following vehicles during nighttime driving.  Several studies have
shown that reducing the glare improves driver reaction time and comfort and
reduces driver fatigue.
    From its location in Naas, Ireland, Donnelly will initially produce
approximately 7,000 complete interior EC mirrors and 7,000 exterior aspheric
EC mirror cells each year for the SLK Roadsters.  The company anticipates the
EC volumes to increase rapidly as the program continues.
    The exterior aspheric (also known as multi-radius) mirrors have a
continuously decreasing radius at their outer edge that provides a much wider
angle of rear view than the flat or convex mirrors used in North America.
    The SLK is the second Daimler-Benz vehicle launched in 1997 to include
Donnelly's electrochromic mirrors.  Donnelly also produces electrochromic
mirrors for the ML320 sport utility vehicle, which was launched earlier this
year at the new Daimler-Benz plant in Alabama.
    "With its dazzling design and great performance, the SLK Roadster has
burst onto the world's automotive market," said Dwane Baumgardner, Donnelly
president and chief executive officer.  "And along with other technological
advances, like the brake assist and the BabySmart passenger airbag sensor, our
electrochromic mirrors play a role in making the roadster as safe as it is
exciting."
    Donnelly Corporation is an international automotive supplier dedicated to
serving customers around the globe with high-quality fabricated, molded and
coated glass products.  The company has been based in Holland, Michigan since
1905, and has 5,000 employees in 11 countries worldwide.  Donnelly is
recognized as a leader in the application of participative management, and was
named one of the "Top Ten" in the book, "The 100 Best Companies to Work for in
America."

SOURCE  Donnelly Corporation