National Press Release

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