Stamford, Conn. – The Ungo car
security brand, one of the most well-known security brands during the
industry’s heyday in the 1970s through 1990s, is leaving the aftermarket.
Clarion, which purchased the brand
from Techne Electronics in 1995, has stopped shipping Ungo-brand aftermarket
security and remote-start systems to distributors and dealers, but product in
the pipeline continues to be sold, a spokesperson said.
“We will continue to provide
technical support for the dealer /distributor base for the foreseeable future,”
she added.
When Clarion purchased Ungo, then-
Clarion Sales Corp. president Jim Minarik said the company picked Ungo because
of Techne’s product reputation and design, engineering and manufacturing
capability. Other companies, he noted at the time, simply imported products and
placed their brandname on it.
Techne was among the first security
suppliers to offer remote-controlled security systems in the 1980s, when
debates raged over the merits of infrared remotes versus radio-frequency
remotes.
Clarion stopped shipping Ungo
security late last year.
“While we retain the rights to market and sell Ungo for all markets served, and will continue to support the product, we do not have any new product announcements for the US market on the horizon,” said Clarion marketing VP Adam Thomas. “We plan to focus on our core line-up of autosound multimedia and navigation products.”
Although “we have not completely ruled out a possibility of re-entering the market in the future,” he said, the company has “no near-term plans” to do so.
Clarion didn’t market vehicle security to automakers, although it sells safety-related systems such as rear-vision cameras and lane-departure warning systems to automakers.
