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Textron Automotive Honored With 1998 GM Supplier of the Year Award

25 March 1999

Textron Automotive Company Honored With 1998 GM Supplier of the Year Award 'Best of the Best' Among 30,000 Automotive Suppliers Worldwide

    TROY, Mich., March 24 -- Textron Automotive Company (TAC)  --
Trim Division has been chosen as the General Motors Supplier of the Year for
instrument panels for 1998.  Aside from Delphi Automotive Systems, TAC-Trim is
the largest independent supplier of instrument panels to General Motors
Corporation North America including such vehicle lines as the Pontiac Grand
Am, Montana, Sunfire; Chevrolet Corvette, Monte Carlo, Impala, Venture;
Cadillac Eldorado, Seville, Deville; and Oldsmobile Intrigue, Silhouette.
The 184 companies receiving the 1998 award were selected by GM officials from
an automotive supplier pool of more than 30,000 companies worldwide.  The 1998
award winners represent 29 countries.  Suppliers recognized for this
outstanding achievement were evaluated based on their performance in the areas
of quality, service, technology and price during the 1998 calendar year.
"We are honored to be in this elite group of automotive suppliers exemplifying
top performance," said John A. Janitz, President, COO and Director of Textron
Inc.  "This eminent award is a reaffirmation of our continuous stride to
exceed customer expectations and reinforce the Company's global
competitiveness as a true supplier of choice."
    "Winning this reinforces and rewards Textron Automotive Trim's strong
dedication towards exceeding customer performance standards, " said Sam
Licavoli, President, Textron Automotive Trim.  "All the employees are
responsible for our success and attaining this remarkable achievement within
this highly competitive automotive industry."
    The GM Supplier of the Year awards are a long-standing tradition at GM.
Established over twenty years ago in Germany, they were expanded to all of
Europe in 1989 and became an international award in 1992.
    With $2.4 billion in annual revenues and manufacturing locations in
thirteen countries, Textron Automotive Company Inc. is a leading, global
supplier of instrument panels, cockpit modules, exterior and interior trim,
plastic fuel tank systems and automotive systems and components.
Textron Inc. is a $10 billion, global, multi-industry company with
market-leading operations in Aircraft, Automotive, Industrial, and Finance.