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Gentex Announces Range Rover Business

1 October 1999

Gentex Announces Range Rover Business

    ZEELAND, Mich., Sept. 30 -- Gentex Corporation
, the Zeeland, Michigan-based manufacturer of automatic-dimming
rearview mirrors and commercial fire protection products, has recently begun
shipping interior and exterior automatic-dimming mirrors for the 2000 Range
Rover.
    Gentex's Night Vision Safety(TM) (NVS(R)) Mirrors are an active,
crash-avoidance safety feature that use a combination of sophisticated sensors
and electronic circuitry to detect glare from trailing vehicles and
automatically darken to eliminate the glare and make nighttime driving safer.
    Gentex is supplying automatic-dimming interior mirrors, as well as flat
and convex automatic-dimming exterior mirrors, for use in all Range Rover
models.  Interior mirrors are shipped directly to Land Rover in Solihull,
U.K., while exterior mirror subassemblies are shipped to Britax Wingard
Limited of the U.K., the Tier 1 supplier that provides completed exterior
mirrors to Land Rover.  Depending on the trim level specified, the vehicle
will come with either an NVS(R) interior mirror, or a complete NVS(R)
three-mirror system.  All Range Rovers exported to the U.S. will contain a
three-mirror system.
    "In many ways, Range Rover has set the standards for safety, performance
and luxury -- both on and off the road," said Gentex Executive Vice President
Ken La Grand.  "It's great to become a part of the vehicle's heritage by
contributing to its safety with automatic-dimming rearview mirrors."
    Gentex Corporation is an international company that
provides high-quality products to the worldwide automotive industry and North
American fire protection market.  The Company develops, manufactures and
markets proprietary electro-optic products, including interior and exterior
electrochromic, automatic-dimming Night Vision Safety(TM) (NVS(R)) automotive
rearview mirrors that dim in proportion to the amount of headlight glare from
trailing vehicle headlamps, and an extensive line of fire protection products
for commercial applications.  Revenues from the sale of automatic-dimming
mirrors represent about 91 percent of total Company revenues.
    Gentex was the first company in the world to successfully develop and
produce a commercial electrochromic mirror for the motor vehicle industry.
The Company is the leading supplier of these mirrors to the worldwide
automotive industry.  Gentex customers include Audi, Bentley, BMW, Daewoo,
DaimlerChrysler, Fiat, Ford, General Motors, Gulf States Toyota, Hyundai,
Infiniti, Kia Motors, Land Rover, Lexus, Nissan, Opel, Porsche, Rolls Royce,
Samsung, Southeast Toyota Distributors and Toyota.
    Founded in 1974, Gentex operates out of three facilities in Zeeland,
Michigan; an automotive sales office in Livonia, Michigan; automotive sales
and engineering subsidiaries in Germany and Japan; and four regional U.S.
sales offices for the Fire Protection Products Group.  The Company is
recognized for its quality products, its application of world class
manufacturing principles, for its commitment to developing and maintaining a
highly skilled workforce, and for encouraging employee ownership of the
Company's stock.