CEATEC Japan 2003: Information in the Car Speeds Up with the Arrival of the Ubiquitous Network Era

Tokyo, Japan, Oct. 09, 2003 - (JCN Newswire) - The Telematics and Car
Electronics Special Exhibit (5B12) is being held at CEATEC JAPAN 2003 to
provide visitors with the newest detailed telematics information and let
them experience the benefits of this field for themselves.

"Telematics" is a word coined from "telecommunicartions" and
"informatics," or the science of using computers to manage information.
The era has begun in which the evolution of the automobile allows
drivers to access and use high-level information on the road. There also
numerous examples of automakers forming business tie-ups with IT
companies. Sales of car navigation systems remain strong in Japan, and
are continuing at the fastest pace ever. Popular car navigation systems
provide not only location information, but also connect to the Internet
to get up-to-the-minute traffic information in real time, check the
weather conditions at the user's destination, and even search for good
restaurants.

Thanks to advances in sensor technologies, including millimeter-level
wave sensors, cars have come on the market that can precisely measure
the distance from vehicles traveling ahead of them. When they sense a
certain distance, cars with this system warn the driver before the
danger of an accident arises.

In the midst of this trend, the Telematics and Car Electronics Special
Exhibit is displaying related products from various manufacturers. On
the exhibit stage, presentations are being made related to using
Intelligent Transportation Systems, or ITS, promoted under the
government's e-Japan Strategy II, to resolve chronic traffic problems,
and to Electronic Toll Collection (ETC) systems. Demonstrations are also
being made of emergency warning systems and systems that warn drivers in
the event of car trouble.

Clarion Co., Ltd., manufacturer of car audio equipment, introduced its
AutoPC CADIAS "communicating-type" car navigation system last year. This
system uses cellular telephones to access information on specialized
servers. Compared with car navigation systems using CD-ROMs and DVDs,
Clarion's system always gives drivers up-to-date information. It also
lets users enjoy music and video, and has a USB port and PC card slot
for connecting to and sharing information with home PCs.

Today, with the Internet a part of everyday life used as a matter of
course to access information, demand will continue to expand for network
usage in cars.

In addition, the Telematics and Car Electronics booth is gaining wide
attention from visitors for its display of a Lamborghini Diablo Jota,
the only supercar in the world that can be driven on public roadways.


About CEATEC JAPAN 2003

CEATEC JAPAN is one of the largest international exhibitions in Asia for
the information technology (IT) and electronics sectors, including the
fields of imaging, information and communications. This event brings
together the complete spectrum of new technologies on which modern
industry depends, and puts businesses in touch with contacts they will
need when the upturn comes. CEATEC JAPAN 2003 is scheduled from October
7 to 11, 2003 at the Nippon Convention Center (Makuhari Messe) in Chiba
Prefecture, east of Tokyo. 

Exhibitors are also planning a wide range of dynamic activities at
CEATEC JAPAN 2003. A total of 505 companies and organizations, including
almost every major Japanese electronics and communications company, 170
exhibitors from 16 counties and regions worldwide, have registered to
exhibit in 2,460 booths at CEATEC JAPAN 2003. Although the number of
special exhibits and pavilions opened by industry-related organizations
is expected to decline from 2002, an increase is seen in individual
companies exhibiting, and the total number of booths is forecast to
increase from 2002. Also expected is an increase in the number of
registered visitors, from 173,000 in 2002, to over 180,000 at CEATEC
JAPAN 2003.

For further information, please visit the CEATEC JAPAN 2003 home page
at: www.ceatec.com <http://www.ceatec.com>