XM Radio to Showcase New XM Direct Kits at NADA Show This Week

WASHINGTON, Jan. 28, 2004 -- XM Satellite Radio , the nation's leading provider of satellite radio, will demonstrate major new products for automobile dealerships at the National Automobile Dealers Association (NADA) Convention & Exposition in Las Vegas beginning January 31.

  

  XM Direct for automobile dealerships

XM Radio will show XM Direct satellite radio vehicle kits designed to enable specific Ford and Chrysler vehicles with satellite-ready radios to receive XM Radio. The XM Direct kits are comprised of a universal tuner box and smart digital adapter cables. The adapter cables for Ford vehicles are produced by BlitzSafe, Inc. The Chrysler cables are produced by Terk Technologies.

With an XM Direct kit, the driver can listen to XM Radio on the in-dash stereo using the existing stereo controls and display screen.

"XM Direct represents another important step in broadening the availability of XM Radio to auto dealers nationwide," said Dan Murphy, Senior Vice President, Product Marketing and Distribution, XM Satellite Radio. "Dealers want to be able to offer their customers the best choices on the market, and the number-one choice for satellite radio is XM."

XM Direct distributors Satellite Radios Direct (SRD) and AER Technologies will make the XM Direct kits available for Ford and Chrysler dealerships for delivery in May 2004. XM Direct kits for BMW and Mini vehicles are currently available through SRD. The kits have a suggested retail price of $399 installed.

Orders for XM Direct kits and on-site demonstrations will take place at the NADA show in booth #2401.

XMCommander universal receiver for new and used vehicles

In addition to showing XM Direct at NADA, XM will showcase XMCommander, a universal receiver that can deliver XM Radio to any new or used vehicle with an FM radio.

XMCommander (MSRP $159.99 plus installation) is an all-in-one system that comes with a compact controller with display screen, the ultra-thin XM Micro Antenna, a full-function remote control, and a small, hide-away tuner box. The controller is sized and styled to integrate with the dashboard for a seamless appearance. XMCommander was first introduced in fall 2003.

XM Direct and XMCommander are two of the latest products for listening to XM Radio's 101 channels of music and premiere news, sports, talk, and entertainment. All XM music channels will be 100 percent commercial-free starting February 1. XM will add traffic and weather channels for 21 major metropolitan areas beginning March 1.

XM recently announced that it ended 2003 with more than 1.36 million subscribers. The company added more than 430,000 subscribers during the fourth quarter of 2003, its biggest quarter ever. XM stands as one of the fastest-growing entertainment media ever. After launching in November 2001,

XM surpassed 1 million customers in October 2003 faster than cable TV, the CD player, or the MP3 player.

About XM Satellite Radio

XM is America's #1 satellite radio service. With more than 1.36 million subscribers today, XM is on pace to reach 2.8 million subscribers by the end of 2004. Broadcasting live daily from studios in Washington, DC, New York City and Nashville, Tennessee at the Country Music Hall of Fame, XM's 2004 lineup includes more than 120 digital channels of choice from coast to coast: 68 music channels that will be 100% commercial-free beginning in February 2004, featuring hip hop to opera, classical to country, bluegrass to blues; 32 channels of premier sports, talk, comedy, children's and entertainment programming; and more than 20 channels of the most advanced traffic and weather information for major metropolitan areas nationwide. Affordable, compact and stylish XM satellite radio receivers for the home, the car, the computer and boom boxes 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.

For more information about XM, visit http://www.xmradio.com/.