Bluetooth(TM) phones driving growth of PEIKER vehicle hands-free in North America

IRVING, Texas, Jan. 2, 2006 -- PEIKER acustic, Inc., which pioneered Bluetooth(TM) vehicle hands-free technology five years ago in Europe, says its 2005 worldwide sales of conventional and wireless hands-free kits reached the 500,000 threshold, in part due to strong North American growth.

PEIKER supplies the hands-free kits, including Bluetooth(TM) wireless systems, sold by DaimlerChrysler, Ford and several European imports. In North America. PEIKER's hands-free systems are sold under the UConnect name by DaimlerChrysler and Mobile-Ease by Ford.

Sales of Bluetooth(TM) units are expected to comprise an increasing share of the company's North American sales in 2006, says Bruce Clutton, CEO of PEIKER North America.

PEIKER launched the Bluetooth(TM) vehicle hands-free era in 2000 with the world's first Bluetooth(TM) car kit, but until 2005, sales of Bluetooth(TM) units lagged in the United States and Canada. That is changing for two reasons: the increasing number of regulations banning the use of handheld cell phones by drivers and the rising popularity of Bluetooth(TM) cell phones, which tend to be top-of-the-line models with advanced features consumers want like mobile internet service, says Clutton.

"Once consumers acquire Bluetooth(TM)-enabled phones, they want the total wireless experience that comes with a Bluetooth(TM) car kit," underlines Clutton. "By further enhancing the hands-free experience, making it even more user-friendly, Bluetooth(TM) hands-free kits are becoming a 'must have' item for new car buyers and for after-market installation."

PEIKER has won the renowned "Telematics Update Award" from the American automobile industry for designing and manufacturing the UConnect Bluetooth(TM) system in cooperation with DaimlerChrysler.

PEIKER Bluetooth(TM) units are the most fully featured on the market, boasting exceptional audio clarity and voice-recognition reliability, a reflection of PEIKER's six decades of leadership in acoustics R&D. The audio quality, noise dampening and voice pickup of PEIKER Bluetooth(TM) systems is so good there is no need for a headset. Some PEIKER Bluetooth(TM) units have their own speaker, while the Mobile-Ease unit sold by Ford utilizes the car's audio system.

With all PEIKER Bluetooth(TM) systems, callers can voice dial - by pronouncing each digit. Users can voice dial international calls up to 24 digits. In addition, users can voice-activate pre-programmed dialing strings in either the hands-free unit or from the cell phone's caller list.

To assure flawless operations, the PEIKER Bluetooth(TM) system is programmed to recognize three major North American mother tongues: North American English, Mexican Spanish and Quebec French. Other standard features include:

  -  exceptional, digital noise reduction for quiet calls at all speeds;
  -  automatic synchronization of a Bluetooth(TM) phone and the vehicle
     system as soon as the ignition is on; automatic muting of the
     vehicle's radio/entertainment system when the phone is activated;
  -  storage capability for up to 32 names, each with four different
     numbers.

Calls can be initiated or received from anywhere in the vehicle so long as the Bluetooth(TM)-enabled phone and the car's ignition are turned on. The phone can be anywhere in the car, in a jacket pocket, purse or brief case.

For non-Bluetooth(TM) phones, PEIKER offers a universal system through the same automakers. PEIKER's wired systems offer most of the state-of-the-art features that the wireless units boast, like remarkable sound quality and noise-reduction technology. Nor do consumers have to replace the entire unit when they buy a new phone, they just buy a new cradle that adapts the phone to their existing unit.

About PEIKER acustic

Founded in 1946 in Friedrichsdorf, Germany, PEIKER acustic is a leading manufacturer of high-quality, hands-free speech solutions for the automobile industry. An accredited supplier to the OEM automotive industry sector, PEIKER, is compliant to DIN ISO 9001, QS 9000, VDA 6.1 and TS-16949. The company's product line includes microphones, loudspeakers, handsets, hands-free car kits and telematic solutions with a wide range of patent rights covering vehicle communication equipment. PEIKER's customers include (among others) Chrysler, Ford, Mercedes-Benz, BMW, Qualcomm, Motorola, and LG InfoComm. Subsidiaries are located in France and the United States. PEIKER North America has its head office in Irving, Texas as well as an R&D and engineering office in Detroit and a plant in Mexico that supplements the company's principal manufacturing facility in Germany.