Ford GT First Production Vehicle to Use Lightweight Corning® Gorilla® Glass for Windshield

Ford GT First Production Vehicle to Use Lightweight Corning® Gorilla® Glass for Windshield

Ford GT Vehicle to Use Corning® Gorilla® Glass

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Ford GT First Production Vehicle to Use Lightweight Corning® Gorilla® Glass for Windshield
Ford GT First Production Vehicle to Use Lightweight Corning® Gorilla® Glass for Windshield
CORNING, N.Y. | Corning Incorporated | 15. Dezember 2015

Corning Incorporated (NYSE: GLW) today announced that the Ford GT supercar is the first production vehicle to use Corning® Gorilla® Glass for Automotive in a windshield. Ford is also using the lightweight, tough and optically advantaged glass for two other applications within the car, saving more than 12 pounds of vehicle weight.

The innovative Ford GT windshield — a collaborative effort between Ford and Corning — comprises three layers: Gorilla Glass for Automotive as the inner layer, a plastic adhesive interlayer, and annealed soda lime glass as the outside layer.

Pound for pound, Gorilla Glass for Automotive can achieve more than five times the strength of standard window glass. This strength helps protect the windshield and make it thinner and lighter, while also providing outstanding optical advantages.

Weight reduction is a key means for automakers to meet increasingly stringent fuel economy and carbon dioxide emissions regulations. Lightweight windows can also improve handling and driving performance by lowering the car’s center of gravity. Unlike conventional float glass, Gorilla Glass for Automotive has no optical draw lines, making it ideal for steep windshield applications like the GT. Ford is also using Gorilla Glass for the rear window and as an acoustic separation wall in the bulkhead.

“We believe lightweight, tough, optically advantaged Gorilla Glass for Automotive is a game-changer for the industry, and we’re thrilled to work with Ford to bring it to market,” said Wendell P. Weeks, chairman and chief executive officer of Corning Incorporated. “This collaboration demonstrates what Corning does best ­­­— applying our expertise in glass and materials science to help industry leaders solve tough challenges, unleash new capabilities, and enhance experiences for customers.”

"Gorilla Glass hybrid is a great example of how Ford works with suppliers to innovate in every area of our business," said Hau Thai-Tang, group vice president, Global Purchasing, Ford Motor Company. "The Ford GT will set new standards for innovation through performance and light-weighting, and we're excited about exploring other applications for this great new technology."

Ford and Corning have worked together for more than four decades on emissions control technologies. Now, both companies are building on that long collaboration to innovate with Gorilla Glass for Automotive. In 2014, Corning worked with Ford to include Corning® Gorilla® Glass for Automotive on the windshield and side windows of the Fusion MMLV (Multi-Material Lightweight Vehicle) concept car. Gorilla Glass reduced glazing weight on the MMLV by more than 30 percent.

Corning is leveraging its capabilities in glass, optical physics, existing fusion manufacturing assets, and automotive industry experience to extend Corning® Gorilla® Glass into the automotive glass market.

Corning introduced Gorilla Glass into the consumer technology market in 2007 as a thin, damage-resistant cover material for smartphones and tablets. Today, Gorilla Glass is featured on 4.5 billion mobile devices and 40 major brands worldwide. Since the product’s introduction, Corning has continued to significantly improve Gorilla Glass for use in consumer electronics and other applications, such as automobiles, interior architecture, trains, and planes.

Forward-Looking and Cautionary Statements
This press release contains “forward-looking statements” (within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995), which are based on current expectations and assumptions about Corning’s financial results and business operations, that involve substantial risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially. These risks and uncertainties include: the effect of global political, economic and business conditions; conditions in the financial and credit markets; currency fluctuations; tax rates; product demand and industry capacity; competition; reliance on a concentrated customer base; manufacturing efficiencies; cost reductions; availability of critical components and materials; new product commercialization; pricing fluctuations and changes in the mix of sales between premium and non-premium products; new plant start-up or restructuring costs; possible disruption in commercial activities due to terrorist activity, armed conflict, political or financial instability, natural disasters, adverse weather conditions, or major health concerns; adequacy of insurance; equity company activities; acquisition and divestiture activities; the level of excess or obsolete inventory; the rate of technology change; the ability to enforce patents; product and components performance issues; retention of key personnel; stock price fluctuations; and adverse litigation or regulatory developments. These and other risk factors are detailed in Corning’s filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Forward-looking statements speak only as of the day that they are made, and Corning undertakes no obligation to update them in light of new information or future events.

Digital Media Disclosure
In accordance with guidance provided by the SEC regarding the use of company websites and social media channels to disclose material information, Corning Incorporated (“Corning”) wishes to notify investors, media, and other interested parties that it intends to use its website (http://www.corning.com/worldwide/en/about-us/news-events.html) to publish important information about the company, including information that may be deemed material to investors. The list of websites and social media channels that the company uses may be updated on Corning’s media and website from time to time. Corning encourages investors, media, and other interested parties to review the information Corning may publish through its website and social media channels as described above, in addition to the company’s SEC filings, press releases, conference calls, and webcasts.

About Ford Motor Company
Ford Motor Company, a global automotive industry leader based in Dearborn, Michigan, manufactures or distributes automobiles across six continents. With about 197,000 employees and 67 plants worldwide, the company's automotive brands include Ford and Lincoln. The company provides financial services through Ford Motor Credit Company. For more information regarding Ford and its products worldwide, please visit http://corporate.ford.com.

About Corning Incorporated
Corning (www.corning.com) is one of the world’s leading innovators in materials science. For more than 160 years, Corning has applied its unparalleled expertise in specialty glass, ceramics, and optical physics to develop products that have created new industries and transformed people’s lives. Corning succeeds through sustained investment in R&D, a unique combination of material and process innovation, and close collaboration with customers to solve tough technology challenges. Corning’s businesses and markets are constantly evolving. Today, Corning’s products enable diverse industries such as consumer electronics, telecommunications, transportation, and life sciences. They include damage-resistant cover glass for smartphones and tablets; precision glass for advanced displays; optical fiber, wireless technologies, and connectivity solutions for high-speed communications networks; trusted products that accelerate drug discovery and manufacturing; and emissions-control products for cars, trucks, and off-road vehicles.