Magellan RoadMate 700 Wins iF Product Design Award

SANTA CLARA, Calif.--March 8, 2005--Thales, a leading global provider of Magellan GPS products and the renowned Hertz(R) NeverLost(R) vehicle navigation system, announced today that its best-selling Magellan RoadMate 700 portable vehicle navigation system is the recipient of the highly regarded iF Product Design Award. International Forum will present the award for design excellence in the consumer electronics category at an official ceremony on March 10, 2005, in Hannover, Germany. Designed by Thales' consumer navigation business with BMW Group DesignworksUSA, the Magellan RoadMate 700 is designed with an easy-to-use interface, high-resolution color touch screen, backlit keypad and preloaded maps that allow users to gain turn-by-turn, voice-prompted route guidance and text directions in North America and Europe.

"We are excited to receive such a distinguished product design award that recognizes our commitment to quality and innovation on an international level," said Christian Bubenheim, general manager of Thales' consumer products business. "As a global provider of navigation products, we worked with BMW Group DesignworksUSA to achieve a design that would have universal appeal. The iF award is an important validation that we achieved our goal."

"Design excellence is the cornerstone of our success," said Verena C. Kloos, president of BMW Group DesignworksUSA, "so receiving international industry recognition for our efforts on the Magellan RoadMate program is especially satisfying. Developing a groundbreaking consumer product for in-car use was in perfect alignment with our multiple disciplines, presenting a great opportunity for our companies to continue our ten-year relationship."

Headquartered in Germany, the iF Design competition began in 1953 to acknowledge outstanding design achievements and help users recognize the different nuances in a complex product world. Since then, the iF seal of design excellence has become a visible symbol of product and service quality. Winning products will be displayed in the iF Exhibition from March through September and will appear in iF's Design Annual. For more information on the iF Design Award, visit www.ifdesign.de.

For more information on the Magellan RoadMate series of vehicle navigation products and other Magellan GPS navigation products, visit www.magellangps.com.

About Thales' navigation business

Thales' navigation business develops and manufactures world leading positioning, navigation and guidance equipment. It markets its Magellan brand GPS solutions in the consumer electronics, recreation, and automotive markets, and its GPS and GNSS professional products in the survey, GIS/Mapping, and OEM markets. Key innovations include the first U.S. commercial hand-held GPS receiver for positioning and navigation, and the first handheld GPS with industry standard Secure Digital Memory Card capabilities. Thales' navigation business unit is headquartered in Santa Clara, CA and has worldwide operations. For more information, visit http://www.thalesgroup.com/navigation.

Hertz NeverLost is a registered trademark of Hertz Systems, Inc.