North American Car and Truck of the Year Benefit from 'Valeo Added' Innovations

DETROIT, Jan. 9, 2003 The hundreds of thousands of visitors to the 2003 North American International Auto Show (NAIAS) will undoubtedly be drawn to view the stars of the show -- the BMW Mini Cooper and Volvo XC90, respectively proclaimed 2003 North American Car and Truck of the Year. From behind the wheel of these vehicles, and many others making their debut at the show, visitors will discover an impressive array of "Valeo Added" systems and components from one of the world's largest suppliers of advanced automotive technologies.

"Valeo added reflects our company's strategic objective of achieving technology leadership through high investment in R&D and pursuing our unique technology and marketing strategy -- the Domains approach to market-led innovation. Many of the vehicles being introduced at this year's show demonstrate the latest achievements of our research and development activities and the skill and creativity of our engineers," said Thierry Morin, Chairman of Valeo's Management Board.

"I'm very happy that Valeo innovations such as Ultrasonic Park Assist and Bi-Xenon headlamp systems have contributed indirectly to the success of exciting new vehicles like the 2003 North American Car and Truck of the Year -- the BMW Mini Cooper and the Volvo XC90," said Morin.

2003 North American Car of the Year - BMW Mini Cooper

Features of the BMW Mini Cooper include Ultrasonic Park Assist (UPA) and Front Wiper System from Valeo, systems for which Valeo is the world's number one supplier. UPA provides an acoustic warning to drivers to alert them of obstacles hidden from view, providing increased driver comfort and confidence, while Valeo's high performance wiper systems provide drivers with optimum forward visibility in all driving conditions, as well as improved pedestrian passive safety through patented design features.

Valeo, the world's number one supplier of engine cooling, clutches and clutch facings, also supplies the BMW Mini Cooper with thermal systems, including air-conditioning and engine cooling, as well as the clutch systems with clutch facings.

Other Valeo added systems on the BMW Mini Cooper include the rear Lamps and LED center high-mounted stop lamp (CHMSL), the latter featuring long life and low power consumption, and the lock system, including steering column lock, remote control and electric tailgate latch.

2003 North American Truck of the Year - Volvo XC90

The Volvo XC90 is equipped with Valeo Bi-Xenon Headlamps, which offers 100 percent more light than conventional halogen bulbs of comparable size and significantly increases peripheral and long distance visibility with powerful daylight color light.

Valeo's Xenon headlamp system makes a significant contribution to addressing drivers' concerns for improved night time driving by increasing forward visibility to more than 100 meters, compared to 60 meters for conventional halogen systems. They are also much more driver friendly with their improved illumination, reducing eyestrain and provide a more accurate view of the road and its surroundings.

The Volvo XC90 also features Valeo's UPA and Front Wiper System, as well as side door handles with integrated actuator, steering column lock, condenser, radiator, automatic transmission oil cooler, and charge air cooler.

With a current research budget of six percent of sales, Valeo consistently invests twice as much as the industry average in R&D. The company's Development Efficiency Plan and processes help ensure that results are achieved by optimizing product development in its international network of 53 R&D Centers across Europe, USA and Asia.

The five Valeo Domains -- Seeing & Being Seen, Electrical Energy Management, Thermal Systems, Access & Security, and Driveline Systems -- add value by creating cross-Branch synergies, stimulating creativity and shortening lead times to market.

Valeo is an independent industrial Group fully focused on the design, production and sale of components, integrated systems and modules for cars and trucks. Valeo ranks among the world's top automotive suppliers. The Group has 139 plants, 53 R&D centers, 10 distribution centers and employs nearly 71,000 people in 25 countries worldwide. For more information on the Group and its businesses, please consult our Web site: www.valeo.com .