Auto parts supplier Gentex Corp posted a 49 percent drop in quarterly profit Tuesdayand said weak consumer confidence and a slowing economy wouldweigh on global vehicle production in the fourth quarter,sending its shares down nearly 14 percent.



'Unfortunately, it seems that the automotive environment isgoing to get worse before it gets better,' Gentex Senior VicePresident Enoch Jen said.



The company forecast its revenue would decline 15 percentin the fourth quarter from a year earlier due to an expected 19percent decline in North American vehicle production and an 11percent fall in European production.



The maker of automatic-dimming rearview mirrors expectsgross margin to come in at 29 percent in the fourth quarter,the lowest level in at least 10 years during which margins haveaveraged 39 percent.