BEHR AMERICA BUILDS WIND TUNNEL

TROY, MI -- June 4, 2002 -- Behr America Inc. will build a $15-million climactic wind tunnel here to test automotive heating and cooling equipment, the company announced today.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

BEHR AMERICA BUILDS WIND TUNNEL

TROY, MI -- June 4, 2002 -- Behr America Inc. will build a $15-million climactic wind tunnel here to test automotive heating and cooling equipment, the company announced today.

The new wind tunnel will set a benchmark for wind tunnel technology around the world," said Josef Kern, Behrs senior vice president of engineering. The new facility will be capable of testing heating and cooling systems on all classes of vehicles."

The wind tunnel is being built on Behrs 80,000-square-foot North American world headquarters campus in Troy, MI. Located near I-75 and Rochester Road, the facility includes a sophisticated technical center for product research, development and testing.

Wind tunnel construction will be completed by early 2004, according to Kern. The new facility will include a solarium to measure influences of different climate conditions on air conditioning and cooling systems.

Behr America is part of German-based Behr GmbH & Co., Europes leading supplier of automotive climate control and engine cooling systems.

The climactic wind tunnel will be able to test vehicle air conditioning systems and components under all climate conditions. It will enable engineers to optimize control algorithms and achieve optimum performance for all air-conditioning components, Kern noted.

   The wind tunnel will allow us to precisely test and measure the performance of Behr components under all conditions that affect the vehicle," Kern said. Instead of standard road tests, we can have excellent control of factors such as air temperature, humidity, air flow, solar radiation, solar loads and vehicle speeds.

We can drive a vehicle under all climactic conditions, uphill and downhill, and under all weather extremes, from below -22 degrees Fahrenheit
(-30 degrees Centigrade) to above 120 degrees Fahrenheit (50 Centigrade)."

The Troy wind tunnel will be similar to a climactic wind tunnel Behr opened in Stuttgart last year, but has additional capacity to handle testing of all vehicle classes -- cars, light trucks and heavy trucks. Kern noted, It can handle dynamometer testing up to 800 horsepower. It also creates greater wind velocity with speeds up to 125 mph."

Behr America President Hans Lange noted that Behr is making major investments to expand its technical competence and ability to supply its growing North American customer base.

Were making this investment to sustain and develop our business relationships with our North American-based customers," Lange said. Behrs automotive customers include DaimlerChrysler, BMW, Ford and General Motors.

Behr has a 65-year history designing and developing wind tunnels. The companys parent Behr Group introduced a blower tunnel in Germany in 1937 to test the famed Mercedes-Benz Sliver Arrow racecar.

Behr has achieved North American market leadership in heavy-duty trucks and is now expanding into the light vehicle sector as part of its North American development strategy. Earlier this year, Behr America signed an agreement with the Chrysler Group to acquire the Dayton Thermal Products plant in Ohio, now renamed Behr Dayton Thermal Products (BDTP). The acquisition allows Behr to serve an even wider North American customer base, Lange said.

Behr America is an automotive supplier of engine cooling modules and components, Visco fan assemblies and air conditioning systems, with sales of $230 million in the 2001 fiscal year. The company has facilities in Troy and Webberville, Michigan; Charleston, South Carolina; Canton, South Dakota, and Fort Worth, Texas, employing 1,000.

With the acquisition of Dayton Thermal Products, Behr employs about 3,000 in the U.S. with projected sales of about $850 million.

Behr GmbH & Co. is a systems partner for the international automobile industry. Behr Groups 2001 sales totaled $2 billion. Including the Behr Dayton Thermal Products plant, Behr Group globally employs almost 16,000 at 25 production facilities in Europe, North and South America, South Africa and India generating sales in excess of $2.6 billion.

Additional information is available at www.behrgroup.com.

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Company Contact

Indira Sadikovic
Behr America Inc.
Phone: 248.743.3771
E-mail: indira.sadikovic@us.behrgroup.com

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