Hitachi Group products awarded "iF Product Design Award 2013"

-- Cyclonic vacuum cleaner and LCD projector --

Tokyo, December 18, 2012 - Hitachi, Ltd. (TSE:6501, "Hitachi"), Hitachi Appliances, Inc. ("Hitachi Appliance") and Hitachi Consumer Electronics Co., Ltd. ("Hitachi Consumer Electronics"), today announced that Hitachi Appliance's cyclonic vacuum cleaner for the overseas market and Hitachi Consumer Electronics' LCD projector have been awarded the "iF Product Design Award 2013 "by iF International Forum Design GmbH(Hannover, Germany).

The "iF Design Award", one of the most renowned international design awards, was established in 1953 in Germany, the birthplace of modern design. Evaluation criteria include not only design quality and innovation but also functionality, ergonomics and quality control, etc. assessing the total quality of products. The Award which has three categories: iF Product Design Award, iF Communication Design Award and iF Packaging Design Award, covers a broad range of products. This year 4,352 entries from 51 countries and regions worldwide were accepted and 1,410 products were awarded.

The cyclonic vacuum cleaner "CV-SU" series for the overseas market which received this year's award features high suction power despite its compact size, and employs "infrared remote control" in the panel located on the grip to enable suction power control and ON/OFF. The original Multi-angle Head* which can rotate90 degrees left or right, allows corners along walls and crevices to be easily vacuumed, and an easy maintenance dust case which does not require the operator to come into contact with the vacuumed dust was also employed. A sheer finish was applied to the sculptured body emanating high quality design.

*

The Multi-angle Head is employed in the "CV-SU23V", "CV-SU22V" and "CV-SU21V" models.

The LCD projector "8000 series", which also received the 2013 iF Product Design Award, is a high luminance model which is able to project high definition images onto a big screen without turning down the lights in a large conference hall. Currently, there are seven models for the overseas market and five models for domestic use in Japan. The design layout of components was thoroughly reviewed to ensure easy maintenance as well as ease of installation through a slimmer more compact body with a height of 135mm. In the 5,000+ lumen class, the design is thinnest of its kind and blends easily into the environment. The "8000 series" allows the audience to concentrate on the high quality images being projected while providing the user with an easily installed, operated and easy maintenance projector.

About Hitachi, Ltd.

Hitachi, Ltd. (TSE: 6501), headquartered in Tokyo, Japan, is a leading global electronics company with approximately 320,000 employees worldwide. Fiscal 2011 (ended March 31, 2012) consolidated revenues totaled 9,665 billion yen ($117.8 billion). Hitachi is focusing more than ever on the Social Innovation Business, which includes information and telecommunication systems, power systems, industrial, transportation and urban development systems, as well as the sophisticated materials and key devices that support them.For more information on Hitachi, please visit the company's website at http://www.hitachi.com.