ZEELAND, Mich., July 20 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Gentex Corporation
(Nasdaq: GNTX), the leading supplier of automatic-dimming rearview mirrors to
the worldwide automotive industry, today announced that the Company's
SmartBeam(R) high-beam headlamp assist technology will be offered starting
this fall on the BMW 5 Series, 6 Series and 7 Series models. This is the
first time any type of high-beam headlamp assist system has ever been offered
by a European automobile manufacturer or in markets outside of North America.
"We are very pleased to be able to launch SmartBeam in markets outside of
North America, with a premier, engineering-driven company like BMW," said
Gentex Executive Vice President Garth Deur. "SmartBeam is a complex product,
but because of the common vehicle electrical systems utilized by BMW, they are
able to introduce SmartBeam concurrently on a number of new vehicle models."
Gentex is best known for its automatic-dimming rearview mirrors, which
automatically darken to reduce glare from the headlamps of vehicles
approaching from the rear. The brighter the glare, the darker the mirrors
become, making nighttime driving safer. Gentex mirrors often come integrated
with additional electronic features, such as SmartBeam. SmartBeam uses a
miniature camera-on-a-chip to maximize forward lighting by automatically
turning on the vehicle's high beams according to surrounding traffic
conditions. If it's dark enough and no other traffic is present, SmartBeam
will automatically turn on your high beams. The system returns the headlamps
to their low-beam intensity when detecting either the headlamps or taillamps
of other vehicles.
SmartBeam, which BMW calls "High-Beam Assist", will be introduced on the
BMW 5, 6 and 7 Series in the fall in Europe and other selected regions, and
will be offered in conjunction with Xenon headlamps.
"High-beams are probably the most underutilized safety feature on vehicles
today," said Deur. "SmartBeam optimizes forward lighting by automating high-
beam usage. It's perhaps the simplest and most cost-effective way to
substantially upgrade vehicle lighting systems."
SmartBeam debuted in the North American market in the 2005 model year.
In April 2005, Gentex won an Automotive News PACE (Premier Automotive
Suppliers' Contribution to Excellence) Award, in recognition of the SmartBeam
invention. The PACE Awards were started 11 years ago to recognize premier
automotive suppliers for their contributions to innovation, technological
advancement and business performance. In addition, SmartBeam was also
recognized as one of Popular Science magazine's "Best of What's New"
Technologies in November 2004.
Founded in 1974, Gentex Corporation (The Nasdaq Stock Market: GNTX) is an
international company that provides high-quality products to the worldwide
automotive industry and North American fire protection market. Based in
Zeeland, Michigan, the Company develops, manufactures and markets interior and
exterior automatic-dimming automotive rearview mirrors that utilize
proprietary electrochromic technology to dim in proportion to the amount of
headlight glare from trailing vehicle headlamps. Many of the mirrors are sold
with advanced electronic features, and approximately 95 percent of the
Company's revenues are derived from the sales of auto-dimming mirrors to
nearly every major automaker in the world.
SOURCE Gentex Corporation
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Related links:
http://www.gentex.com
CONTACT:
FINANCIAL MEDIA AND INVESTOR CONTACT: Connie
Hamblin, +1-616-772-1800, or GENERAL MEDIA CONTACT: Craig
Piersma, +1-616-772-1800, both of Gentex Corporation
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