ACUNIA to Open Detroit Operations

          Belgian telematics firm on the move in U.S. auto industry

    LEUVEN, Belgium and CAMBRIDGE, Mass., Feb. 22 ACUNIA NV,
(formerly SmartMove) a leading Belgium-based telematics provider, has
announced plans to further expand its U.S. operations with the opening of an
office in the Detroit/Rochester Hills area.  By the end of this year, ACUNIA
expects to have about 10 project engineers on staff in its Detroit operations.
    ACUNIA employs 120 people worldwide, about 100 of whom work in Belgium.
Early last year, ACUNIA established a software development center in Boston
(Cambridge), Mass.
    "We're pleased that our Open Telematics Framework (OTF) for telematics
applications has been so well accepted by the automotive industry that it
justifies our opening of an office in Detroit," said Steven Buytaert, co-CEO.
"This office will provide us close proximity to our automotive customers and
will make it easier to coordinate project management, telematics consulting
and sales activities."
    As telematics continues to be a hot item with automakers, ACUNIA plans to
play an even more active role in the North American market.  While ACUNIA's
Detroit office will concentrate on developing automotive telematics
applications, its Cambridge location will focus on research and development
activities, in addition to identifying new market segments for ACUNIA
technology.
    ACUNIA already has strategic partnerships with automobile manufacturers,
suppliers and service providers.
    ACUNIA technology was recently selected by GM Europe for the future
implementation of advanced telematics services across its carlines in Europe.
Webraska, the worldwide provider of wireless navigation services and
technologies, is also partnering with ACUNIA to port its Internet-based
Distributed Navigation(TM) system on Open Java(TM) terminals.

    About ACUNIA
    ACUNIA (http://www.acunia.com ) supplies future-oriented telematics technology.
With its head office in Leuven, Belgium, the company holds various patents in
the field of vehicle telematics.  ACUNIA's activities have developed at a
rapid pace, since the establishment of ACUNIA USA Inc. in Boston (Cambridge),
Mass. in 2000.