Ah, the Lexus - a sign to the world that you’ve arrived. Amerigon Incorporated has just announced that its proprietary Climate Control Seat (CCS) will be making its way as an optional feature in the front seats of the all new 2008 Lexus LX 570 premium luxury utility vehicle. According to Amerigon President and Chief Executive Officer Daniel R. Coker, the CCS prides itself in being the only actively heated and cooled seat system on the global automotive market. This allows the driver and front seat passenger to individually heat or cool their seat for comfort in any climate. Man, I could definitely make do with such a seat in my beat up vehicle, combating the colds of winter as well as the sweltering summer heat at the touch of the button.

Coker went on to say further, “This is a completely redesigned Lexus model, and we are proud to be included in such a high-profile vehicle. We believe the fact that Lexus has engineered our CCS system into one of its most advanced and innovative vehicles is a validation of the strength of our technology. We consider this another milestone in our long and fruitful relationship with Lexus and Toyota.”

The CCS system was developed around Amerigon’s highly-efficient, solid-state thermoelectric device and is completely independent of the automobile’s heating and air conditioning system. In addition, it does not reduce power available to the engine so you can continue with your mountain climbs and overtaking vehicles on the slow lane with ease without suffering from the lack of fresh horses. Not only that, CCS is environmentally friendly as there is no emission of CFCs or other gases for Greenpeace activists to trail your luxury vehicle. How does it work?

Air is forced through the heat pump in the CCS system and thermally conditioned in response to electronic switch input from the seat occupant. The conditioned air circulates by a specially designed fan through ducts in the seat cushion and seat back, so that the surface can be heated or cooled. Each seat has individual electronic controls to adjust the level of heating or cooling. CCS substantially improves comfort compared with conventional air conditioners by focusing the cooling directly on the passenger through the seat, rather than waiting until ambient air cools the seat surface behind the passenger.

Press Release