Motorola and Continental Sign Agreement

14 September 1999

Motorola and Continental Sign Agreement to Bring Award-Winning ISAD System to the Automotive Systems Market

    NORTHBROOK, Ill.--Sept. 13, 1999--Motorola, Inc., and Continental ISAD (Integrated Starter Alternator Damper) Electronic Systems GmbH (a subsidiary of Continental AG), announced today that they have signed a development, manufacturing and marketing agreement to accelerate the move toward the next-generation of 42-volt automotive electronic systems.
    The ISAD system, which won the 1997 German industry Innovation Award, is a new concept in generating and distributing electric energy in the automobile. The modules that will manage the ISAD systems electronics are being developed for Continental ISAD by Motorola's Integrated Electronic Systems Sector and will be based around PowerPC processors designed by Motorola's Semiconductor Products Sector.
    Currently, vehicles use two separate systems for starting up and supplying electric power. ISAD integrates starter, alternator and damper functionality into a single electronically managed system. As a result, the system optimizes electric energy utilization and fuel consumption.
    "Motorola is at the forefront of the move from 12-volt to 42-volt automotive electronic systems and the partnership with Continental ISAD allows us to bring our advanced automotive electronics management capabilities - our DigitalDNA - to this leading 42-volt innovation," said Dave Melka, senior vice president and general manager of Motorola's Automotive and Industrial Electronics Group.
    "Automobiles with a 42-volt electronic architecture will be smarter, more comfortable and safer, with better performance and better fuel economy. Features that are not practical with 12-volt architecture, such as brake-by-wire and electromagnetic valve trains, will become available."
    "We expect to announce the signing of a nomination letter for the ISAD system within the next few months, and are projecting that the first cars equipped with this new feature will be in dealer showrooms as early as 2003," said Prof. Dr. Ullrich Masberg, general manager of Continental ISAD. "The global automotive expertise that our two companies bring to this project will ensure that this forward-looking innovation will be available to the consumer as soon as possible," he continued.

    ISAD Features

-	Because ISAD starts the engine silently via electromagnetic torque transmission, automatically turns the engine off at zero load, then restarts the engine as soon as the accelerator pedal is pressed, the device optimizes fuel consumption.
-	As an alternator, ISAD's unique construction allows it to provide large amounts of electric power even at low speeds.
-	With its electromagnetic damping and vibration absorption functionality, ISAD is an alternative to current mechanical damping systems. And, as ISAD is mounted on the engine crankshaft, it can more effectively counteract engine vibration with electronics.

Motorola is a global leader in providing integrated communications solutions and embedded electronic solutions, and is one of the world's largest independent suppliers of electronics to the automotive market. Motorola researches, develops and manufactures semiconductors, electronic components, modules and systems, including telematics solutions for the emerging automotive communications market. Sales to the automotive market in 1998 were $3.2 billion. Total Motorola sales in 1998 were $29.4 billion.

Continental ISAD Electronic Systems GmbH, headquartered in Landsberg am Lech, Germany, belongs to the Hannover-based company Continental AG (sales totaling DM13.2 billion in 1998, 62,400 employees). The world leader in technology and systems manufactures tires, industrial rubber products, and, with its Continental Teves unit, brake systems for the automotive industry. The company is planning sales in 1999 of just under DM18 billion.