2009 North American Truck of the Year Ford F-150, 2010 Lincoln MKT and Ford Taurus Feature Carlite Engineered Glass and SoundScreen Noise-Reducing Windshield

DETROIT, Jan. 14 /PRNewswire/ — The re-engineered Ford F-150 pickup,
announced January 11 as the winner of the 2009 North American Truck of the
Year award, achieves part of its cabin comfort thanks to a highly engineered
Carlite(R) windshield. The F-150 beat two other finalists, the Dodge Ram and
the Mercedes-Benz ML320 BlueTEC, to take the award.

In other NAIAS Carlite news, the upcoming 2010 Lincoln MKT and redesigned
2010 Ford Taurus will be fitted with Carlite’s noise-reducing SoundScreen(TM)
windshields. The two join a growing stable of 2010 model-year Ford Motor
Company vehicles featuring this advanced glass technology: the Ford Fusion and
Fusion Hybrid, Mercury Milan and Milan Hybrid, and Lincoln MKZ.

“Carlite is proud to be a part of the F-150′s continued success,” said

John Heller, vice president of automotive glass sales for Carlite. “Part of
what makes this vehicle so popular is its ability to keep wind and road noise
from entering the passenger cabin. Carlite’s premium SoundScreen technology
cuts exterior noise even further while offering possible weight savings. We’re
seeing more Ford products equipped with SoundScreen windshields at the
factory.”

SoundScreen glass first appeared on Ford vehicles in 2007 and is now
standard equipment on much of the company’s lineup. The noise-reducing
windshield uses a sheet of specially developed acoustic vinyl sandwiched
between two layers of glass, which reduces noise levels by as much as 6 dB at
certain frequencies and 2 to 3 dB overall. The result is a steady improvement
in customer-reported quality. In fact, wind noise complaints about Ford
products went from second-worst in the industry in 2003 to the best in 2007,
according to RDA Group of Bloomfield Hills, Mich.

Professional test drivers also credit the exceptional quietness of newer
Ford, Lincoln and Mercury products. Popular Mechanics magazine called the
cabin of the 2010 F-150 “luxury-car quiet.” The Detroit Free Press said, “The
F-150′s cab is exceptionally quiet, virtually free of rattle, wind and road
noise.”

In addition to the F-150 Platinum Edition, SoundScreen is available on the
Ford Flex, Focus and Escape, Mercury Mariner and Lincoln MKS. The first Ford
products launched with SoundScreen glass were the Ford Expedition, Lincoln
Navigator and Lincoln MKX.

The Lincoln MKT and redesigned Ford Taurus go on sale in mid 2009.

The North American Car and Truck of the Year awards are designed to
recognize the most outstanding vehicles of the year based on factors that
include innovation, design, safety, handling, driver satisfaction and value
for the dollar.

To be eligible, vehicles must be “all-new” or “substantially changed” from
the previous model. This year the jury considered more than 50 vehicles and
settled on 14 cars and 11 trucks that deserved to be on the ballot. Voters
then selected three finalists in each category, from which the winners were
chosen.

About Carlite

For more than 80 years, Carlite(R) has been recognized as the premium
brand in original equipment and replacement automotive glass. Carlite products
are factory-installed in every new Ford, Lincoln and Mercury product in North
America, and Carlite replacement glass for Ford, Lincoln and Mercury
applications is made to the same exacting specifications as the original
products.

The parent company of Carlite is Zeledyne, whose products include
automotive windshields, tempered body glass and tempered backlites, as well as
Versalux(TM) float glass, which is a premium line of tinted and reflective
coated glass for architectural construction and transportation products.
Headquartered in Allen Park, Mich., with float and fabrication facilities in
Tulsa, Okla., Nashville, Tenn. and Juarez, Mexico, Zeledyne serves automotive
and architectural glass markets worldwide.

SOURCE Carlite