A Successful Start to the 2019 Trade Fair Season: paragon Innovations Make the Car of Tomorrow Smarter

- A world first: AI-powered virtual assistant "Edwin" generated strong interest at CES 2019 - "perfect speaker" impresses specialists in attendance

- paragon to showcase the new sensor-based belt monitoring system "Seat Belt Observer" at the CAR-Symposium trade fair in Bochum, Germany, from February 5-7

- Subsidiary Voltabox presented a number of impressive mass-market applications at CES 2019 and will unveil its newly developed standard container at the ElekBu 2019 electric bus conference from February 5-6

Delbrück, Germany, January 31, 2019 - paragon [ISIN DE0005558696] made a successful start to the 2019 trade fair season at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas. According to Klaus Dieter Frers, Chairman of the Board of paragon, "Our time at CES was a complete success. It was the perfect showcase for us. Our innovations attracted just as much attention from our target audience as some much larger suppliers. Now it's all about making the best possible use of those contacts."

The automotive supplier used the world's largest consumer electronics trade fair to present the most recent innovations developed by their Sensors, Interior and Digital Assistance business units at the start of January. The listed subsidiary Voltabox was also there, showcasing a variety of e-mobility solutions and their extensive level of application expertise. Both paragon and Voltabox see their time at CES as a complete success and expect their attendance to boost their performance even further.

"Our products provide solutions for the mobility requirements of tomorrow. paragon's innovations make vehicles smarter and more digital, and they also help them with autonomous driving tasks. At CES, we showed that Germany is a global leader in providing solutions for automotive megatrends," said Dr. Matthias Schöllmann, Managing Director of paragon GmbH. "One excellent example of this is "Edwin." Our smart device makes communication between man and machine easier than ever before, while still providing a wide range of functions."

Innovations for Vehicle Interiors Attract Attention

The AI-powered virtual assistant was met with particularly high interest at CES. The technology lets users control more than 200 functions in their car with speech commands. Some well-established OEMs are in the process of manufacturing vehicle models equipped with similar software, including the premium model Audi A8. The system responds to indirect commands and proactively offers suggestions. For example, if a passenger were to say something like "It's pretty hot in here!", the assistant might offer to lower the temperature by two degrees. The technology takes the position of the user, their personal preferences and information from other digital applications into account during its interactions with passengers. The "Edwin" device represents an easier way to integrate this level of comfort into current vehicle models in 25 languages.

Another highlight from CES was paragon's presentation of the "perfect speaker." The speaker uses intelligent software to compensate for distortion inside a vehicle. This allows paragon to build speakers that are much smaller without sacrificing sound quality. This saves automotive manufacturers money and gives them extra weight to play with by removing the need for bulky subwoofers.

paragon also demonstrated the innovative sensor-based "Seat Belt Observer" and "Vital Data Recognition" systems.

Voltabox Presents Impressive Range of Established and New Products in Electrification

The subsidiary Voltabox attended CES for the first time and used the opportunity to present its own range of products used in the electrification of vehicles. In addition to showcasing its internally developed, flexible and scalable battery module kit, Voltabox's presentation also focused on starter batteries, some of which can be controlled using an app. Those who stopped by the joint booth were also particularly interested in Voltabox's expertise in the area of battery systems for e-bikes and pedelecs. These forms of transport are currently seeing a boom in popularity, some of which is down to the kind of technological innovation that Voltabox is driving forward. Voltabox will be unveiling its newly developed standard container for trolleybuses at ElekBu 2019, a specialist conference for electric buses established by the Association of German Transport Companies. The new container has an energy content of 15.2 kWh and a maximum charge/discharge power of 80 kW. ElekBu will be held on February 5-6 in Berlin. Dr. Patrick Ries, the Head of Sales for Voltabox's Voltapower segment, will be giving a presentation on "Advanced Modern Lithium Ion Technology and Its Applications."

paragon's Next Appearance: CAR-Symposium Trade Fair in Bochum in Early February

paragon will be attending other trade fairs and events throughout the year to present its wide range of products, with a focus on innovations related to the increasing digitalization of vehicles. Fresh off its successful visit to CES, paragon will be attending the renowned CAR-Symposium at Bochum's RuhrCongress Center on February 5-7, 2019. Ralf Mönkemöller, Head of the Sensors unit, will represent paragon by giving a presentation entitled "Seat Belt Observer - Belt-Integrated Sensors Can Save Lives". The system is a reliable way to ensure that seat belts are used properly, greatly increasing the safety of everybody in the vehicle.



About paragon GmbH & Co. KGaA

paragon GmbH & Co. KGaA (ISIN DE0005558696), which is listed in the regulated market (Prime Standard) of the Frankfurt Stock Exchange, develops, produces and distributes forward-looking solutions in the field of automotive electronics, body kinematics and e-mobility. As a market-leading direct supplier to the automotive industry, the company's portfolio includes the Electronics operating segment's innovative air-quality management, state-of-the-art display systems and connectivity solutions, and high-end acoustic systems. In the Mechanics operating segment, paragon develops and produces active mobile aerodynamic systems. With Voltabox AG, a subsidiary that is also listed on the regulated market (Prime Standard) of the Frankfurt Stock Exchange, the Group is also active in the rapidly growing Electromobility operating segment with its cutting-edge lithium-ion battery systems developed in-house.

In addition to the company headquarters in Delbrück (North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany), paragon GmbH & Co. KGaA and its subsidiaries operate sites in Suhl (Thuringia, Germany), Landsberg am Lech, Neu-Ulm and Nuremberg (Bavaria, Germany), Korntal-Münchingen and St. Georgen (Baden-Württemberg, Germany), Bexbach and Saarbrücken (Saarland, Germany) and Aachen (North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany) as well as in Kunshan (China) and Cedar Park, Texas (USA).

Additional information about paragon can be found at www.paragon.ag.

 

Financial Press & Investor Relations Contact

paragon GmbH & Co. KGaA

Dr. Kai Holtmann
Artegastrasse 1
33129 Delbrück, Germany
Phone: +49 (0) 52 50 - 97 62-140
Fax: +49 (0) 52 50 - 97 62-63
Email: [email protected]