Frost & Sullivan Presents Crambo with 2009 European Telematics Product Innovation Green Excellence Award for Vexia Econav

LONDON -

The Frost & Sullivan 2009 European Telematics Product Innovation Green Excellence Award is presented to Crambo for its Vexia Econav, an innovative, cost saving and eco-friendly satellite navigation product range.

(Logo: www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20081117/FSLOGO)

The Vexia 300/400 Econav series smartly incorporates intelligent driving recommendations into navigation to reduce fuel consumption and carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions. Since being launched in Spain in 2008, Crambo has registered sales of 18,000 units. Targeted initially at the retail segment, the product is expected to be available across major markets including Germany, UK, Portugal and France, before the end of 2009.

Product tests suggest that Econav’s usage could reduce fuel consumption by up to 30 per cent, resulting in a similar reduction in CO2 emissions. Such fuel savings means that the device pays for itself within six months and subsequent cost savings represent the actual return on investment.

“Typically, for an efficient driver who drives the vehicle under near optimum conditions, the reduction in fuel consumption could be at least 10 per cent while, for an aggressive driver who is unaware and uninterested about optimum driving conditions, it could be as high as 30 per cent,” explains Frost & Sullivan Research Analyst Karthik Elamvaluthi. “Ideally, this translates into 10 to 20 per cent reduction in CO2 emitted. Effectively, therefore, Econav ensures economical, ecological and safe driving.”

Econav provides green driving tips based on certain critical vehicle-specific parameters like make and model, gearbox type, vehicle profile, fuel type, gear numbers, type of vehicle and number of passengers. The philosophy behind Econav is that each and every vehicle could be at its eco-best (high on fuel economy and low on pollution), when driven under a certain set of optimum driving conditions that include the right gear for the right speed, right acceleration and so on.

“Given the fact that very few drivers are aware of such driving conditions, it becomes even more relevant to have a device that would provide the critical recommendations to ensure eco-friendly driving,” remarks Elamvaluthi. “Econav rightly presents these set of vehicle-specific parameters to its users, helping them not only to reduce their carbon footprint, but also save fuel and money.”

The device allows the users to choose their vehicle from the built-in 7,000 vehicles database or configure their vehicle manually. While most of the navigation devices in the market focus on route optimisation and eco-friendly routes for minimising fuel consumption, Econav focuses entirely on influencing driver behaviour and tuning it to suit the optimum driving conditions for the given vehicle.

“With the ever growing awareness on climate change among the public and political community, Frost & Sullivan believes that there would be significant demand and acceptance of products such as Econav across Europe,” comments Elamvaluthi. “Moreover, apart from providing the basic benefits of a typical navigation device, Econav helps its users reduce their carbon footprint, save more fuel and importantly, save more money. These facts make Crambo the worthy recipient of the Frost & Sullivan 2009 European Telematics Product Innovation Green Excellence Award.”

The Frost & Sullivan Green Excellence Award in Product Innovation is presented to a company that has demonstrated unique product design and development initiatives, which is aligned with a sustainable and environmentally conscious objective within its industry sector. This Award signifies the company’s identification of a unique and revolutionary solution with significant environmental benefits, while presenting tremendous market potential simultaneously. Moreover, the Award also signifies that the company’s overall business strategy is sound and poised for success.

Frost & Sullivan Best Practices Awards recognise companies in a variety of regional and global markets for demonstrating outstanding achievement and superior performance in areas such as leadership, technological innovation, customer service, and strategic product development. Industry analysts compare market participants and measure performance through in-depth interviews, analysis, and extensive secondary research in order to identify best practices in the industry.

About Crambo

Crambo formed over twenty years ago and has always been associated with innovative technology (0,5% of the patent requests placed in Spain in 2008).

The company is an important distributor of technology in Spain. In November 2008 launched its own technology brand, Vexia and created the first ecological GPS in the world.

Crambo Contact: www.crambo.es www.vexia.co.uk Nilo Garcia Manchado CEO nilo@crambo.es Miguel Angel Garcia Manchado VP Consumer Products miguel@crambo.es Sergio Hernandez Cabanillas Marketing Manager sergio@crambo.es

About Frost & Sullivan

Frost & Sullivan, the Growth Partnership Company, enables clients to accelerate growth and achieve best in class positions in growth, innovation and leadership. The company’s Growth Partnership Service provides the CEO and the CEO’s Growth Team with disciplined research and best practice models to drive the generation, evaluation, and implementation of powerful growth strategies. Frost & Sullivan leverages over 45 years of experience in partnering with Global 1000 companies, emerging businesses and the investment community from more than 35 offices on six continents. To join our Growth Partnership, please visit www.frost.com.

Frost & Sullivan Contact:

Ciara Jamie Connolly, Senior Events & Promotions Executive/ EMEA, Best Practices, Frost & Sullivan, ciara.connolly@frost.com, P: +44-(0 )-207-915-7868, F: +44-(0)-207-730-3343, www.frost.com

Source: Frost & Sullivan

Ciara Jamie Connolly, Senior Events & Promotions Executive/ EMEA, Best Practices, Frost & Sullivan, +44-(0)-207-915-7868, F: +44-(0)-207-730-3343, ciara.connolly at frost.com; Nilo Garcia Manchado, CEO, nilo at crambo.es, or Miguel Angel Garcia Manchado, VP Consumer Products, miguel at crambo.es, or Sergio Hernandez Cabanillas, Marketing Manager, sergio at crambo.es, all of Crambo. Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20081117/FSLOGO