Honda Launches Promotion of Nomad Expert Technician System to its North American Dealer Network
BOTHELL, Wash.--Aug. 2, 20043, 2004--| Wireless Computer With Head-Worn See-Through Display Increases Repair Quality/Customer Satisfaction |
American Honda Motor Company and Microvision, Inc. today announced they have formally launched a promotional effort to offer the Nomad Expert Technician System to all 1,200 plus Honda and Acura Dealers nationwide. The announcement follows Honda's certification of the system earlier this summer and the successful completion of a dealer demand survey. Effective immediately, American Honda is marketing directly to its dealers and taking orders for the Nomad Expert Technician System. Orders will be fulfilled by Microvision.
"American Honda is excited about the Nomad Expert Technician System's potential to enable improvements in customer service and to reduce the time required to perform services and repairs," said John Petas, Senior VP of Service and Parts for American Honda Motor Company. "Feedback from our dealers who have tried the Nomad System has been very positive," Petas continued, "and we are anxious for all Honda and Acura dealers to add this advantage in achieving a higher customer satisfaction level."
The promotion will include the direct mailing by Honda to all of its dealers in North America of a five page color brochure promoting the Nomad system's ability to deliver gains in productivity, service quality and customer satisfaction. Promotional elements will be coordinated with a presence for the Nomad "special offer" on Honda's dealer Intranet (IN) system. Honda is also sponsoring Nomad demonstrations and promotions at the upcoming new car show for Acura in Chicago later this week (August 25th) and for Honda in Orlando, Fl. beginning on September 23rd.
The Nomad Expert Technician System is designed to help dealers improve Honda repair quality and customer satisfaction by helping technicians to "fix it right the first time." The system provides automotive technicians and service advisors with head-up, hands-free access to online vehicle history and repair data while they work on the vehicle, or while greeting customers at their vehicle as they drive up for service. With critical information superimposed in their vision as they work, service personnel should be able provide faster, more accurate service and repairs.
According to Rick Rutkowski, Microvision CEO, the Honda launch is just one aspect of rolling out Microvision's unique wireless hands-free terminal into the automotive repair market. "American Honda is an important partner in the automotive service space," said Rutkowski. "There is little question that having worked so closely with Honda over the last year has contributed to the design of a product that is very well suited to both the range of service applications and to the service bay environment. As a result the product continues to receive tremendous interest from the entire industry. We're looking forward to a successful launch, to conducting a lot of on site demonstrations and to providing a great productivity tool for Honda and Acura dealers across the United States."
About Microvision: www.microvision.com
Headquartered in Bothell, Wash., Microvision Inc. is the world leader in the development of high-resolution displays and imaging systems based on the company's proprietary silicon micro-mirror technology. The company's technology has applications in a broad range of military, medical, industrial, professional and consumer products.
Forward-Looking Statements
Certain statements contained in this release, including potential orders, product applications, product benefits, and potential market opportunities are forward-looking statements that involve a number of risks and uncertainties. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those projected in the company's forward-looking statements include the following: our ability to raise additional capital when needed; market acceptance of our technologies and products; our financial and technical resources relative to those of our competitors; our ability to keep up with rapid technological change; our dependence on the defense industry and a limited number of government development contracts; government regulation of our technologies; our ability to enforce our intellectual property rights and protect our proprietary technologies; the ability to obtain additional contract awards; the timing of commercial product launches and delays in product development; the ability to achieve key technical milestones in key products; dependence on third parties to develop, manufacture, sell and market our products; potential product liability claims and other risk factors identified from time to time in the company's SEC reports, including the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the SEC.