ATX Proposes .car Initiative to Facilitate Safe Web Browsing in Vehicles

Telematics Provider Requests Connected Vehicle Trade Association to Organize Coalition to Promote Tools for In-Vehicle Web Design

DALLAS-FORT WORTH, Texas, May 19 /PRNewswire/ — ATX Group, the world’s
largest independent telematics services provider to the automotive
industry, today announced an initiative with the Detroit-based Connected
Vehicle Trade Association (CVTA) to convene an international work group to
address how to safely access internet content through embedded and nomadic
devices in vehicles.

ATX, as the convener of the working group, and CVTA will launch an
immediate effort to invite automobile manufacturers and interested parties
in the automotive electronics value chain to participate in an open
discussion and process for setting requirements for in-vehicle Web
browsing. An industry forum on the proposal will follow when the industry
meets in Detroit from Oct. 20-22, 2008.

ATX also is proposing a generic top-level domain - dot.car (.car),
similar to dot.com (.com) - that would enable Web sites to be specifically
designed to meet the challenging safety and consumer requirements for
delivering Web content into the vehicle.

“The Web has become such a daily part of our lives, its pervasive use
in the vehicle is inevitable and demands that the industry agree on
specific formats that will adapt the traditional Web browsing experience to
the driving experience,” said ATX President and CEO Steve Millstein. “This
proposal is similar to the adaptation that was required to develop and
interface between the smart phone and the Web. Browsing the Internet in the
vehicle is a unique environment with unique characteristics.”

“ATX is a valued member of CVTA, and we fully support their thought
leadership in convening this initiative,” added Scott McCormick, president
of the CVTA (http://www.connectedvehicle.org). “Internet content is beginning to
enter the vehicle environment, and we need to bring together all the
stakeholders addressing safe means of obtaining, viewing and interacting
with this content. This is a timely and important topic that we hope will
draw global interest across a variety of affected industries.”

In addition to Web content, it is envisioned that dot.car Web sites
could also utilize such telematics-centric, real-time data as vehicle
performance and maintenance diagnostics data, as well as vehicle location
data. Also proposed is a telematics firewall process specifically designed
to ensure the total protection of the vehicle from content that is
delivered over the air to the in-vehicle browser for the entire life cycle
of the automobile.

As envisioned, the initial users will be automobile manufacturers and
their technology and communications partners and suppliers. This group
would need to define requirements in regards to the expected user
experience. While the primary vision of the dot.car domain is to give
motorists the ability to surf the World Wide Web and experience customized
Web browsing, automobile manufacturers would benefit from the process by:

— Ensuring flexibility to adapt the embedded user interface for the life
of the vehicle;
— Dramatically reducing lead time to market compared to the current
embedded software design process;
— Achieving the capability to customize according to vehicle model,
country and motorist;
— Facilitating easy customer access to content and updates;
— Meeting customer expectations of web browsing while keeping a safe and
convenient driving experience.

Anyone interested in participating in early discussions or receiving
notice of the October forum is encouraged to send their contact information
to CVTA at sjm@connectedvehicle.org.

ABOUT ATX: Based in Dallas-Fort Worth, Texas, and Dusseldorf, Germany,
ATX Group is the world’s largest provider of customized telematics services
to the automotive industry, serving both North America and Europe. ATX
telematics services are designed to provide enhanced safety, security and
driving convenience to vehicle owners. These services include
location-specific emergency and roadside assistance, automatic collision
notification, stolen vehicle recovery, remote diagnostics and real-time
traffic and navigation assistance. ATX also customizes telematics services
to help automobile manufacturers and their affiliated dealerships to use
telematics data to reduce costs, enhance vehicle servicing, and more
closely manage customer relationships. ATX services are provided to vehicle
owners through the brand names of its customers — BMW, PSA Peugeot
Citroen, Mercedes-Benz, Maybach, and Rolls-Royce Motor Cars. For more
information, visit http://www.atxg.com .

ATX Group