Magellan RoadMate 700 Ranks Leading Portable Auto Navigation Seller for 17 Consecutive Months

SANTA CLARA, Calif.--May 2, 20054, 2005--Thales announced today that its Magellan(R) RoadMate(TM) 700 is the number-one selling aftermarket portable vehicle navigation solution in America for the 17th consecutive month with an average dollar share of 36% over that period, according to research findings by NPD Techworld(R), a division of NPD Group.

According to NPD data, the Magellan RoadMate 700 share was 41% of the unit share in the United States with 42% of the share in dollars in January 2005, with all other competitors comprising the remaining percentage. The Magellan RoadMate 700's performance for February comprised 39% of sales of all aftermarket navigation products in units sold and 42% in dollars. In March, the unit share was 37% and the dollar share was 41%.

From the creators of Hertz NeverLost(R), the portable Magellan RoadMate 700 provides built-in nationwide street maps, a color, touch-screen and turn-by-turn voice and visual route guidance with text directions so drivers can simply Turn it on and Go!(TM).

The ever-expanding family of Magellan vehicle navigation solutions includes the Magellan RoadMate 300. While the premium Magellan RoadMate 700 offers drivers built-in street-level nationwide navigation for Turn it on and go!(TM) convenience, the Magellan RoadMate 300 provides a dedicated vehicle navigation system with expandability for map storage in a low-cost package.

Since its introduction in November 2003, the Magellan RoadMate 700 has consistently ranked as the clear leader of all aftermarket portable vehicle navigation products in the point of sale data NPD tracks each month for consumer electronics retail purchases in 400 channel partners representing more than 40,000 retail locations across the United States. NPD channel partners include companies like Best Buy, Circuit City, Radio Shack, Target, Sears, Kmart, Tweeter, Ultimate, Good Guys, Comp USA and Staples.

In a recently published report, NPD described GPS as leading the impressive growth experienced in the mobile navigation category over the past two years, citing as an example the simplicity and convenience of the Magellan RoadMate 700 that have allowed it to be easily purchased without installation or PC setup.

"The Magellan RoadMate 700's leading market share is a testament to our focus on providing what customers want in a vehicle navigation solution," said Henry Gaillard, CEO of Thales' navigation business. "It is a commitment to innovation and our unique experience in the automotive navigation market that not only establishes our leadership in the portable aftermarket, but strongly positions us in the automotive OEM market. Having created the Hertz NeverLost system, produced the first portable system with a built-in hard drive pre-loaded with detailed streets maps, and delivered a market-leading family of easy-to-use portable systems, we will continue to build on these successes and lead this fast-growing market."

For more information on these and other Magellan consumer GPS products, including the eXplorist(TM) family of handheld GPS receivers and MapSend software solutions, visit www.magellangps.com.

About Thales' navigation business

Thales' navigation business unit 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.