Giugiaro Mustang's Glass Roof Looks Cool, Keeps Cool With Saflex(R) Interlayer

Date: 30 November 2006

The Giugiaro Mustang, a concept created by Fabrizio Giugiaro, Italdesign Giugiaro Styling Area Director, debuted at the Los Angeles Auto Show today with a spectacular and unique glass roof system that incorporates the vehicle's front window, panoramic roof and rear window as one solid glass unit.

To achieve this dramatic look, Italdesign Giugiaro approached Saflex, a unit of Solutia Inc. (OTC Bulletin Board: SOLUQ), to develop a special glass roof for the Mustang by Giugiaro.

The Giugiaro concept incorporates a Saflex polyvinyl butyral (PVB) glass interlayer that has solar-absorbing properties. With panoramic glass roofs and, especially for the Mustang by Giugiaro concept, which has a large expanse of glass that extends from the vehicle's hood to the trunk, protection from the sun's damaging rays is important for passengers as well as interior vehicle components. The Saflex interlayer absorbs infrared energy and radiates it back outside the glass. It also provides 50 SPF. Because Saflex is a single interlayer it is well-suited to curved applications as in the Mustang by Giugiaro concept roof application.

"The Mustang is a vehicle of dreams," said Fabrizio Giugiaro, legendary automotive designer and Chairman of Italdesign. "In this concept, I wanted to incorporate dramatic visual effects and I turned to Solutia to provide the material that would make the all-glass roof a sleek and functional element of the vehicle's design."

Saflex, a unit of Solutia Inc., creates PVB interlayers for automotive glazing that offer multiple benefits to automotive designers in terms of design continuity and performance. "Saflex interlayer solutions give designers the tools to incorporate the glass as part of the overall vehicle design. And, the results will take your breath away - just like the Mustang by Giugiaro concept," said Jay Pyper, Director of Market Development for Saflex.