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Cadillac to be 1st in N.A. To Offer Siemens Keyless Start/Entry System

7 March 2000

No More Fumbling for Car Keys

    DETROIT - Siemens' PAssive Start/Entry (PASE) system, which in the past 
year has received tremendous consumer acceptance in Europe, will soon bare 
the Cadillac crest as the first keyless system to be offered in North America 
on the luxury car maker's vehicles.

    Beginning in calendar year 2002, Siemens will launch production of the
passive entry and ignition system for designated Cadillac vehicles.

    The Cadillac system differs from the comparable European Smart Card
approach to passive entry/ignition in that it features a key fob that operates
in two modes: an active remote keyless entry (RKE) mode that allows the driver
to control vehicle locking, trunk release and remote engine start; or a
totally passive mode that requires only that the driver carry the fob on their
person as they approach and enter the vehicle.

    Before the engine is permitted to start, the system verifies also that the
fob is inside the vehicle and the brake pedal is fully depressed.

    Cadillac's fob will provide an array of convenience and security functions
from access control to deactivating the engine immobilization system and
enabling the engine ignition.  Fumbling for car keys will be a thing of the
past.  The driver simply carries the PASE fob in a pocket, purse or briefcase.
Once the driver is within approximately a one-meter radius of the vehicle, and
with a touch of the door handle, the system "wakes up" and initializes an
invisible dialogue.  The ensuing encrypted data exchange, which can not be
scanned or copied by sophisticated theft devices, takes place in a matter of
milliseconds.  If the control unit recognizes the PASE fob, the data is
decoded, and the doors are unlocked.  Once seated in the vehicle with the
fob/card, and with the brake depressed, the engine is started with the push of
a button located on the instrument panel.

    The world's first keyless entry and ignition technology, called Keyless
Go(TM), was introduced on 1999 Mercedes-Benz S-class models in Germany.
Keyless Go was jointly developed by Mercedes-Benz and Siemens Automotive to
perform access control and immobilizer functions.  Customer demand for the
technology far exceeded original expectations according to Mercedes-Benz.

    Exiting the car is just as convenient as entering it.  Pressing the
start/stop button switches the engine off and locks the gear selector lever in
the park position.  The doors are locked by briefly touching a button on the
interior trim panel, or a button on the exterior door handle.  The system
alerts the driver to any problems, for example, if the system fob has been
left in the car.

    Siemens Automotive has expanded its production capacity at its Regensburg,
Germany, Toulouse, France, and Guadalajara, Mexico, electronics plants to
support several new vehicle platforms that also will have committed to
implement this technology in the near future.