Climate-controlled seat pioneer Amerigon Incorporated recently shipped its milestone three millionth Climate Control Seat (CCS) system.
The supplier began commercial shipments of its proprietary CCS system in late 1999 – this unique product allows the driver and passengers to individually heat or cool their seats.
“Our innovative CCS system continues to be well received around the world as more and more vehicle buyers and automotive and seat manufacturers have come to appreciate the value of personal comfort in any climate,” said Amerigon president and CEO Daniel Coker.
“We own the global market for heated and cooled, heated and ventilated and heated seat systems, which we estimate will be valued at approximately $US1bn by 2010.”
The CCS system is integrated into a vehicle seat and operates through a self-contained, cooling and heating system that is based on the company’s patented TE technology.
CCS was first introduced as an option for Ford’s 2000 model year Lincoln Navigator SUV.
What began as an option for high-end, luxury vehicles, is now moving into higher volume, mid-range vehicles, and is currently available in 21 vehicles made by Ford, General Motors, Toyota, Nissan and Hyundai.
In 2003, Amerigon launched a newly-designed and more efficient version of CCS that incorporates the Company’s new micro thermal module (MTM) technology.
The new generation system is smaller, lighter, quieter and more versatile.
In 2005, Amerigon began producing for use in several new vehicles MTMs with a number of improvements, the third generation of CCS development in under five years.
Further generations of CCS are under development and are expected to be launched on future vehicle models in North America, Asia and Europe over the next several quarters, Coker said.
