Clarion (car audio)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Clarion Co., Ltd. クラリオン株式会社 | |
|---|---|
| Image:Clarion logo.gif | |
| Type | Public K.K. (TYO: 6796) |
| Founded | December, 1940 |
| Headquarters | Toda, Saitama, Japan |
| Key people | Tatsuhiko Izumi, President |
| Industry | Consumer electronics |
| Products | Car audio and automotive navigation systems |
| Employees | 10,037 Consolidated |
| Website | Clarion Co., Ltd. |
Clarion Co., Ltd. (クラリオン株式会社 Kurarion Kabushiki-gaisha?) (TYO: 6796) is a Japanese manufacturer of car audio, automotive navigation systems, AutoPCs, visual equipment, bus equipment, and communication equipment. Up until the end of 2005, products in Japan were marketed under the brand name AddZest, while outside of Japan the same product typically carried the Clarion name brand. This was changed in 2006, and the brand "Clarion" along with a redesigned logo are now used worldwide. It is known for its close relationship with Nissan, who uses Clarion products almost exclusively in its vehicles, and owned a 6.25% share in them until 2002. [1]
Clarion has an OEM relationship with many automotive companies, providing car headunits and components to them for their production vehicles. Clients include Suzuki, Ford, Volkswagen, Subaru and Peugeot. [2]
A contest is held annually to select the Clarion Girl, who is chosen to represent Clarion's car audio equipment in television and print advertising campaigns during the following year. The contest was started in 1975, and is now co-sponsored by Fuji TV.
[edit] History
| Please help improve this article by expanding this section. See talk page for details. Please remove this message once the section has been expanded. |
In 1990, Clarion purchased the U.S. audio company McIntosh Laboratory and saved it from financial troubles. Clarion sold McIntosh in 2003 to D&M Holdings.
On October 11th 2006, Hitachi announced a takeover bid, spending up to ¥55.7 billion JPY (about $470 million USD, £250 million GBP) to expand its share of Clarion from 14.4% to a controlling stake of over 50%.[1]
[edit] References
- ^ Shimizu, Kaho. "Hitachi announces bid for control of Clarion", The Japan Times, 2006-10-12. Retrieved on 2006-10-18.
[edit] External links
es:Clarion (car audio) ja:クラリオン ru:Clarion Co., Ltd.
Categories: Companies listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange | Articles to be expanded since January 2007 | All articles to be expanded | Consumer electronics brands | Electronics companies of Japan | Companies headquartered in Saitama | Nissan | In-Car Entertainment | Japanese company stubs | Technological company stubs
