Type K.K. (Public) Website clarion.com Number of employees 10,037 | Traded as TYO: 6796 Founded December 1940 Parent organization Hitachi | |
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Industry Automotive
Consumer electronics Key people Tatsuhiko Izumi (Representative Director, Chairman and CEO)
Hidetoshi Kawamoto (Representative Director, President and COO) Products Car audio and automotive navigation systems Stock price 6796 (TYO) JP¥ 438 +4.00 (+0.92%)6 Mar, 3:00 PM GMT+9 - Disclaimer CEO Tatsuhiko Izumi (1 Apr 2014–) Headquarters Saitama, Saitama Prefecture, Japan Subsidiaries Clarion Corporation of America, Clarion (G.B.) Ltd. Profiles | ||
Clarion Co., Ltd. (クラリオン株式会社, Kurarion Kabushiki-gaisha) is a Japanese manufacturer of car audio, automotive navigation systems, AutoPCs, visual equipment, bus equipment, and communication equipment. It is majority owned by Hitachi and joined by Foxconn.
Up until the end of 2005, products in Japan were marketed under the brand name AddZest, while outside 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.
Clarion has an OEM relationship with many automotive companies, providing car headunits and components to them for their production vehicles. Clients include Saab Automobile, Suzuki, Ford, Volkswagen, Proton, Subaru and Peugeot.
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.