Garmin Teams with Ford to Sell nüvi Navigators

OLATHE, Kan./February 6, 2007/PR Newswire — Garmin International Inc., a unit of Garmin Ltd. (Nasdaq: GRMN), today announced that Ford Component Sales, LLC, a subsidiary of Ford Motor Company (NYSE: F) will begin offering the nüvi 680 with MSN Direct and the nüvi 360 – two award-winning personal navigation devices – in Ford, Lincoln, and Mercury dealerships across the United States.“We are delighted to help Ford offer its customers the most advanced personal navigation devices available,” said Dan Bartel, Garmin’s vice president of worldwide sales. “Selling GPS navigation at the dealer level gives Ford the ability to offer its customers one of the hottest emerging technologies today – and it’s available to customers when they’re already in a buying mood.”"We want to provide our consumers the latest in portable navigation technology, and Garmin has the products that fill that need," said Mike Suchodolski, Ford Licensed Accessories manager. "Consumers can now get another great automotive product through their local Ford or Lincoln Mercury dealership, and enhance their overall driving experience. The MSN Direct services and dynamic trip routing are amazing and they can save you time. Consumers will also love the other great features the nüvis have to offer."The nüvi 680 is Garmin’s top-of-the-line navigator that features a super-bright 4.3-inch touchscreen and dynamic data from Microsoft’s MSN Direct network. The unit receives up-to-date traffic incident and flow information for major cities across the United States. Once a motorist programs a destination into the device, MSN Direct traffic data helps select a route that saves drivers time by avoiding traffic accidents, road closures, and construction.The nüvi 680 with MSN Direct also receives gas price data from over 100,000 gas stations across the nation. Drivers will always know where to get the best prices – and save time and fuel by using their unit to navigate directly to the station of their choice. In addition, the nüvi 680 features current weather conditions, three day weather forecasts, and even displays movie show times for area theaters.Ford will also offer the nüvi 360, a smaller (3.5-inch display) navigator that does not display MSN Direct data. Both devices incorporate easy-to-use turn-by-turn voice-prompted directions that speak street names — making it easy to find your way anywhere in the United States, Canada, or Puerto Rico. The two nüvis feature Bluetooth wireless technology – allowing users to send and receive phone calls through their device (for supported phones). Both units also feature an MP3 player, audio book player, language translator and travel guide capability, currency converter, world travel clock, and more.The Ford-branded nüvis also feature a custom splash screen and database of Ford and Lincoln Mercury dealerships and Quick Lane™ service centers across the US. The units will be sold in a special Ford Official Licensed Product branded retail box. The portable unit easily mounts to any Ford Motor Company vehicle, and can be used for pedestrian navigation as well.The Ford-branded nüvis will be available at the end of March. Ford dealerships will display interactive point-of-purchase displays and collateral materials that highlight nüvi’s many features.