2004 Dodge Durango Features Safe and Sound Automotive Glass by PPG

"PPG is the leading automotive glass manufacturer with the technology to produce laminated sidelights that meet industry optical requirements," said Paul Eichenberg, North American marketing manager, PPG automotive OEM glass. He added that laminated glass reduces cabin noise by up to 6 decibels and provides about 20 times the smash resistance of single-ply tempered glass.

Automotive manufacturers such as the Chrysler Group are spending more per vehicle for windows made of Safe and Sound glass because research shows consumers want the acoustic and security features of laminated glass. According to J.D. Power and Associates, laminated side glass and solar performance glass tied in a recent study as the most desirable automotive technologies behind run-flat tires, with nearly seven of every eight consumers surveyed saying they would pay as much as $350 extra for optional laminated sidelights. The capabilities of laminated glass windows consumers responded to most positively, in this study and others, were preventing road and wind noise from reaching the cabin as well as significantly increasing resistance to smash-and-grab break-ins and shattering over single-ply tempered glass windows.

According to the J.D. Power and Associates 2002 Vehicle Acoustic Study, the quietness of a vehicle's interior relates directly to a buyer's perception of vehicle quality. A quieter interior is becoming more important to consumers as voice-activated devices such as hands-free mobile phones become more prevalent.

"Dodge saw the market advantage of offering this very desirable feature as standard in the Durango," Eichenberg said. "We are very pleased that they chose PPG's product."

Pittsburgh-based PPG is the largest manufacturer of automotive glass for original-equipment and replacement applications in North America and the leading maker of transportation coatings worldwide. Additionally, PPG Industries is a global supplier of flat glass; architectural, packaging and industrial coatings; fiber glass; and commodity and specialty chemicals, with 113 manufacturing facilities and equity affiliates in 23 countries. Sales were US$8.1 billion in 2002.