Silence Is Golden: Solutia Automotive Auto Glass Interlayer Increasingly Being Used to Quiet SUV Interiors

TROY, Mich., Aug. 11, 2003 -- The SUV has become as much a part of the American roadway as any type of vehicle previously produced. As automakers continue refining SUVs, making them more car-like than truck-like, they are turning with increasing frequency to materials that absorb or isolate sound to protect passengers from exterior noise intrusion. According to Solutia Automotive, leading supplier of polyvinyl butyral (PVB), an auto glass interlayer, many U.S. manufacturers are focusing on the use of an interlayer in window glass as an important tool to significantly reduce noise intrusion into SUVs.

Window glass has traditionally been a weak link in automakers' attempts to reduce noise, vibration and harshness in vehicles. Tempered glass is more "transparent" to sound waves in the 2,000 - 4,000 Hz range, which is the range most perceptible by the human ear, allowing wind noise to pass through the glass. The inclusion of a plastic PVB interlayer in side windows significantly reduces this transparency and improves sound quality by blocking wind and road noise by as much as six decibels.

SUV manufacturers are now looking seriously at this method of noise reduction as a tangible benefit for their customers. Three of the first SUVs to offer laminated glass for noise reduction as a standard feature are the Lincoln Navigator and Aviator, and the Buick Rainier, which goes on sale this fall.

As a further enhancement of noise reduction, Buick's Rainier will also offer Solutia's latest innovation in interlayer technology, Vanceva(TM) Quiet, in the windshield as part of its QuietRide(TM) package, which also includes laminated glass in the front side doors. Vanceva(TM) Quiet is a specially formulated, acoustic-grade PVB that provides additional noise reduction. The Rainier is the first North American vehicle to use this technology.

According to Jay Pyper, North American market development director for Solutia Automotive, we will be seeing even greater use of laminated side glass in SUVs specifically for noise abatement.

"No driver wants his vehicle to sound like a truck. Consumers are more discerning when making vehicle choices, and will naturally gravitate to the vehicle they feel gives them the highest quality for their money. There are currently three popular SUVs that use laminated glass, with four more that will be available in the U.S. this year. That's a good barometer as to the importance manufacturers place on interior noise reduction."

Pyper added that the 2002 J.D. Power and Associates Vehicle Acoustic Study supports this, noting a clear connection between consumer satisfaction with quietness and satisfaction with the vehicle overall.

In addition to the noise reduction benefits, there are several other benefits that are inherent to laminated glass:

* Security - laminated glass is up to ten times more intrusion resistant versus tempered glass.

* Solar - laminated glass blocks 95 percent of harmful UV rays.

* Weight reduction - a laminated glass window weighs 11 percent less than a tempered glass window.

Solutia Inc. , an independent, publicly owned enterprise headquartered in St. Louis, Missouri, has a major presence in both national and international markets. Solutia produces Saflex(R) and Vanceva(TM) brand polyvinyl butyral (PVB) interlayers, that are used to manufacture the laminated glass used in automotive, architectural and residential applications throughout the world, and is the sole supplier of PVB for aircraft -- the most demanding application. The company's other businesses include synthetic fibers, resins, aviation hydraulic fluids, high-performance specialty chemicals and other performance products.

Information about Solutia Automotive may be found at www.solutiaautomotive.com .