ACUNIA and BMW Showcase Telematics Capabilities at CeBIT 2001

   Leading high-tech provider to supplement BMW's "ConnectedDrive" strategy

    BRUSSELS, Belgium and DETROIT, March 15 A new
collaboration between ACUNIA NV and BMW GROUP will be showcased next week at
the CeBIT 2001 Information Technology trade fair in Hannover, Germany,
March 22 - 28.  As part of its  "ConnectedDrive" strategy, leading carmaker
BMW will offer a live demonstration of the dynamic downloading of telematics
services using a Communications Administration Provider (CAP) to a BMW X5
passenger car outfitted with an integrated Java communications platform.
    ACUNIA, the leading Belgium- and U.S.-based telematics technology
provider, is enabling the CAP by means of its Communications & Control Center
(CCC) technology.  ACUNIA's CCC technology supplements BMW's ConnectedDrive
concept offering drivers increased comfort and safety on the road.
    ACUNIA is well known as the developer of the Open Telematics Framework,
the first fully functional, end-to-end, Java-based open software design for
the entire telematics pipeline.  Its single-platform, protocol-neutral,
lightweight architecture system has won industry acclaim because it can be
quickly and easily upgraded on-the-fly to add services and accommodate new
technologies.
    The CeBIT showcase by BMW and ACUNIA, at the Sun Microsystems stand
(Hall 21, C50) is the result of a partnership within the Inform project.
Inform ('Information for the Millions') is a project set up by the European
Commission in the fourth framework under the European Program for Research and
Development in Information Technology (ESPRIT).  This project focuses on a
next-generation telematics architecture that permits the downloading of
telematics services to open telematics terminals.  Other project partners are
VDO, Mediamobile, Renault and France Telecom.
    "This year's theme, 'Get The Spirit Of Tomorrow', perfectly reflects where
we stand today, and in what direction we believe the industry should be
headed," says Steven Buytaert, co-founder and co-CEO of ACUNIA.  "After years
of steadfast work, our technology and design have found general acceptance
among major automobile manufacturers, Tier 1 suppliers, system integrators and
service providers.  Joining BMW in this Inform demonstration project, we are
proud to welcome a new range of industry leaders to our technology system."

    About ACUNIA
    Founded in 1996 (as SmartMove), ACUNIA (http://www.acunia.com ) is a leading
provider of next-generation telematics technology.  Headquartered in Leuven,
Belgium, the company employs about 120 people.  The company's U.S. subsidiary,
ACUNIA Inc., has offices in Cambridge, Mass., and Detroit, Mich.
    ACUNIA was recently selected by General Motors in Europe to develop its
future telematics infrastructure, and recently announced partnerships with
Infineon, Webraska, and GenRad.
    ACUNIA will be demonstrating its capabilities at the BMW Showcase at Booth
C50 (SUN Microsystems), Hall 21, CeBIT Hannover, March 22 - 28.