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Meritor Enters Full-Faced and Cladded Wheel Market

26 February 1998

Meritor Enters Full-Faced and Cladded Wheel Market

              Stylish Cladded Wheels Offer Low-Cost Alternative
                        and Industry Quality Benchmark

    DETROIT, Feb. 26 -- Meritor Automotive, Inc.
introduced its cladded wheel technology at the 1998 SAE International Congress
and Exposition in Detroit today.  Cladded wheels (as opposed to chrome-plated)
achieve a highly-finished appearance and can benefit automotive OEMs by
providing cost savings and greater styling flexibility than traditional steel
wheels.
    The cladded wheels are being displayed at the Meritor exhibit (#2113).
Meritor also announced that when it begins production of integrated (full-face
type) wheels next year, it expects to significantly raise the bar on quality
for the wheel industry.
    Meritor's venture into the full-face type cladded wheel markets will
begin in mid-1999 when production will take place on wheel applications for
the model year 2000 full-size Dodge Ram van.  The program marks the first time
Chrysler will use such wheels for any vehicle application.
    According to Frank Pierce, sales manager of Meritor's Wheels division,
the program also positions the company as one of the few Tier 1 suppliers in
the industry able to deliver wheels that are full-faced, cladded or both.
    "Our goal has always been to expand our product line with the same
quality focus that has been our catalyst for success," Pierce explained.
"That, combined with the new design alternatives for integrated and cladded
wheels, enables us to provide OEMs with cost-effective, world-class products
that can meet the industry's ever-growing styling needs."

    Integrated Wheels Deliver Quality and Style Improvements
    Pierce said Meritor will use a proprietary process to produce integrated
(full-face type) wheels with uniformity levels more than thirty percent above
those available today.  The term "integrated" refers to the unique method of
joining the rim and disc together, resulting in a full-faced look.
    Full-face type wheels are popular with vehicle stylists -- especially
light truck designers - because they appear bigger on the vehicle and provide
a larger styling surface area compared to traditional drop-center wheels.
    "We will be using a manufacturing process that ensures the wheel's center
disc and rim are consistently attached within tolerance," Pierce said.  "As a
result, we expect to become the industry's quality benchmark in the production
of full-face type wheels."
    During the wheel cladding process, a molded or stamped applique is
permanently affixed to a wheel's exterior face, and in turn, achieves a
highly-styled appearance.
    Meritor Automotive, with 1997 sales of approximately $3.3 billion, is a
world leading supplier of a broad range of components and systems for
commercial, specialty and light vehicles.  Meritor consists of two global
businesses:  Heavy Vehicle Systems, a leading supplier of drivetrain systems
and components for medium-and heavy-duty trucks, trailers and off-highway
equipment and specialty vehicles including military, bus and coach, and fire
and rescue; and Light Vehicle Systems, a major supplier of roof, door, access
control and seat adjusting systems, electric motors and electronic controls,
suspension systems and wheels for passenger cars, light trucks and sport
utility vehicles.

SOURCE  Meritor Automotive, Inc.