Planning Edge Publishes Syndicated North American Light Vehicle Forecast

The Planning Edge Publishes Its Syndicated North American Light Vehicle Forecast, Which is the First Component of its Global Forecasting Initiative

       The Planning Edge Projects Level Production Rates for 2001-2003
       In Its July, 2001 North American Light Vehicle Forecast Edition

    FARMINGTON HILLS, Mich., July 17 It's not the time to
throw a party for the auto industry quite yet.  According to The Planning
Edge, Inc.'s newly published North American Light Vehicle Forecast, the U.S.
economy and automotive light vehicle production is not in for clear sailing.
In fact, there probably are a few storms on the horizon.

    North American production in Calendar Year 2001 will be approximately 15.6
million units, a drop of 1.55 million units, or 9.0 percent, from a record of
17.1 million units in 2000.  The decrease in traditional Big Three production
(GM, Ford, and the Chrysler Group of DaimlerChrysler) accounts for almost the
entire fall (1.47 million units).  This represents a decline of 11.3 percent
from last year.  Transplant production (which includes Mercedes) is expected
to decline by 80,000 units, or only 1.9 percent.

    The forecast projects that North American production volume will remain
essentially flat in 2002 and 2003, before moving upward in the 2004-2006
period.  This result is in line with TPE's sales forecast, which predicts that
Calendar Year 2002 and 2003 sales will fall below this year's level, before
recovering.

    Along with a detailed numerical forecast of production by company,
platform, nameplate, assembly plant, vehicle trim levels, vehicle body styles,
and engine and transmission volumes, The Planning Edge provides a Subscriber
Update that examines the economy and its impact upon automotive sales and
production levels.  In addition, the Subscriber Update focuses on a particular
issue of interest in the automotive market:

    *  The relative importance of the three major vehicle segments, cars,
"car-like trucks" (typically unibody and front wheel drive such as the Ford
Escape) and "true trucks",

    *  GM Isn't Back (a weak product line is being masked by relatively
moderate short-term market and financial success),

    *  Light Truck Lease Residuals Are the Industry's Ticking Time Bomb, and

    *  Nissan Has Much More to Do (short-term financial results must be
matched by longer-term market share success).