March 24, 2008

Garmin to Power New Kenwood Models

Garmin and Kenwood are firming up their agreements ahead of 2008 models going on sale so that the Garmin navigation capabilities power the new Kenwood units that include navigation. It keeps both Kenwood and Garmin in their own areas of what they do best. Not only does Kenwood get a great navigation platform, but they can integrate it into some fantastic entertainment units without worrying about developing a navigation interface that would most likely be second rate at best.

Press Release follows...

Garmin International announced today that it is the exclusive navigation supplier to Kenwood's new 2008 lineup of in-dash automotive electronics.

"We have been very pleased with Kenwood's success in selling Garmin-equipped units since we started our partnership in 2006, and we're expecting even greater things in 2008," said Dan Bartel, Garmin's vice president of worldwide sales. "We have developed an integrated marketing strategy with Kenwood that will benefit dealers and consumers."

Garmin and Kenwood will work together on print, radio, and online advertising, as well as a dedicated internet site and point of purchase materials to inform customers. The program will extend through 2008.

"The alliance between Kenwood and Garmin is very unique to the consumer electronics industry," said Keith Lehman, senior vice president of Kenwood USA Corporation. "The combination of Kenwood's multimedia, in-car technologies and Garmin's GPS navigation technologies has produced a remarkable line of advanced products that appeal to even the most demanding customers. With our joint promotional activity already underway, we expect 2008 to be a very successful year."

These new Kenwood multimedia units feature either built-in or optional navigation by Garmin, the worldwide leader in GPS with more than 31 million automotive and recreational devices delivered to date. The navigation component features pre-loaded maps of North America or Europe, along with six million points of interest with an easy-to-use touchscreen interface for hassle-free driving. The Garmin system uses internal flash memory for driving the navigation software engine so there's no need to swap navigation discs as with many competitive models. Other optional features available on these cutting-edge units include Satellite Radio, HD Radio, Bluetooth, high-speed iPod audio and video control, and more.