VC Visteon Corporation

Visteon Team in Czech Republic Turns Innovation Into a New Front Lighting System; Wins Company's Highest Award DEARBORN, Mich., March 26 /PRNewswire/ -- Visteon knew it had a winning product idea when its Advanced Front Lighting System (AFS) won the 2002 Innovation Award at the prestigious Automechanika show in Frankfurt, Germany. (Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20001201/DEF008LOGO ) But the true measure of automotive innovation is whether or not customers want it. So when a major European auto manufacturer approached Visteon with a development project proposal, the AFS Team at the Autopal Plant in the Czech Republic went to work. The result: The AFS Team delivered a new generation of technologically advanced headlamps, which inturn led to the team being named a winner of Visteon's highest internal honor, the 2003 Leading the Way Summit Award. The AFS Team was one of only six individuals and teams to receive a Summit Award from Visteon, which has 72,000 employees on six continents. Mike Johnston, Visteon president and chief operating officer, said the achievements of the AFS Team and the other Summit Award winners represent the "best of the best" of Visteon's accomplishments in 2003. "This team and all of the Summit Award winners embody the energy, perseverance and ability to execute that will be hallmarks of Visteon's future success," he noted. "The AFS Team's accomplishments reflect clearly and impressively what Visteon does best," said Johnston. "We deliver the innovative technologies that consumers really want." The AFS Team was chosen from among 46 individuals and teams, representing eight countries, who received quarterly awards for outstanding performance in 2003 under the Leading the Way recognition program. Based at the Autopal Plant in the Czech Republic, the members of the AFS Team are Libor Strambersky, Christoph Schmidt, Jan Martoch, Pavel Kudelka, Daniel Kletensky, Jaromir Cacala, Martin Blabla, and Pavel Horak. Visteon's Advanced Front Lighting System incorporates innovative electronic controls to adjust headlight output so that the beam pattern is directed for specific driving conditions, such as speed and vehicle direction. The driver automatically experiences the optimized light distribution according to the individual driving situation, thus enhancing visibility for drivers at night and in inclement weather. What makes AFS such a breakthrough in lighting technology is that it optimizes illumination of the road ahead, and peripherally, according to driving conditions. The systems are completely programmable; AFS automatically adjusts itself according to a host of variables, including vehicle speed, weather conditions, and the smoothness of the vehicle's ride (luxury cars, for example, ride more smoothly than sportier cars, and thus require different kinds of lighting). This technology helps drivers be better drivers by reducing stress and fatigue. There are two types of AFS, known as static bending and dynamic bending. The static bending system incorporates extra lights near the front of the vehicle that illuminate as the driver turns the wheel and heads into a curve. The dynamic bending system involves a swivel low beam unit, in which the projection lamp actually moves in accordance with the driver's steering to provide optimum illumination. The AFS Team worked with PSA to develop a static bending system as well as a combination unit that utilizes both static and dynamic bending. Launched in 2003, the Leading the Way recognition program honors employees who demonstrate exemplary performance, accomplishments or behavior that is significantly above-and-beyond expectations, or results that produce noticeable improvement in areas such as quality, value to the customer, speed and people. The Summit Award is granted annually and is the most prestigious award associated with the Leading the Way program. Visteon Corporation is a leading full-service supplier that delivers consumer-driven technology solutions to automotive manufacturers worldwide and through multiple channels within the global automotive aftermarket. Visteon has approximately 72,000 employees and a global delivery system of more than 200 technical, manufacturing, sales and service facilities located in 25 countries. http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20001201/DEF008LOGO DATASOURCE: Visteon Corporation CONTACT: Media Inquiries: Liane Bilicki of Visteon Corporation, +1-313-755-2916, Web site: http://www.visteon.com/

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