Collaboration Between Fender Musical Instruments Corporation And Panasonic Automotive Systems Bring The Fender™ Premium Audio System To Three New Vehicles

DETROIT, Jan. 22, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- The Fender Premium Audio System, a product born out of the 2007 collaboration between two brands known for precision engineering and a passion for innovation, celebrates its global availability on three additional Volkswagen vehicles — the 2013 Beetle Fender Edition, 2013 Beetle convertible and the 2014 Tiguan R-line.

Developed with the intention of recreating the raw emotion of a live performance, Panasonic Automotive Systems Company of America and Fender^® engineers worked directly with Volkswagen to tune each system to the individual characteristics and needs of both vehicles. The Beetle Convertible features two separate and distinct system tunings that are automatically selected, whether the top is up or down.

Introduced at the LA Auto Show in November, the Beetle Convertible has three engine options, including turbo and TDI^®, Clean Diesel versions, each of which feature the Fender Premium Audio System in its "Sound and Navigation" package.

The Beetle Fender Edition incorporates a number of specialized interior and exterior Fender touches. Among them:

• A dashboard in the quintessential "3-Color Sunburst" color of Fender guitars
• Leather details and floor mats with color contrasting seams that are in perfect harmony with the dashboard design
• The iconic Fender logo in two chrome side panel badges,
• Proprietary Panasonic speaker technology that cuts through noise to reproduce the elements of a live concert in the vehicle.  

Highlights of the Beetle Fender Edition premium audio system include nine uniquely designed speakers, a 10-channel amplifier with 400-watt output, and a dual voice coil subwoofer.

The 2014 Tiguan R-Line becomes the latest Volkswagen model to adopt the Fender Premium Audio System.  It will feature a 10-channel, 400-watt amplifier with eight speakers and a rear subwoofer.

The Fender Premium Audio System also is found on the following Volkswagen models in the U.S.: the 2013 Beetle, Passat, and Jetta line-up.

About Volkswagen
You'll find further information, texts, pictures and technical data all around the Volkswagen models in the press database at: www.media.vw.com.

About Fender Musical Instruments Corporation:
Fender^® is a leading U.S. guitar and amplifier brand and a name that is synonymous with rock 'n' roll. With an illustrious history dating back to 1946, Fender has touched and transformed music worldwide and in nearly every genre: rock 'n'roll, country and western, jazz, rhythm and blues, and many more. Everyone from enthusiasts and beginners to the world's most acclaimed artists and performers has used Fender instruments and amplifiers, in the process making the company not only a revered music industry name, but also a cultural icon. For more information, visit www.fender.com.

About Panasonic Automotive Systems Company of America
Based in Peachtree City, Georgia, and with Detroit-area operations located in Farmington Hills, Mich., Panasonic Automotive Systems Company of America is a division company of Secaucus, New Jersey-based Panasonic Corporation of North America, the principal North American subsidiary of Panasonic Corporation. (NYSE: PC) of Osaka, Japan, one of the world's leading developers and producers of innovative digital and other electronic products for consumer, business and industrial use. Panasonic Automotive Systems Company of America also acts as the North American operating company of Panasonic's Automotive Systems Company of Japan, which coordinates global automotive industry systems and components operations. For more information on Panasonic Automotive, please visit: www.panasonic.com/business/automotive.

SOURCE Panasonic Automotive Systems Company of America