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Automotive Association to Form to Promote Glass Technology Breakthrough

28 September 1999

Automotive Association to Form to Promote Glass Technology Breakthrough

           Enhanced Protective Glass Provides Design Opportunities
                   With Security, Safety, Comfort Benefits

    DETROIT, Sept. 28 -- DuPont Automotive and Solutia Inc. today
announced the formation of the Enhanced Protective Glass Automotive
Association (EPGAA) at SAE's International Body Engineering Conference (IBEC)
at Cobo Hall in Detroit.  The new association will educate the automotive
industry about the benefits of new security and safety glass systems for side
and rear vehicle windows.
    The organization, which will be composed of automotive OEMs and glass
industry suppliers, will work to educate the automotive industry and the
public about Enhanced Protective Glass (EPG), a new class of laminated glass
technologies being developed for side and rear vehicle windows.  EPGAA plans
to announce the association details, introduce initial members and demonstrate
the technology in October.
    Safety and security glass -- Enhanced Protective Glass (EPG) -- consists
of a plastic interlayer or film composite that is factory laminated to heat
strengthened or tempered glass.  Developed specifically for use in the side
and rear windows of automobiles, EPG is similar to the glass currently used in
windshields and provides four key benefits: security, safety, solar
(ultraviolet and infrared) protection, and sound reduction and dampening.
    EPG technologies are currently offered in the U.S. as standard equipment
on the Mercedes Benz S-Class, Audi A8 and as an available option on the Volvo
S80.  In Mexico, EPG is offered on the DaimlerChrysler Cirrus and Stratus.  In
Europe, EPG is also available on the Audi A6 and Peugeot 206 and 607.

    SECURITY
    With a tough plastic interlayer or film composite, Enhanced Protective
Glass provides significant increases in intrusion resistance -- enough to
deter most would-be-thieves.  While the glass will crack after repeated
impacts, the construction provides effective resistance against intruders.
    This is a major development in terms of creating a truly secure vehicle
design.  With EPG, it takes repeated blows to begin to break through the
plastic layer, meaning side and rear windows can now offer an extension of the
protective barrier currently provided by the windshield.
    In the U.S. alone in 1997, 1.3 million cars were stolen at an expense of
$7 billion, and 2.0 million more had contents stolen at an expense of $1.5
billion, according to the FBI.  In the U.K., 423,000 cars were stolen, and 2.5
million thefts of possessions left inside cars, according to the 1996 British
Crime Survey.  Police documentation shows that 50% of all these thefts
involved a thief breaking a side window to gain access to the vehicle.  EPG
can go a long way toward helping reduce these numbers.

    SAFETY
    EPG also helps to reduce the potential that passengers will be ejected
from a vehicle in case of an accident.  Because the glass tends to stay
adhered to the interlayer, even when cracked, the window should stay mainly in
the frame of a properly designed door system.  Building EPG into a vehicle
design extends the safety benefits similar to windshields.

    SOLAR -- ULTRAVIOLET LIGHT
    In addition, Enhanced Protective Glass blocks up to 95 percent of harmful
ultraviolet (UV) light, helping to protect occupants -- as well as interior
materials -- from the damaging effects of UV.  By helping to deter the
degradation of interior materials, including fabrics, leather and plastics,
EPG provides an exciting opportunity for more flexibility in the use of
materials and designs in vehicle interiors.

    SOLAR -- INFRARED LIGHT
    With a complementary treatment to the glass or interlayer, EPG
technologies can also significantly reduce interior heat build-up by rejecting
up to 55 percent of infrared (IR) light.
    According to glass industry testing, EPG with IR-reflective treatment can
initially reduce the temperature in a vehicle sitting out in the sun by up to
40 degrees Fahrenheit or 22 degrees Centigrade.  That can reduce the amount of
energy used by the air conditioner, not to mention reducing the discomfort of
getting into a car with a hot steering wheel or seats.

    SOUND
    Enhanced Protective Glass also provides up to a four-decibel reduction in
wind and road noise, giving drivers and passengers a quieter, more comfortable
ride.  For OEM engineers this can mean greater design flexibility in door
materials.  EPG acts like an acoustic shield, dampening the wind and road
noise.

    ABOUT THE EPGAA
    The Enhanced Protective Glass Automotive Association (EPGAA) will be
composed of OEMs, laminated glass providers and their suppliers to share
information and provide overall education on the development of high-impact
resistant glass for added vehicle security and occupant safety.