NASHVILLE, Tenn. (April 20, 2005) - In a ceremony today, top executives from Bridgestone Americas Holding, Inc. (BSAH), Bridgestone Firestone North American Tire, LLC (BFNT) and Bridgestone Firestone Mexico, S.A. de C.V. (BFMX) joined federal, state and local representatives from the Mexican government to celebrate the groundbreaking of a new tire manufacturing facility in Monterrey, Nuevo Leon, Mexico. The new plant, to be operated by a new sister company to BFMX known as Bridgestone Neumaticos de Monterrey, S.A. de C.V., will be the first outside Japan to use “BIRD,” Bridgestone Corporation’s revolutionary new tire production system.

“On behalf of all 50,000 Bridgestone Americas teammates, I am proud that Bridgestone Americas is going to become the newest member of the Monterrey community,” said Mark Emkes, BSAH and BFNT chairman and CEO. “This new plant is an important component of the Bridgestone Group’s global sourcing strategy and is the ideal location to best service our customers. Further, we are excited that this facility will showcase our parent company’s newest tire building technology.”

“It is with great pride that we welcome Bridgestone, the worldwide leader in tire manufacturing, as a new member of our community,” said Jose Natividad Gonzalez Paras, governor of the State of Nuevo Leon. “Due to its high technology production system and the high profile of the generated jobs, this new plant in Cienega de Flores is an example of the type of projects we are actively seeking and that we will bring here in the future due to the huge advantages that Nuevo Leon State offers as a foreign investment destination.”

BIRD, which stands for “Bridgestone Innovative and Rational Development,” is the world’s first production system for tires that completely automates all stages of tire manufacturing, from the initial processing of materials to final inspection of the finished product.

In addition to its ability to fully automate the tire production process, BIRD is also capable of producing several different types and sizes of tires simultaneously, allowing for great flexibility and the ability to be responsive to customer needs. The first full production installation of the BIRD system occurred this year at Bridgestone Corporation’s Hikone plant in Japan.

The Monterrey facility will produce high performance, ultra-high performance and large rim diameter passenger and light truck tires, primarily for the North American tire market. Investment is expected to total approximately $220 million in the new plant, which will have a production capacity of about 8,000 tires per day and employ approximately 200 teammates.

Once completed, the new facility will be the 49th tire plant in the global Bridgestone Group of companies, and the third such plant located in Mexico. The two existing plants are located in Mexico City and Cuernavaca. The new plant is representative of the Bridgestone Group’s commitment to building a global sourcing network that can respond quickly and flexibly to the continuing growth in world demand for automotive tires. The Bridgestone Group of companies is expanding production capacity around the world to more effectively service this growth in demand and it is committed to building plants as necessary to support its global sourcing strategy and fulfill the needs of its customers.