Amerigon Heated and Ventilated Seat System to be Offered as Option in 2011 Kia Optima in China

NORTHVILLE, Mich., Nov. 30, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Amerigon Incorporated (NASDAQ-GS: ARGN), a global developer and marketer of innovative thermal management technologies for a broad range of heating and cooling and temperature control applications, today announced that its proprietary heated and ventilated seat system will be offered as a front-seat option in the all-new, mid-size 2011 Kia Optima being sold in China. 

In August 2010, Amerigon announced that the heated and ventilated seat system was being offered in the 2011 Kia Optima sold in North America, and today's announcement further expands Amerigon's opportunity for sales of its seat system in the Chinese market.

Amerigon President and Chief Executive Officer Daniel R. Coker noted that the Optima increases the Kia offering of the Company's heated and ventilated seat system in China.  The seat system is also available in China on the 2011 Kia Sportage. 

"Kia is a valued customer and its offering of our seat system in the new Optima being sold in China underscores an important expansion of our relationship," Coker said.  "Amerigon is working very hard to expand its presence in China and we believe the Optima will be very successful in helping increase our penetration of the rapidly growing Chinese market.  We expect to continue working closely with Kia to increase our presence in China and other key markets around the world."

In addition to the Kia Optima and Kia Sportage, the Kia Mohave/Borrego also offers Amerigon's heated and ventilated seat system.  Kia vehicles featuring Amerigon's proprietary Climate Control Seat® (CCS®) system, which delivers active, individually controlled heated or cooled air to seat occupants, include the Kia Opirus/Amanti full-size sedans.

About the Amerigon Heated and Ventilated Seat System

The Amerigon heated and ventilated seat system combines passive cooling or ventilation with active heating.  For cooler environments or more economical vehicle lines, a ventilated seat may be a viable solution, bringing ambient cabin air to the surface instead of the "cooled" air produced by the thermoelectric technology.  In the cooling mode, the heater is turned off and the fan provides ambient cabin air to the seat surface.  In the heating mode, the vent only system is supplemented with more traditional resistive heating elements.  Amerigon's heated and ventilated seat system fits within the same envelope as the active CCS system, so multiple Amerigon applications can be installed within or across various vehicle platforms.

About Amerigon

Amerigon (NASDAQ-GS: ARGN) is a global developer and marketer of innovative thermal management technologies for a broad range of heating and cooling and temperature control applications. Automotive products based on Amerigon technologies include actively heated and cooled seat systems and cup holders, heated and ventilated seat systems, heated seat and steering wheel systems, cable systems and other electronic devices. Its advanced technology team is developing more efficient materials for thermoelectrics and systems for waste heat recovery and electrical power generation for the automotive market that also have far-reaching applications for consumer products as well as industrial and technology markets. Amerigon has $500 million in annual revenues and 5,000 employees in facilities in the U.S., Germany, Mexico, China, Canada, Japan, England, Korea and the Ukraine.  For more information, go to 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, 2011, and its Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2010.

SOURCE Amerigon Incorporated

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