Visteon's New Audio Partnership Promises Sweet Sounds And Unique Design
11 June 1999
Visteon's New Audio Partnership Promises Sweet Sounds And Unique Design for Discerning Customers DEARBORN, Mich., June 11 -- Automotive audiophiles, listen
up! What you are about to hear -- and see -- is a new generation of premier
vehicle sound systems, a generation characterized by unmatched quality and
stellar design.
Visteon has paired its world-class audio and electronic capabilities with
prestigious Danish audio-video manufacturer Bang & Olufsen to develop a new
level of automotive audio sophistication. The partnership enables Visteon to
offer exclusive audio systems to high-end vehicle manufacturers and their
consumers. It also represents Bang & Olufsen's first venture into the
automotive audio arena.
Bang & Olufsen, a premier home audio system manufacturer, is known for its
superior mechanical movements, its acoustics excellence, and remarkable
product design -- design which includes vertical CD stacks and brushed
aluminum cylindrical speakers.
"We are extremely happy with this agreement," said Stephen W. Delaney,
vice president, interiors and exteriors, Visteon. "We wanted to partner with
a premier audio company to push our design and engineering capabilities to new
heights. At the same time, Bang & Olufsen was seeking a world-class
organization that had the proven ability to integrate technology in vehicles
on a global basis."
The agreement marries Visteon's expertise in areas such as acoustics,
system equalization, market research, and manufacturing with Bang & Olufsen's
unique ability to produce top quality, uniquely designed audio systems that
appeal to select consumers. Visteon is a world leader in the production and
integration of automotive electronics and audio components; collaboration with
Bang & Olufsen allows it to develop systems with capabilities unseen in
today's conventional automotive audio units.
"Building on a common and solid base of technological know-how and by
combining the market forces of Visteon with the design forces of Bang &
Olufsen, we are convinced that this new partnership will be successful," said
Poul Sojberg, director of new business development for Bang & Olufsen. "Bang
& Olufsen is characterized by courageous design, simplicity and high quality
standards and this Danish/American partnership will provide outstanding
automotive multimedia systems for exclusive customers."
"The Bang & Olufsen/Visteon audio system will be marketed to a particular
customer -- the customer who expects nothing less than excellence in
performance, quality and design," concurred Jim Mazurek, manager, electronic
marketing and business analysis, Visteon. "We have jointly identified and
agreed upon the audio characteristics that must be present in a Bang &
Olufsen/Visteon audio system. They are the characteristics a consumer would
expect in the very best automotive audio system that is globally available."
These systems will offer enhanced components such as unique speakers and
improved woofers and superior audio clarity. They will also offer additional
options to maintain audio system excellence as sound technology continues to
mature.
Significant design changes will differentiate these units from a standard
audio system. They will exhibit sophisticated designs that take their cues
from the understated elegance of premier vehicle models. Visteon and Bang &
Olufsen will explore the application of premier materials such as brushed
aluminum to speaker grills and radio bezels.
"I think it is fair to say that purchasing a Bang & Olufsen/Visteon system
will differentiate the true automotive audiophile from the typical consumer,"
Mazurek said. "Visteon can now provide the entire range of outstanding audio
systems for automotive manufacturers and their consumers. The system from
Bang & Olufsen and Visteon will be at the very top of the range."
With a global delivery system of more than 125 technical, manufacturing,
sales and service facilities located in 21 countries, Visteon Automotive
Systems is leveraging the talents of its 77,000 employees to deliver
innovative, consumer-driven solutions to its customers.
