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DETROIT — In the mornings, Johnny Cooper gets into his GMC Acadia, hits the road and checks his e-mail.

Through a computer installed into the Acadia, a digital voice reads Cooper's e-mail to him during his 20-minute commute to work. Cooper speaks his reply, and his in-car computer sends off a response in an audio file.

"For me, it's probably clearing out 30 to 40 e-mails on the way to work," said Cooper, president of Azentek LLC, which makes the computer in the Acadia.

That product, called the Atlas CPC, is propelling growth for the two-year-old firm, which is moving to a larger office in Grand Blanc Township, Mich., as it prepares to make 45 hires, adding to his staff of 26, during the next three years.

Azentek's system is similar to Ford's Sync system, particularly in offering hands-free use of a cell phone.

But it also offers access to e-mail and the Internet, has a 160-gigabyte hard drive, and includes other gadgets, such as a CD burner, that make it more like a computer in your car.

The device costs $2,799 and requires a subscription of wireless service through an air card (about $50 a month).

Cooper said the company has built safety precautions into the system. For instance, access to the e-mail is hands-free, and Internet access is cut off while the vehicle is moving.

And with Azentek's in-vehicle computer, a driver could use a prompt on the touch screen to start a voice recorder and take down a number.

Azentek expects to start shipping its in-car computer to aftermarket customers in December.