Amerigon Launches Heated and Cooled Dual Cup Holder in 2011 Dodge Charger

NORTHVILLE, Mich., Dec. 23, 2010 /PRNewswire/ -- Amerigon Incorporated (Nasdaq: ARGN), a leader in developing and marketing products based on advanced thermoelectric (TE) technologies, announced today that its new proprietary heated and cooled cup holder will debut in a 2011 Dodge Charger, marking the first time an Amerigon product has been featured in a vehicle built by Chrysler and the first vehicle to offer the Amerigon cup holder.  The dual cup holder, like Amerigon's popular heated and cooled Climate Control Seat® System (CCS®), is based on the Company's advanced TE technology.

Much like the seat system, the dual cup holder provides separate temperature settings in each holder allowing the driver and passenger to individually maintain a heated or cooled beverage.  The cup holder requires low power consumption and incorporates proven automotive grade ruggedness, reliability and drink retention features.

Amerigon President and Chief Executive Officer Daniel R. Coker said, "The commercial launch of our heated and cooled cup holder marks two important and exciting milestones for Amerigon.  First, this is our debut product with Chrysler, a historic and respected car maker with a brand known literally around the world.  Second, the 2011 Dodge is the first vehicle to offer our cup holder, another natural application of our thermoelectric technology. We believe the thermoelectric technologies we are developing at Amerigon have a great number of unique commercial applications that will be successful in the marketplace."

Amerigon is the largest supplier of TE systems for cars with more than 6.5 million thermoelectric-based seat systems sold.  A total of 49 vehicles feature the CCS system including those manufactured by Ford, General Motors, Toyota, Nissan, Hyundai, Kia and Tata Motors.

Thermoelectric Technology

Thermoelectric technology relates to the direct conversion of electrical current to thermal energy (Peltier effect) or the direct conversion of heat differentials to electric current (Seebeck effect).  Advanced TEs are more environmentally friendly than conventional compressed gas systems, less complex because they have no moving parts, more compact and lighter in weight.  A single TE device provides both heating and cooling in Amerigon's automotive applications.

About Amerigon

Amerigon (NASDAQ-GS: ARGN) develops products based on its advanced, proprietary, efficient thermoelectric (TE) technologies for a wide range of global markets and heating and cooling applications. The Company's current principal product is its proprietary Climate Control Seat® (CCS®) system, a solid-state, TE-based system that permits drivers and passengers of vehicles to individually and actively control the heating and cooling of their respective seats to ensure maximum year-round comfort. CCS, which is the only system of its type on the market today, uses no CFCs or other environmentally sensitive coolants. Amerigon maintains sales and technical support centers in Southern California, Southeast Michigan, Japan, Germany, England and Korea.  For more information, visit the Company's website at www.amerigon.com.

Certain matters discussed in this release are forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties, and actual results may be different.  Important factors that could cause the Company's actual results to differ materially from its expectations in this release are risks that sales may not significantly increase, additional financing, if necessary, may not be available, new competitors may arise and adverse conditions in the automotive industry may negatively affect its results.  The liquidity and trading price of its common stock may be negatively affected by these and other factors.  Please also refer to Amerigon's Securities and Exchange Commission filings and reports, including, but not limited to, its Form 10-Q for the period ended September 30, 2010, and its Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2009.

SOURCE Amerigon Incorporated