Delphi Wins Volkswagen and Opel Airbag Business

8 September 1999
Delphi Wins Volkswagen and Opel Airbag Business
    TROY, Mich., Sept. 8 -- Delphi Automotive Systems
has been awarded major airbag programs with Volkswagen and Opel, further
establishing the company's presence in the European occupant protection
systems market.
    The contracts, announced today, represent a breakthrough for Delphi in the
region, marking the first time Delphi will design and manufacture high volume,
global airbag programs in Europe, said David Cairoli, director of European
Operations, Delphi Interior Systems.
    "These contracts really allow us to show our strength as a provider of
global occupant protection systems," Cairoli said.  "We've always had broad
engineering capabilities and a wide global reach.  With these contracts,
however, we'll be showing the industry that we can offer European vehicle
manufacturers an intense combination of engineering and manufacturing support
at the local level.  We're really excited about this opportunity."
    Engineering activity for all of these programs will be led by Delphi's
Wuppertal Technical Center in Wuppertal, Germany.
    The Volkswagen contract is for a future global airbag program.  To respect
customer product plans, no details on this exciting program will be publicly
disclosed at this time.
    In the near-term, Delphi will supply driver and passenger airbags for an
Opel program on a global basis.  Delphi also has been contracted to supply
airbags for an additional future global Opel program.
    In addition to engineering and manufacturing capabilities, Delphi's
support for the European customer will offer expanded product technology, made
possible by joint ventures and other partnering agreements.
    Earlier this year, Delphi announced a teaming arrangement with Ashimori
Industry Co. Ltd. of Japan that focuses the two companies on developing new
business opportunities in automotive seat belts.  The agreement combines
Delphi's total system and integration experience with Ashimori's seat belt
expertise to provide complete occupant protection system capabilities for
European customers.
    Delphi Automotive Systems is the leading global supplier of interior
systems and the only major supplier of both interior systems and occupant
protection systems worldwide.
    Delphi Automotive Systems, with headquarters in Troy, Mich., USA, is a
world leader in automotive component and systems technology.  Delphi's three
business sectors -- Dynamics & Propulsion; Safety, Thermal & Electrical
Architecture; and Electronics & Mobile Communications -- provide comprehensive
product solutions to complex customer needs.  Delphi has approximately 201,000
employees and operates 168 wholly owned manufacturing sites, 38 joint
ventures, 51 customer centers and sales offices, and 27 technical centers in
37 countries.  Regional headquarters are located in Paris, Tokyo and
Sao Paulo.  Delphi can be found on the Internet at http://www.delphiauto.com .