It's the inner values that count / Johnson Controls raises the bar with the interior of the Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren Burscheid

Germany (ots) - Hardly any other vehicle has captured the attention of as many people worldwide as the new Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren. The two-seater with the hallmark gull-wing doors and stylish Silver Arrows features of the Formula One model has rekindled the magic of the legendary SLR racing car of the fifties. Johnson Controls, one of the world's leading suppliers of automotive interior systems and electronics, worked with DaimlerChrysler engineers to develop the majority of the vehicle interior.

Hand-sewn leather exclusive to the new SLR

A successful mix of luxury and pure sports car practicality gives the interior of the Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren its unique feel-good factor. As Matthias Berg, Vice President & General Manager of the DaimlerChrysler Customer Business Unit of Johnson Controls put it: "It was a real challenge for us to develop the interior of this model, and one that our staff rose to with relish and real commitment." The superb leather developed exclusively for the SLR, along with other elite materials such as aluminum and carbon fiber, provide a thrilling contrast to the pure functionality of this vehicle, with its firm roots in the motorsport world. The cockpit, for instance, was deliberately pared down to the bare essentials and reflects its racing car origins. Clearly visible digits on a blue background are a distinctive feature of the classically elegant chronometer design of the instruments. Experts at the Johnson Controls factory in Grefrath have encased the cockpit in the finest "Silver Arrows" leather - exclusively developed for the SLR and all hand-finished, with meticulous care and loving attention to detail. Several interior colors are available to choose from - including of course the signature red that set the tone in those legendary SL and SLR sports cars of the fifties. The center console made of high-grade aluminum is another eye-catching feature of the interior. Alongside the air-conditioning controls, radio and navigation system, new switches have been added to activate and control some of the innovative technology of the SLR. These little extras ensure maximum driving pleasure.

Interior photos of the Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren are available on the DaimlerChrysler homepage, www.daimlerchrysler.com, under the heading "Media Services".

Johnson Controls, Inc. is a global market leader in automotive interiors, interior electronics, facility management and control. In the automotive market, it is a leading supplier of seating and interior systems and batteries. For non-residential facilities, Johnson Controls provides building control components and systems and facility management services.

Johnson Controls (New York Stock Exchange: JCI), founded in 1885, has its headquarters in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The European headquarters is in Burscheid, Germany. Its sales for 2003 totaled 22.6 billion US-Dollars, the Automotive Group alone accounting for 17 billion US-Dollars of this figure. In the current "Industry Week" business magazine rankings, Johnson Controls has been listed as one of the top 100 best-run companies in the world for the sixth time in succession.