Vauxhall introduces Gentex SmartBeam High-Beam Assist

Gentex Corporation, the leading supplier of automatic-dimming rearview mirrors to the worldwide automotive industry, has announced that it is supplying auto-dimming mirrors with its proprietary SmartBeam feature for the 2009 Opel/Vauxhall Insignia.

The 2009 Opel/Vauxhall Insignia was introduced at the British Motor Show in late July 2008 and will be available throughout Europe as of the end of this year.

The European model will offer Gentex's SmartBeam High-Beam Headlamp Assist technology in combination with Opel/Vauxhall's Advanced Forward Lighting (AFL), Bi-xenon headlamp system. SmartBeam uses a Gentex-manufactured custom, miniature, camera-on-a-chip combined with algorithmic decision making to automatically turn a vehicle's high-beams on and off according to surrounding traffic conditions. The system is designed to optimise a vehicle's forward lighting and to eliminate the repetitive and sometimes burdensome task of turning the high beams on and off. An optional base interior auto-dimming mirror will also be available.

"Opel/Vauxhall joins the growing number of automotive manufacturers who have recognised the value of our SmartBeam technology," said Enoch Jen, Gentex senior vice president. "Opel/Vauxhall and its parent company, GM Europe, have spent years designing the Insignia to promote enhanced driver comfort and convenience. The addition of SmartBeam to the vehicle complements the goals of the Insignia design team."

Gentex has been shipping its SmartBeam feature to various automakers since 2004, and hundreds of thousands of these imager systems are in operation on vehicles throughout Europe and North America. In calendar year 2008, the company currently estimates that it will ship 350,000 to 400,000 SmartBeam units to its automotive customers, making Gentex the leading provider of automotive-grade camera-based active safety systems.

Founded in 1974, Gentex Corporation (NASDAQ: GNTX) is an international company that provides high-quality products to the worldwide automotive industry and North American fire protection market. Based in Zeeland, Michigan, the company develops, manufactures and markets interior and exterior automatic-dimming automotive rearview mirrors that utilise proprietary electrochromic technology to dim in proportion to the amount of headlight glare from trailing vehicle headlamps. Many of the mirrors are sold with advanced electronic features, and more than 96 per cent of the company's revenues are derived from the sale of auto-dimming mirrors to nearly every major automaker in the world.