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Gentex Announces New Rear Camera Display Mirror Program With Nissan

^{Published on 2011-03-30 05:50:58 - Market Wire}
 

ZEELAND, MI--(Marketwire - March 30, 2011) - Gentex Corporation (NASDAQ: [ GNTX ]), the Zeeland, Michigan-based manufacturer of automatic-dimming rearview mirrors and camera-based active-safety systems for the automotive industry, commercial fire protection products and dimmable aircraft windows, has announced that it is shipping auto-dimming rearview mirrors with its Rear Camera Display (RCD) feature for the 2011 X-Trail, Nissan's compact crossover sport utility vehicle.

The X-Trail with the Gentex RCD Mirror is offered as optional or standard equipment on multiple trim levels throughout Europe.

"Nissan has offered the RCD Mirror as an accessory on a number of different vehicles in North America but the X-Trail is the first factory-installed program with the automaker," stated Enoch Jen, Gentex Senior Vice President. "Gentex is excited to work with Nissan on introducing this feature to X-Trail drivers. The RCD Mirrors, with graphic overlay lines indicating the vehicle's distance from an object, help drivers to determine the proximity of obstacles behind them. This feature is becoming more popular in Europe."

The RCD Mirror contains a liquid crystal display (LCD) that works with a video camera mounted at the rear of the vehicle to provide a view directly behind the vehicle while backing up. When the vehicle is shifted into "reverse," a display appears automatically through the auto-dimming mirror's reflective surface. The display disappears when the vehicle is shifted into any other gear, a capability that is made possible utilizing Gentex's "transflective" coating and lighting techniques, which result in a bright, high-resolution color image.

Founded in 1974, Gentex Corporation (NASDAQ: [ GNTX ]) is the leading supplier of automatic-dimming rearview mirrors and camera-based active safety systems to the global automotive industry. The Company also provides commercial smoke alarms and signaling devices to the North American fire protection market, as well as dimmable aircraft windows for the commercial, business and general aviation markets. Based in Zeeland, Michigan, the international Company develops, manufactures and markets interior and exterior automatic-dimming automotive rearview mirrors that utilize proprietary electrochromic technology to dim in proportion to the amount of headlight glare from trailing vehicle headlamps. More than half of the Company's interior mirrors are sold with advanced electronic features, and more than 98 percent of the Company's net sales are derived from the sale of auto-dimming mirrors to nearly every major automaker in the world.