[SUZUKI] SUZUKI SWIFT PEDESTRIAN PROTECTION

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SUZUKI SWIFT PEDESTRIAN PROTECTION

ENERGY ABSORBER FEATURING GE’s XENOY*

RESIN WINS SPE AUTOMATIVE INNOVATION AWARD


GE-Plastics, Automotive has announced that an application featuring its Xenoy* resin – a pedestrian protection energy absorber for the 2005 Suzuki Swift "sub-compact" automobile – has been named the first-ever winner in the Safety System category of the 2005 SPE Automotive Innovation Awards program.

The Suzuki energy absorber is injection molded from GE’s Xenoy resin and meets the phase l criteria suggested by ACEA (The European Automobile Manufacturers Association). GE’s Xenoy resin offered the automaker an ideal balance of stiffness and ductility for this application.

GE announced the development of its new Xenoy resin for pedestrian impact protection applications in April to help automotive manufacturers and tier suppliers in the design of front-end safety systems that help meet emerging global pedestrian protection legislation. In support of these efforts, the company announced in September the installation of a new pedestrian impact test system at its Moka Technology Center in Moka City, Tochigi, Japan to help automotive customers validate new material technologies for front-end safety systems.

*Xenoy is a trademark of General Electric Company.

ENDS

22 November 2005

Media Contact: David Farquhar at Suzuki GB Press Office

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E-mail: pressoffice@suzuki.co.uk

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