Freescale gets checkered flag as the No. 1 chipmaker to the automotive industry

Strategy Analytics confirms Freescale’s global leadership among automotive semiconductor vendors for the 17th year in a row

AUSTIN, Texas. – In the race to feed the automotive industry’s growing appetite for silicon, Freescale Semiconductor wins again, year after year. Strategy Analytics’ 2007 Automotive Semiconductor Vendor Market Share report names Freescale as the No. 1 supplier to the automotive industry – the 17 th year in a row that Freescale has topped the charts in the analyst firm’s annual report.

According to the Strategy Analytics report, the global automotive semiconductor market grew by 9.2 percent in 2007 to $19.3 billion. Freescale commands 10.3 percent of that growing market. Freescale also continues to lead in North America , capturing 21.4 percent of the market, with its nearest competitor holding 8.2 percent.

“Freescale’s acknowledged leadership position in automotive ICs has remained unbroken since 1992 – the first year that Strategy Analytics began publishing its automotive semiconductor vendor market share report,” said Chris Webber, vice president, global automotive practice, Strategy Analytics. “It’s remarkable that any silicon vendor has sustained such a long tenure of automotive market leadership, given the fierce global competition and the industry’s rigorous requirements for quality and continuous innovation.”

With more than 30 years of experience in the automotive industry, Freescale is the industry’s foremost supplier of powertrain microcontrollers (MCUs), with approximately 45 percent market share. In 2007, Freescale’s shipments of Power Architecture™ MCUs for powertrain topped 30 million units - a significant increase over 2006 shipments. Freescale’s sensors, analog products and 8-, 16- and 32-bit MCU families provide intelligence and connectivity for advanced safety, body electronics, chassis, engine control, powertrain, driver information and telematics. Freescale is a pioneer in FlexRay™ technology and was the first supplier to integrate CAN, LIN™ and flash memory technologies on automotive MCUs.

“Freescale is dedicated to maintaining pole position in today’s automotive semiconductor market by providing our customers with the silicon solutions and development tools they need to drive next-generation vehicle designs,” said Henri Richard, senior vice president and chief sales and marketing officer at Freescale. “Freescale continues to reach new heights in automotive innovation, enabling smarter, safer and greener cars that provide the ultimate in driver comfort and convenience.”

Freescale expects to increase auto-related semiconductor unit sales at double-digit rates. This market momentum is built on strong relationships with leading automakers in the United States , Europe and Asia . For example, Freescale supplies General Motors with advanced MCU technology for the hybrid drive train used in GM’s 2008 Chevy Tahoe Hybrid and GMC Yukon Hybrid, the world’s only full-size hybrid SUVs.

In addition, Freescale has announced plans to establish a joint automotive lab with China ’s Chery Automobile Co. The two companies aim to co-develop silicon, software and system-level solutions for use in Chery vehicles for Chinese and export markets. China is the world’s second largest automotive market after the United States. According to J.D. Power and Associates, China could overtake the United States as the world’s top automotive market after 2015.

To learn more about Strategy Analytics and its 2007 automotive semiconductor market share report, visit www.strategyanalytics.net . For more information Freescale’s automotive solutions, visit http://www.freescale.com/files/pr/automotive.html .