Toyota's special edition 86 GRMN sports car is the first production vehicle to feature a rear quarter window in polycarbonate (PC) material with a plasma-coat solution designed to deliver the highest level of durability performance. The vehicle, exclusive to Japan, exhibited earlier this year at Tokyo Auto Salon 2016.

The car's rear quarter window is injection molded with LEXAN™ resin, an optically clear and lightweight-enabling PC material from SABIC. The window is about 50 percent lighter compared to a conventional glass solution.

Until now, manufacturers have produced rear quarter windows in PC using wet-coat only solutions. Depending on vehicle type and passenger position, wet-coat solutions can meet industry requirements for weatherability and abrasion resistance at that window location. In some cases though, a higher level of performance is required to meet driver visibility needs.

Because Toyota wished to achieve regulatory requirements at a global level, the Japan-based OEM turned to EXATEC™ plasma technology from SABIC. This flexible glass-like coating is deposited on top of a base wet coat to enhance performance. Applying this advanced coating made it possible to meet Toyota's high quality requirements.

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