Alpine Electronics Unveils Industry's First Automotive CD Receiver With Fully Integrated XM Satellite Radio

WASHINGTON, and TORRANCE, Calif., Dec. 17, 2003 -- For consumers looking to enjoy XM satellite radio in their vehicles, tuning in has never been simpler. Alpine Electronics of America, Inc. and XM Satellite Radio today announced the industry's first in-dash CD receiver with an integrated XM tuner. With its smart, all-in-one design, Alpine's new CDA-9820XM receiver eliminates the need for a separate XM tuner box for easier installation and delivers best-in-class sound performance.

Alpine's CES 2004 Innovations Award-winning CDA-9820XM features an integrated XM tuner module. Previous configurations required a user to purchase an XM Ready head unit, separate XM tuner module and satellite radio antenna to enjoy XM's service in the car. Now, a consumer can just make an easy purchase of the CDA-9820XM and the new XM Micro antenna (sold separately).

"With more than one million subscribers, XM clearly has led the way in creating demand for satellite radio and Alpine is pleased to be a leader in expanding XM's solutions for consumers," said Stephen Witt, Alpine's vice president of Brand Marketing. "With Alpine's new one-box solution, we're making it much easier for people to buy, install and enjoy the benefits of XM with an in-dash receiver that was designed from the ground-up for better digital media playback and superior sound tuning."

"We are thrilled to partner with Alpine to launch the first all-in-one XM tuner and CD head unit," said Hugh Panero, CEO of XM Satellite Radio. "With Alpine's CDA-9820XM, it's never been easier to get a premium quality XM solution in the car."

Alpine's new CDA-9820XM dramatically improves the consumer's ability to navigate and select XM channels through the use of its exclusive Quick Search(TM) technology, an intuitive user interface for quickly finding the desired channel or music category. Alpine's proprietary Media Xpander(TM) sound correction technology further enhances the music sound quality of digital audio sources.

The CDA-9820XM features a bright two color, eight character display, presenting users with information including XM channel number, name, category, song title or artist.

Users can access XM channels via three bands and program pre-sets for up to 18 of their favorite channels. An optional remote control enables users to directly input channel numbers for easy selection.

   CDA-9820XM CD Tuner
   Bass Engine Sound Tuning            * Built-in XM Tuner
    * Subwoofer level control
    * Bass center frequency and
       width control
    * Treble center frequency control
    * Media Xpander(TM)                * 2 PreOuts Quick Search navigation
    * Ai-Net control                   * 2 color, 8 character display
    * Versatile Link ready             * Remote control ready
    * Availability: January            * CEA-2006 Compliant
    * Target Retail Price: $349        * 50W Max x 4 / 18W RMS x 4 amplifier

  About Alpine Electronics

Alpine Electronics is the world's leading automotive consumer electronics system supplier and an ISO certified corporation. Alpine specializes in an integrated platform concept for mobile multimedia with premium components for digital audio/video media playback, digital broadcast reception, and satellite linked navigation. With research and development facilities in Asia, Europe and the U.S., Alpine is the global leader for mobile sound systems and in-vehicle navigation for both after-market and OEM factory installations. Alpine Electronics is a consolidated subsidiary of Alps Electric Co., Ltd., one of the world's premier manufacturers of electronic components for computer, communications and car electronics equipment. Visit www.alpine-usa.com to learn more about Alpine products or to find an authorized retailer.

About XM Satellite Radio

XM is America's #1 satellite radio service. With over 1 million subscribers, XM is on pace to exceed 1.2 million subscribers later this year. Broadcasting live daily from studios in Washington, DC, New York City and Nashville, Tennessee at the Country Music Hall of Fame, XM provides its loyal listeners with 101 digital channels of choice: 70 music channels, more than 35 of them commercial-free, from hip hop to opera, classical to country, bluegrass to blues; and 31 channels of premiere sports, talk, comedy, kid's and entertainment programming. Compact and stylish XM satellite radio receivers for the home, the car, the computer and even a boombox for on the go are available from retailers nationwide. In addition, XM is available in more than 80 different 2004 car models. XM is a popular factory-installed option on more than 40 new General Motors models, as well as a standard feature on several top-selling Honda and Acura models.