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Visteon Achieves World First With New Jaguar S-Type

20 October 1998

Visteon Achieves World First With New Jaguar S-Type - The 'Listening' Car

    BIRMINGHAM, England, Oct. 20 -- Visteon has achieved an
automotive industry 'world first' by providing the new Jaguar S-Type with
voice activation technology -- a major breakthrough in motoring convenience
and safety.
    The Visteon voice activated module enables the driver to control a number
of in-car systems, simply by speaking.  Drivers can switch to voice activation
at any time, by pressing a 'voice' button on the steering wheel.  They can
then control the audio systems, climate control system and telephone
functions, by using simple voice commands.
    The system is instantaneous and 'speaker independent,' allowing it to
recognise a range of voices, with the ability to adapt to different accents
and dialects.  It also understands continuous and natural patterns of speech,
in whichever language it is programmed, so that the user does not have to
remember fixed instructions, or artificially pause between words.
Importantly, drivers can keep their eyes on the road and hands on the wheel,
focusing their attention on driving rather than operating controls.
    Visteon's Jaguar Vehicle Line Manager, Huw Davies, said: "Voice activation
is breakthrough technology, which will contribute significantly to driver
safety.  It is fitting that it has been introduced on the Jaguar S-Type, which
sets new standards of motoring excellence."
    "Our involvement in the Jaguar S-Type demonstrates how Visteon can harness
its global resources to the benefit of the vehicle manufacturer, by providing
a very wide range of systems engineering technology and expertise," said
Davis.
    As a result of its work on the S-Type and other Jaguar programmes, Visteon
has established a highly successful partnership with Jaguar.
    Visteon engineers have been co-located with Jaguar from the start of the
development process.  A nine strong Visteon team is split between the Jaguar
Engineering Centre at Whitley, Coventry, and Jaguar's Castle Bromwich factory,
where the S-Type will be built.
    In order to strengthen its links with Jaguar and other UK-based auto
manufacturers even further, Visteon is planning to open a new office at
Coventry early next year.  The organisation has already opened a number of
such offices around the world, strategically located close to major vehicle
manufacturers.
    Visteon Automotive Systems, an enterprise of Ford Motor Company ,
has 82,000 employees located in 21 countries.  Visteon has 81 plants,
including 32 joint ventures, and 36 sales offices and engineering and
technical centres.  Visteon's corporate headquarters is located in Dearborn,
Michigan.