Federal-Mogul Corporation’s QuietShield(R) (GRN) Debuts on 2010 Buick LaCrosse at North American International Auto Show

SOUTHFIELD, Mich., Jan. 10 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ — Federal-Mogul Corporation (Nasdaq: FDML) has developed an innovative, environmentally-friendly product that helps General Motors eliminate noise in a vehicle’s cabin using recycled waste packaging and other by-products normally discarded at a vehicle manufacturing plant. QuietShield(R) GRN’s (Green Non-woven) first application will be in the 2010 Buick LaCrosse luxury sedan, to be introduced at the North American International Auto Show on January 11. Cardboard packaging used by manufacturers, in this case from General Motors’ Marion Metal Stamping plant in Marion, Indiana, is recycled into QuietShield GRN and is used as eco-friendly acoustical padding in the LaCrosse’s headliner to reduce noise in the passenger compartment. Importantly, QuietShield represents a lower cost solution to provide acoustical padding versus traditional products, in addition to reducing landfill utilization and waste disposal costs.

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Automotive manufacturing plants today receive numerous parts for delivery to the assembly line in cardboard containers and other packaging. Some of these containers are made of recyclable materials, others are not. In both cases, when empty, the automaker pays to transport cardboard packaging and other refuse to a recycling center or landfill. Federal-Mogul’s QuietShield(R) GRN — an eco-friendly acoustical padding that is manufactured from by-product materials — offers customers a new solution to these problems. The contents include domestic cardboard, carpet fibers, recycled yarns and fabrics, plus certain Asian cardboards, not previously thought to be recyclable due to short fiber length construction. The recyclable by-products collected at the manufacturing plant are shredded, combined with other recycled materials, formed into a web and bonded in a unique manufacturing process by Federal-Mogul. The manufacturing process was developed by Federal-Mogul’s engineering experts, drawing on their expertise in the development and manufacture of high performance textile-based protection products. The padding can be used by automotive manufacturers and other industries to fabricate linings and sound deadening padding in headrests, headliners, door and kick panels, and trunk liners to abate noise entering the occupant compartment of the vehicle. QuietShield GRN can also be used in other habitat or industrial environments where noise isolation is required.

“Producing QuietShield from materials that would otherwise be discarded is not only cost effective but truly earth friendly, enabling our customers and all of us to progress in our efforts to be environmentally responsible,” said Rene Dalleur, senior vice president, Vehicle Safety and Protection, Federal-Mogul. “We expect QuietShield, and innovative products like this, to have a larger presence on vehicles and many other applications in the future.”

QuietShield(R) GRN is another solution provided by Federal-Mogul’s Systems Protection group, maker of Bentley-Harris(R) brand protection products and the world’s foremost supplier of protective solutions for passenger and commercial vehicles. These solutions provide protection against abrasion and mechanical damage, noise, vibration and thermal conditions, as well as reduce emissions, for example by insulating exhaust pipes to improve diesel particulate filter performance.

Manufacturing automobile, commercial vehicle or industrial products from materials that reduce environmental impact is not a new concept for Federal-Mogul. The company is today the world’s leader in the design, development and production of a number of environmentally friendly products for these markets.

About Federal-Mogul

Federal-Mogul Corporation is a leading global supplier of powertrain and safety technologies, serving the world’s foremost original equipment manufacturers of automotive, light commercial, heavy-duty, agricultural, marine, rail, off-road and industrial vehicles, as well as the worldwide aftermarket. The company’s leading technology and innovation, lean manufacturing expertise, as well as marketing and distribution deliver world-class products, brands and services with quality excellence at a competitive cost. Federal-Mogul is focused on its global profitable growth strategy, creating value and satisfaction for its customers, shareholders and employees. Federal-Mogul was founded in Detroit in 1899. The company is headquartered in Southfield, Michigan, and employs nearly 45,000 people in 35 countries.

Note to Photo Editor:

See graphic of Federal-Mogul’s QuietShield GRN lifecycle process

    CONTACT:   Paula Silver - 248-354-4530
               Jennifer Rass - 248-354-7502

Toyota Eco-Friendly Dealerships Taking Leadership Role in Environmental Construction

TORRANCE, Calif., Jan. 10 /PRNewswire/ — Auto dealerships now are playing a leading role in the development of buildings and facilities meeting the highest environmental construction standards.

Three Toyota dealerships have become the first in the country to receive certification from the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) through its Leadership in Energy and Environment Design (LEED) program. Three other Toyota dealerships are in the review process to receive LEED certification and multiple dealerships in the planning process could be certified in 2009.

“Dealers recognize the advantages and opportunities of building green,” says Dennis Thornhill, corporate manager, retail market development at Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A., Inc. “Research shows that consumers are becoming increasingly aware of businesses in their community that are taking a leadership role in addressing environmental issues. It makes good business sense to dealers who will re-coup their investment through energy savings, while decreasing their environmental impact.”

Pat Lobb Toyota (McKinney, Texas), was the first auto dealership in the country to be recognized by the USGBC with Silver LEED certification. Toyota of Rockwall (Texas) and Mark Miller Toyota (Salt Lake City, Utah), which both received Gold certification, followed in 2008. In addition, Caldwell Toyota in Conway, Ark., Kendall Toyota in Eugene, Ore., and Jerry Durant Toyota in Granbury, Texas, have completed dealership construction and are undergoing the LEED certification process.

The USGBC is a non-profit organization committed to expanding sustainable building practices. It provides various levels of LEED certification based on evaluations in such areas as sustainable site development, water savings, energy efficiency, materials selection and indoor environmental quality. The USGBC reports that 48 percent of the nation’s energy is used by buildings, including 70 percent of the nation’s electric use.

To achieve Gold certification status, Toyota of Rockwall made extensive use of recycled and energy-saving materials. For instance, four water cisterns capable of holding 63,500 gallons of rainwater and air conditioning condensation are used for landscape irrigation. The landscape itself consists of native plants, trees and grasses that are drought and disease-resistant. The roof is made of materials that reflect 90 percent of the sun’s heat energy.

“Once we decided to do a green dealership, we decided to stretch the envelope and go for the Gold,” said Steve Jackson, owner of Toyota of Rockwall. “We hope to play a leadership role in building environmental awareness in the community and to be a place where students come to learn about the environment.”

All certified Toyota dealerships were built as part of the company’s Eco-Image USA II initiative that also puts an emphasis on the environment. Under the program, panels used on the building’s exterior are made up of 90 percent recycled aluminum. The distinctive portal entryway uses non-lead glass and shades the showroom from direct sunlight. LED lighting is used rather than incandescent and fluorescent lights to further reduce energy use. Toyota also is assisting dealers with cutting edge green options, including different power sources such as solar, wind and geothermal.

Public Web site: http://www.toyota.com

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Toyota Maintains Pace, Broadens Scope of Advanced Environmental Technologies

EV Concept Confirms Battery-Electric Vehicle in 2012; First of 150 Plug-ins Arrive Late ‘09 to Lease-Fleet Customers; As Many As 10 New Gas-Electric Hybrids by early 2010s

DETROIT, Jan. 10 /PRNewswire/ — Toyota Motor Sales (TMS), U.S.A., Inc. today announced that it will display the Toyota FT-EV concept on opening Media Day at the North American International Auto Show (NAIAS), confirming its plan to launch an urban commuter battery-electric vehicle (BEV) by 2012. This announcement, coupled with its compressed natural gas powered Camry Hybrid concept display at the 2008 Los Angeles Auto Show, signal Toyota’s intention to broaden the scope of its advanced alternative-fuel vehicle development.

“Now, more than ever, while we are so focused on the pressing issues of the moment, we cannot lose sight of our future,” said Irv Miller, TMS Group Vice President, Environmental and Public Affairs. “Nowhere is this more important than with our industry’s duty and commitment to provide true sustainable mobility with vehicles that significantly reduce fuel consumption, our carbon footprint and overall greenhouse gases.”

The FT-EV concept shares its platform with the revolutionary-new iQ urban commuter vehicle. Already a huge hit in Japan, the iQ is lightweight and seats four passengers in comfort and security, while delivering exceptional mileage, sporty performance, unique refinements and a fun, youthful image.

Toyota’s FT-EV concept imagines an urban dweller, driving up to 50 miles between home, work and other forms of public transportation, such as high-speed rail. Although, for now, the FT-EV remains a pure concept, it represents a natural pairing of product strategies.

“Last summer’s four-dollar-a-gallon gasoline was no anomaly. It was a brief glimpse of our future,” said Miller. “We must address the inevitability of peak oil by developing vehicles powered by alternatives to liquid-oil fuel, as well as new concepts, like the iQ, that are lighter in weight and smaller in size. This kind of vehicle, electrified or not, is where our industry must focus its creativity.”

Although BEVs and new smaller vehicles like the iQ will be a key component of Toyota’s sustainable mobility strategy, the conventional gas-electric hybrid, like the all new third-generation Prius, is considered Toyota’s long-term core powertrain technology.

Last year, Toyota announced that it planned to sell one million gas-electric hybrids per year sometime during the early 2010s. To accomplish this, Toyota will launch as many as 10 new hybrid models by the early 2010s, in various global markets. The new third-generation Toyota Prius and all new Lexus HS250h, both debuting in Detroit, are the first two examples of that effort.

Also, last year, Toyota announced that it would roll-out a large number of plug-in hybrid vehicles (PHVs) to global lease-fleet customers in 2010. That schedule has been moved up.

Beginning in late 2009, Toyota will start global delivery of 500 Prius PHVs powered by lithium-ion batteries. Of these initial vehicles, 150 will be placed with U.S. lease-fleet customers.

The first-generation lithium-ion batteries powering these PHVs will be built on an assembly line at Toyota’s PEVE (Panasonic EV Energy Company, LTD) battery plant, a joint-venture production facility in which Toyota owns 60 percent equity. During its development, the new Prius was designed and engineered to package either the lithium-ion battery pack with plug-in capability, or the nickel-metal hydride battery for the conventional gas-electric system.

The 500 PHVs arriving globally in late 2009 will be used for market and engineering analysis. Lease-fleet customers will monitor the performance and durability of the first-generation lithium-ion battery, while offering real world feedback on how future customers might respond to the plug-in process.

“Future customers will have high expectations for these emerging technologies. This Prius PHV fleet program is a key first step in confirming how and when we might bring large numbers of plug-in hybrids to global markets,” said Miller.

“Our business is no longer about simply building and selling cars and trucks. It is about finding solutions to mobility challenges today and being prepared for more daunting challenges in our very near future.”

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Public Web site: http://www.toyota.com