Leading Truck Manufacturers Rely on Panasonic Toughbook Rugged Notebooks to Improve Diagnostics and Speed Repair

-- International Truck and Engine Corporation and Mitsubishi Fuso Truck of America among Key Customers

-- Panasonic Mobile Computing Solutions for the Automotive Industry to Be Displayed at NADA 2006, Booth 566

Panasonic Computer Solutions Company today announced that morethan two dozen major customers in the automotive industry haveselected Panasonic(R) Toughbook(R) computers to provide reliable,durable, mobile computing solutions to help streamline operations,reduce costs and improve customer service.

International Truck and Engine Corporation, Warrenville, Illinois,and Mitsubishi Fuso Truck of America, Logan Township, New Jersey, areamong the industry leaders who have recognized that true mobilityrequires durability and have equipped their technicians and dealerswith rugged, integrated wireless computing solutions from Panasonic.

International Truck and Engine Corporation, the operating companyof Navistar International Corporation (NYSE: NAV), producesInternational(R) brand commercial trucks, mid-range diesel engines andIC brand school buses and is a private label designer and manufacturerof diesel engines for the pickup truck, van and SUV markets. Thecompany has been using Panasonic Toughbook notebook computers since1999 and has recently deployed an additional 1,300 units throughoutits more than 600 North American service dealers.

Rob Burns is the manager of dealer service tools for InternationalTruck and Engine. He cites the reliability and durability of Toughbooktechnology as critical elements to ongoing customer satisfaction.

"With Toughbook computers, we know the machine is going to workwhen customers pull their vehicle into the shop," said Burns. "Thesecomputers give us the tools to diagnose essentially every system onour trucks--wherever we need to--and the ability to get our customersback on the road as quickly as possible. Our customers win, ourdealers win and International Truck wins. Everybody's happy."

Integrated wireless capabilities from Panasonic and wireless toolsat International dealerships further streamline dealer operations andreduce costs by enabling fault code information to be transmittedwirelessly, allowing service tickets to be drawn up by administrativestaff, rather than more expensive technical resources.

According to Burns, Panasonic's commitment to its products throughservice and support is a major differentiator. "The three year,no-fault warranty, backed by a company the size of Panasonic, ispriceless," Burns said.

Mitsubishi Fuso markets a complete line of diesel-powered,medium-duty, cabover trucks through more than 170 dealer locationsthroughout the United States and Canada. Currently, there are morethan 80,000 Mitsubishi Fuso vehicles in use in the U.S. and Canada,fulfilling the transportation needs of a wide variety of businessesand industries.

Mitsubishi Fuso has deployed 200 Panasonic Toughbook CF-29's withtouchscreen displays to perform factory and in-transit diagnostictests of their trucks' fuel, transmission and ABS control systems.Wired to the truck through a vehicle interface which maintainscommunication with all three systems, the computer displays sensor andactuator information key to quality and diagnostic testing.

According to Jim Peary, director of corporate systems atMitsubishi Fuso Truck of America, competitive evaluation led to theconclusion that Panasonic Toughbooks were the only computers thatcould operate in the variety of conditions demanded of them.

"The Toughbook is designed to withstand our environment: it canget wet, it can get dirty," said Peary. "It can be rough in a truckshop--and bumpy on our road tests--and our Toughbooks have proventhey're up to the test with nearly 100% reliability. This is importantto us, because we want our resources focused on building and testingour trucks, not on managing information technology."

"Getting to the bottom of service issues quickly, wherever theyhappen, is critically important to automotive manufacturers," saidBill Presler, Business Development, Strategic Markets, PanasonicComputer Solutions Company. "Service technicians can't afford to losevaluable time and energy troubleshooting their laptops. We're pleasedthat so many manufacturers have come to trust reliable and dependablesolutions from Panasonic."

For a demonstration of Panasonic mobile computing solutions forthe automotive industry, visit Booth 566 at the NADA Convention andExposition, Orlando Florida, Feb 11-14, 2006.

About Panasonic Computer Solutions Company

Panasonic Computer Solutions Company empowers the mobileworkforce. The company is a unit of Panasonic Corporation of NorthAmerica, which is the principal North American subsidiary ofMatsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd. (NYSE: MC). Panasonic hasdelivered reliable, durable mobile solutions through its Toughbook(R)line of notebook computers for thirteen years and has expanded theboundaries of wireless technology through a broad portfolio ofproducts, ranging from fully rugged, industrial strength notebookcomputers and tablet PCs to thin and light semi-rugged notebooks. Acore manufacturer, Matsushita and its subsidiaries control the entireprocess of design, manufacture, quality assurance, service andsupport. As a result, Panasonic Toughbooks are known for having thelowest failure rates in the industry. Government, industrial, andcommercial users--from Fortune 1,000 companies to smallbusinesses--rely on solutions from Panasonic, wherever their worktakes them.

All brand and company/product names are trademarks or registeredtrademarks of the respective companies. All specifications are subjectto change without notice. Information on Panasonic's full line ofnotebook PCs for the mobile professional can be obtained by calling800-662-3537 or at http://www.panasonic.com/toughbook.