Amerigon Heated and Ventilated Seat System Available in 2011 Hyundai Sonata in China

NORTHVILLE, Mich., March 5, 2012 /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 is being offered as an option on the front seats of the mid-size 2011 Hyundai Sonata being sold in China.

In August 2010, Amerigon announced that the heated and ventilated seat system was being offered as an option in the 2011 Hyundai Sonata sold in Korea. With the availability of the option on Sonatas sold in China, Amerigon has expanded its opportunity for additional sales of its seat systems in this very important market.

Amerigon President and Chief Executive Officer Daniel R. Coker said, "The expansion of our heated and ventilated seat system on the Hyundai Sonata in the Chinese market is an endorsement of the interest in these systems by automotive manufacturers and consumers alike. Sonata buyers' interest in our heated and ventilated seat system in Korea is high, and we expect to see similar results in China. We remain committed to working with Hyundai to provide unparalleled passenger comfort around the world."

In addition to the Hyundai Sonata, the Hyundai Tucson and Hyundai Azera also offer Amerigon's heated and ventilated seat system. Hyundai vehicles featuring Amerigon's proprietary Climate Control Seat® (CCS®) system, which delivers active, individually controlled heated or cooled air to seat occupants, include the Hyundai Equus and Hyundai Genesis.

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 and W.E.T. 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 approximately $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.