ROCHESTER HILLS, Mich.– DURA Automotive Systems announced today that its board of directors has named Timothy Leuliette president and CEO, effective today. He succeeds Larry Denton, who elected to leave the company after successfully leading DURA through a 20-month reorganization and emergence from Chapter 11.

Leuliette, who was elected chairman of DURA upon its emergence from bankruptcy on June 27, will relinquish that role to Steven Gilbert. Gilbert is senior managing director and chairman of Sun Group (USA) and is also chairman of the board of Gilbert Global Equity Partners, L.P., a billion-dollar private equity fund.

Leuliette founded Leuliette Partners LLC, a financial services and investment company in January 2008. He was previously chairman and CEO of Metaldyne Corp. and co-chairman and co-CEO of that company’s parent Asahi Tec Corp.

“The DURA team did a tremendous job of positioning the company for the future,” said Leuliette. “DURA has emerged as strong global company with a solid balance sheet, a lean, low-cost global manufacturing footprint and leading-edge technologies. I want to thank Larry for his leadership and vision in getting the company to this point. I am pleased and proud to join the DURA team and look forward to working with the company’s 13,000 employees to build an even stronger company.”

“Tim brings tremendous experience and is an excellent choice to lead DURA,” said Denton, who has been president and CEO since 2003 and chairman since 2005. “I am proud of the dedication and support of our worldwide team, our customers, our suppliers and other key partners. Together we were able to build a strong foundation that positioned DURA to grow in the global marketplace. I wish the team the best as it moves forward with its innovation and growth objectives.”

Denton will stay on and advise the company during the transition.

For more information about DURA, visit: www.duraauto.com.