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EXHIBIT 99.1
Media Contacts:
Iteris, Inc.
Anne M. Warde
949-588-1124
email: [email protected]
Ford Motor Company
Sara Tatchio
313-322-7998
[email protected]
ITERIS CHOSEN BY FORD MOTOR COMPANY AS EXCLUSIVE SOURCE FOR
LANE DEPARTURE WARNING SYSTEM
ANAHEIM, CA - August 16, 2000 - Iteris, Inc., a subsidiary of Odetics, Inc.
(NASDAQ: ODETA & ODETB), has reached an agreement with Ford Motor Company
(NYSE: F) to become the exclusive supplier of the optical lane departure warning
systems to be installed on future Ford, Lincoln and Mercury badged vehicles
produced and sold in North America. This agreement marks Iteris's initial entry
into the domestic consumer automotive market with AutoVue, the first video-based
in-vehicle sensor to be made available to consumers on vehicles as early as
model year 2003.
"Our agreement with Ford literally paves the way for our AutoVue product
becoming a standard option on consumer vehicles in the United States," said
Francis Memole, vice president of vehicle sensors for Iteris. "Ford
manufactures more than 7 million cars and trucks worldwide per year. As a
result of this agreement, we could be shipping as many as 50,000 units the first
year alone. Consumers could see our lane departure warning systems on vehicles
as early as mid-year 2002 on the 2003 models."
Dave McNamara, engineering manager for Ford Motor Company said, "It's this
type of `smart technology' that we at Ford feel can enhance the safety of our
vehicles."
-more-
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2/2/2 Iteris Chosen by Ford Motor Company as Exclusive Source for Lane Departure
Warning System
In addition to the purchase agreement, Ford has agreed to help promote the
lane departure warning system feature on their Mazda, Jaguar, Ford of Europe and
Volvo brands.
Lane departures are the number one cause of fatal accidents in the United
States accounting for more than 39 percent of crash-related fatalities. The
AutoVue lane departure warning system was designed to address the growing number
of accidents caused by drowsy and inattentive drivers by warning drivers of an
unintended lane departure before it occurs. Recently the National Highway
Transportation Safety Administration (NHTSA) has claimed that as many as
1,575,000 accidents annually are caused by distracted drivers; a large
percentage of which can be attributed to unintended lane departures. Lane
departures are also identified by the government as a major cause of rollover
incidents involving sport utility vehicles (SUVs) and light trucks.
The AutoVue system uses a highly sensitive, computerized camera and a
combination of sophisticated lane recognition algorithms and proprietary image
recognition software and hardware to track lane markings in the road. AutoVue
is a compact device that resides inside the vehicle on the windshield.
When the AutoVue system detects that an unintended lane change is about to
occur, it alerts the driver by emulating a distinctive rumble strip sound,
allowing the driver time to correct the situation in a controlled manner. This
particular alarm sound was chosen after thorough research proved it to be most
effective for warning a driver without causing them to overreact.
AutoVue works effectively both day and night and in most weather conditions
where the lane markings are visible. By simply using the turn signal, a driver
indicates to the system that a planned lane departure is intended and the alarm
does not sound.
-more-
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3/3/3 Iteris Chosen by Ford Motor Company as Exclusive Source for Lane Departure
Warning System
In June of this year, Iteris accomplished the industry's first large-scale
deployment of video-based in-vehicle sensors with the production order shipment
of its AutoVue lane departure warning system to DaimlerChrysler in Europe. The
AutoVue system is currently available as an option on Mercedes Actros trucks.
About Iteris, Inc.
Iteris, Inc., a subsidiary of Odetics, Inc., is a leading provider of
advanced information, software and sensor technologies that improve the
efficiency and safety of surface transportation. Iteris has combined
information technology, system integration and applied sensors to offer a broad
range of transportation solutions. For more information, see the Iteris web
site at http://www.iteris.com.
Important Notice:
This release contains statements, which may be deemed to be forward
looking. Actual results could differ materially from those projected in the
forward-looking statements as a result of risk factors such as: short product
lives, technological shifts, current technical issues that cannot be resolved on
a timely basis, component availability, competition (including new and directly
competitive products from others), pricing pressures, incorrect assumptions
regarding market demand, and the significant uncertainty of market acceptance of
new products by both distributors and end-user customers.
Investors are strongly encouraged to review the risk factors set forth in
the Odetics, Inc.'s Annual Report for the fiscal year ended March 31, 1999 on
Form 10-K and Quarterly Report for the quarter ended December 31, 1999 on Form
10-Q filed with the SEC.
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