Amerigon Incorporated today announced that its proprietary Climate Control Seat(TM) (CCS(TM)) system has been engineered into General Motors' next generation full-size sport utility vehicles (SUVs). By being designed into the new SUVs, Amerigon's CCS heated and cooled seats can be made available over a broad range of GM full-size SUVs.

CCS is the only actively heated and cooled seat system currently on the automotive market providing individual driver and passenger comfort and also has the distinction of being completely environmentally friendly. The heat pump uses no CFCs or other environmentally-sensitive coolants and is built around a solid-state Thermoelectric Device (TED) that rapidly converts electric current into either heat or cold.

CCS has been included as a standard feature on the Platinum Edition of the Cadillac Escalade ESV since the 2004 model year, and it is also offered on the new model year 2006 Cadillac DTS and the Cadillac XLR, as well as the 2006 Buick Lucerne.

About the Climate Control Seat(TM) (CCS(TM)) System

Amerigon's proprietary CCS system significantly enhances individual driver and passenger comfort in virtually all climatic conditions by providing cooling and heating to seat occupants, as desired, using a proprietary solid- state heat pump combined with an active, microprocessor-controlled temperature management system. Ambient air is drawn into the system from the cabin of the vehicle and, based on input from individual seat controls and from temperature sensors built into CCS, the system's advanced heat pump heats or cools the air. The heat pump is built around a highly efficient, solid-state thermoelectric device (TED) that rapidly converts electric current into the desired thermal effect (hot or cold).