Corning Gorilla Glass Has Eyes On The Auto Glass Industry

Repair and replacement technicians have mixed reactions to reports that Corning Gorilla Glass, which is used in smartphones, tablets and laptops is coming to the automotive market.

The ultra-tough glass is expected to head to "at least one" auto manufacturer according to Corning.

Corning's vice-president Jeffery Evenson made the comment while talking at an MIT technology review mobile summit in San Francisco recently.

Corning is only talking about replacing "some" auto glass at present, which might not necessarily mean windshields, but smaller parts of glass bodywork.

Indeed, the technology will be arriving in automobiles sometime next year. The BMW i8 will be the first production car to use the chemically hardened material, which is more durable, lighter and provides more sound deadening than conventional laminated automotive glass. BMW said it will be used only for the rear window, for sound deadening purposes.