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Aquapel Glass Treatment by PPG Enhances Safety of 2004 Lexus RX330

December 2, 2003
PITTSBURGH--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Dec. 2, 2003--PPG Industries (NYSE:PPG) will provide Aquapel rain-repellant glass treatment as an original-equipment application to improve visibility for the front side windows as part of a safety package on the Lexus RX330 - the manufacturer's first model to be produced in North America.

Automotive manufacturers in Japan regularly include OEM rain-repellant glass treatment on vehicles. Toyota, Lexus' parent company, selected Aquapel glass treatment because PPG is the only company in North America capable of manufacturing and providing a rain-repellant treatment for OEM application, said Mukesh Rustagi, market manager for PPG automotive OEM glass.

Aquapel glass treatment, which has been available since 1997 for aftermarket glass applications, forms a chemical bond with glass that causes water to bead and shed easily. In addition to repelling rain, the treatment also makes it easier to clear ice, snow, dirt and bugs from glass and reduces glare in rainy conditions, especially at night, thereby helping drivers see more clearly and drive safer.

"Aquapel OEM treatment was approved only after extensive testing that verified it would perform up to Toyota's high standards for the Lexus brand," Rustagi said.

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.

PPG Industries, Inc.Jeff Worden, 412-434-3046www.ppg.com

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