Fall is in the air, and remote start season is coming to the Great Lakes, New England and the Mid- Atlantic regions -- anywhere that gets cold. However, this winter there's good news: Directed Electronics, the largest designer and marketer in North America of consumer branded vehicle security and remote start systems based on sales, with leading brands like Viper, Python, and Clifford, today announced the availability of an interface that permits the installation of remote start systems on manual transmission vehicles.

That means that, starting this fall and winter, owners of stick shift vehicles can press a button on their keychain remote from the comfort of their home or office, and from up to a mile away their vehicle's engine will start remotely, and its climate control system will pre-warm the car and defrost the windows. In other words, the comfort and convenience of remote start is no longer limited to automatic transmission vehicles.

According to Jim Minarik, President and CEO of Directed Electronics, "Our new 689M Neutral Safety Module will make the comfort and convenience of remote start available to millions of potential users in the cold weather states, who previously couldn't enjoy it because they don't drive automatics." With an MSRP of $99, the 689M is now available at thousands of authorized Viper, Python, and Clifford retailers across North America and around the world. (Remote start systems sold separately, and authorized dealer installation of the 689M is required.)

For more information and a store locator, please visit www.directed.com and be sure to tell 'em ESM sent ya!