Major Auto Dealership Exec Expects International Nameplates to Cover 75 Percent of Company Sales Within Two Years

Washington DC September 12, 2006; The AIADA newsletter reported that group 1 Automotive President and CEO Earl Hesterberg said yesterday he expects international nameplate and luxury brands to claim 75 percent of his company's sales within the next two years, up from 60 percent a little over a year ago.

At the Reuters Autos Summit in Detroit, Hesterberg said the projected increase reflects sales gains by international nameplate brands against U.S. automakers as well as his company's switch to dealerships that sell international and luxury brands. Group 1 Automotive currently gets 68 percent of its sales from international and luxury brands, with most of the luxury brands also foreign-owned.