Amerigon Subsidiary BSST to Test Thermoelectric Waste Heat Recovery System on BMW...

Amerigon Subsidiary BSST to Test Thermoelectric Waste Heat Recovery System on
BMW Group and Ford Vehicles
Project is Fifth Phase of U.S. Department of Energy Program to Improve Fuel
Economy, Reduce Environmental Pollutants, Create New Source of Renewable
Energy

NORTHVILLE, Mich., Sept. 1 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Amerigon Incorporated
(Nasdaq: ARGN), a leader in developing and marketing products based on
advanced thermoelectric (TE) technologies, today announced that its BSST
subsidiary will install and test thermoelectric waste heat recovery generators
in BMW Group and Ford vehicles in the newest phase of a U.S. Department of
Energy (DOE)-funded program studying the use of thermoelectric systems to
convert waste heat from automobile engine exhaust into electrical power. The
program, which is being conducted by a team led by BSST, was created to
improve automobile fuel economy and supports the DOE's objectives of reducing
dependence on foreign energy imports and lowering greenhouse gas emissions
while supporting the increased electrification of vehicle powertrains.

The DOE will contribute approximately $1.1 million in funding and BSST will
contribute an additional $370,000 for this fifth phase of the project, which
has a targeted completion date of March 31, 2010.

"This phase of the program is a critical step toward reaching our most
immediate goal, which is to develop a cost-effective thermoelectric energy
recovery system that can be successfully incorporated into vehicle
production," said BSST President Lon E. Bell, Ph.D. "Ultimately, we want to
create a commercially viable vehicle waste heat recovery and power generation
system that will improve the efficiency of internal combustion engines. We
believe the advances we have made in our thermoelectric technology are the
vital keys to reaching those goals."

The DOE project represents another significant application for Amerigon's
thermoelectric technology, said Amerigon President and Chief Executive Officer
Daniel R. Coker.

"Our BSST subsidiary continues to advance the science of thermoelectric
devices particularly as it applies to heating and cooling and power
generation," Coker said. "This is one of several efforts BSST is involved in
with government and private industry aimed at pushing the variety of uses for
thermoelectric technology beyond our current automotive seating application.
We look forward to announcing progress with this program and others in the
coming months."

The first phase of the DOE program was launched in 2005 and BSST was chosen to
lead the development team that included Visteon Corporation, BMW of North
America, UC Santa Cruz, the DOE's National Renewable Energy Laboratory and the
Jet Propulsion Laboratory of the California Institute of Technology.

The first phase consisted of a comprehensive analysis to determine the
technical and commercial viability of the system concept. In phase 2, the
team created a conceptual design of the system. In phase 3, Ford Motor
Company joined the program and the team added more detail and specifications
to the design by building and testing the subsystems on a bench using hot gas.
As phase 4 nears completion, the team is integrating the complete
thermoelectric system into a BMW inline six cylinder engine.

About BSST
BSST was founded in 2000, as a subsidiary of Amerigon, to develop advanced
thermoelectric systems. BSST has developed and demonstrated the highest
efficiency achieved with thermoelectric technology to date. BSST's mission is
to provide highly efficient, effective, and practical solid-state temperature
control and power generation solutions to industry, while continuing to
advance the leading edge performance of its technology through sustained
research and development. Joint development efforts with leaders in major
application markets throughout the world aid in this process. Currently the
advancements are being applied to electronic device cooling, home and
automotive air conditioning and heating, and military and communications
systems. BSST is also engaged in a variety of power generation and waste heat
recovery projects with military and commercial entities.

About Amerigon
Amerigon (Nasdaq: ARGN) develops products based on its advanced, proprietary,
efficient thermoelectric (TE) technologies for a wide range of global markets
and heating and cooling applications. The Company's current principal product
is its proprietary Climate Control Seat(R) (CCS(R)) system, a solid-state,
TE-based system that permits drivers and passengers of vehicles to
individually and actively control the heating and cooling of their respective
seats to ensure maximum year-round comfort. CCS, which is the only system of
its type on the market today, uses no CFCs or other environmentally sensitive
coolants. Amerigon maintains sales and technical support centers in Southern
California, Detroit, Japan, Germany, England and Korea.

Certain matters discussed in this release are forward-looking statements that
involve risks and uncertainties, and actual results may be different.
Important factors that could cause the Company's actual results to differ
materially from its expectations in this release are risks that sales may not
significantly increase, additional financing, if necessary, may not be
available, new competitors may arise and adverse conditions in the automotive
industry may negatively affect its results. The liquidity and trading price
of its common stock may be negatively affected by these and other factors.
Please also refer to Amerigon's Securities and Exchange Commission filings and
reports, including, but not limited to, its Form 10-Q for the period ended
June 30, 2009, and its Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2008.

Contact: Allen & Caron Inc
Jill Bertotti (investors)
jill@allencaron.com
Len Hall (media)
len@allencaron.com
(949) 474-4300

SOURCE Amerigon Incorporated

Investors, Jill Bertotti, jill@allencaron.com, or Media, Len Hall,
len@allencaron.com, both of Allen & Caron Inc, +1-949-474-4300, for Amerigon
Incorporated