Dorel Juvenile Launches World's First Child Seat with Integrated Airbags

MONTREAL, QUEBEC--(Marketwired - Oct. 17, 2017) - Dorel Juvenile, a segment of Dorel Industries (TSX:DII.B)(TSX:DII.A), and one of the world's largest juvenile products manufacturers in its categories, is officially launching the world's first child car seat featuring built-in airbags. The Maxi-Cosi AxissFix Air is being rolled out starting today at selected retailers across Europe, with media events planned in various cities all this week.

Worldwide more than 5,000 children are seriously injured in road traffic crashes every day*. The revolutionary Maxi-Cosi Air Safety technology^® will enhance the safety of children in forward-facing child car seats. In the event of a collision, the integrated airbags will reduce the forces on a child's head and neck by up to 55% compared to a standard forward-facing child car seat. Working with Helite, a French company specializing in mobile airbag technology, the breakthrough came after extensive development and testing. AxissFix Air is protected globally by several patents.

"By introducing our Maxi-Cosi Air Safety technology^®, Dorel is setting a new standard in child car seats. This is further evidence of how Dorel is consolidating its technology leadership," commented Martin Schwartz, Dorel President and CEO. "We were the first to embrace i-size in 2013, the new European standard for children's car seats. In 2009, Safety 1^st launched Air Protect side impact protection. Dorel is committed to consistently increasing the safety of our children. We dedicate millions annually to innovative product development and the Maxi-Cosi innovation is the latest result of our aggressive R&D efforts."

The technology

The Maxi-Cosi Air Safety technology^® significantly reduces the impact, thanks to a CO₂ cartridge with an airbag trigger system built into the back of the car seat. The system detects a collision in 15 milliseconds inflating the two airbags in the shoulder pads with cold air within 50 milliseconds to cushion the head softly. Within the following second, the airbags will automatically deflate. Tests prove that the Maxi-Cosi Air Safety technology^® leads to a significant reduction of the forces acting on the neck vertebrae compared to a standard forward-facing child car seat. The technology won the prestigious Innovation Award last year at Cologne, Germany's Kind + Jugend juvenile products show.

"Child car safety depends primarily on car seat legislation and experts. Innovations such as this need to come from our own industry," stated Charles de Kervénoaël, President & CEO of Dorel Juvenile Europe. "As market leader, we consistently innovate to ensure that children travel in cars as safely as possible. We have been exploring how we could better protect a child's head and neck in forward-facing car seats. Successful applications in airbag technology inspired us, such as the airbag jackets for motorcyclists and airbag seatbelts in ultralight aircraft that inflate during a collision. The introduction of our Maxi-Cosi Air Safety technology® underlines our mission to Care For Precious Life."

*Source: Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA)

Profile

Dorel Industries Inc. (TSX:DII.B)(TSX:DII.A) is a global organization, operating three distinct businesses in juvenile products, bicycles and home products. Dorel's strength lies in the diversity, innovation and quality of its products as well as the superiority of its brands. Dorel Juvenile's powerfully branded products include global brands Safety 1^st, Quinny, Maxi-Cosi and Tiny Love, complemented by regional brands such as Cosco, Bébé Confort and Infanti. Dorel Sports brands include Cannondale, Schwinn, GT, Mongoose, Caloi, IronHorse and SUGOI. Dorel Home, with its comprehensive e-commerce platform, markets a wide assortment of domestically produced and imported furniture. Dorel has annual sales of US$2.6 billion and employs approximately 10,000 people in facilities located in twenty-five countries worldwide.

Caution Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

Certain statements included in this press release may constitute "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation. Except as may be required by Canadian securities laws, Dorel does not undertake any obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. Forward-looking statements, by their very nature, are subject to numerous risks and uncertainties and are based on several assumptions which give rise to the possibility that actual results could differ materially from Dorel's expectations expressed in or implied by such forward-looking statements and that the objectives, plans, strategic priorities and business outlook may not be achieved. As a result, Dorel cannot guarantee that any forward-looking statement will materialize, or if any of them do, what benefits Dorel will derive from them. Forward-looking statements are provided in this press release for the purpose of giving information about Management's current expectations and plans and allowing investors and others to get a better understanding of Dorel's operating environment. However, readers are cautioned that it may not be appropriate to use such forward-looking statements for any other purpose.

Forward-looking statements made in this press release are based on a number of assumptions that Dorel believed were reasonable on the day it made the forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from Dorel's expectations expressed in or implied by the forward-looking statements include: general economic conditions; changes in product costs and supply channels; foreign currency fluctuations; customer and credit risk, including the concentration of revenues with small number of customers; costs associated with product liability; changes in income tax legislation or the interpretation or application of those rules; the continued ability to develop products and support brand names; changes in the regulatory environment; continued access to capital resources and the related costs of borrowing; changes in assumptions in the valuation of goodwill and other intangible assets; and there being no certainty that Dorel's current dividend policy will be maintained. These and other risk factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from expectations expressed in or implied by the forward-looking statements are discussed in Dorel's annual Management Discussion and Analysis and Annual Information Form filed with the applicable Canadian securities regulatory authorities. The risk factors outlined in the previously-mentioned documents are specifically incorporated herein by reference.

Dorel cautions readers that the risks described above are not the only ones that could impact it. Additional risks and uncertainties not currently known to Dorel or that Dorel currently deems to be immaterial may also have a material adverse effect on Dorel's business, financial condition or results of operations. Given these risks and uncertainties, investors should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements as a prediction of actual results.