The 125th Birthday of the Internal Combustion Engine Marks Cologne's Claim as The Original Motor City

    COLOGNE, Germany, March 22 The Economic Development
Authority of the City of Cologne, Germany is targeting automotive suppliers to
move into the newly built, state of the art Ford Supplier Park.
    The tradition and future of Cologne motor construction is embodied in
Deutz AG, whose founder Nikolaus August Otto invented the four-stroke engine
just 125 years ago, the development of which initiated the motorization of the
world from the city on the Rhine.
    The City of Cologne is the premiere automotive region in the heart of
Europe and is Europe's motor city of the very highest caliber.  Automotive
companies from all over the world have located their German or European
headquarters in Cologne and thus created an optimal basis for a broad-ranging
supplier industry.
    With Volvo, Mazda, Citroen, DAF, the German Renault AG -- as the largest
importer on the German market, and Renault LKW Deutschland GmbH, the Who's Who
of the Cologne automotive region is far from complete.  Cologne's Ford-Werke
AG is the leading producer for compact cars in the European Group of the
American automobile manufacturers.  Ford is the largest employer in Cologne
with more than 20,000 employees.  Ford also has its production plants, the
John Andrews Development Center and the central spare parts warehouse for all
of Europe in Cologne.
    Henry Ford, the visionary pioneer of the American car industry, already
recognized Cologne's many benefits as a business location back in 1930: "Our
people searched everywhere, they searched for a long time, and we had a choice
between many cities and sites, but we were unable to find anything to match
the ideal conditions and excellent water and air transport connections offered
in Cologne, particularly in the city's industrial zone."
    Toyota Deutschland GmbH, with its headquarters in Cologne, is also
represented by its central spare parts warehouse and is simultaneously
preparing for the launch in spring 2001 of its Formula 1 racing car which is
being completely developed in Cologne.
    With the importance of Cologne's automotive corridor, the supplier
industry with North American names from Johnson Controls to Visteon have
decided to locate their plants in the Cologne economic region.
    By the end of March 2001, Ford in Cologne-Niehl, right on the doorstep of
the Ford-Werke AG's plant, will officially celebrate the opening ceremony of
the Cologne Supplier Park.  Up to twelve Ford suppliers -- including companies
such as Siemens, Dynamit Nobel, Sommer Allibert and Visteon -- will occupy a
total space of 80,000 square meters in the first phase of the Supplier Park.
    The Supplier Park will create 700 new jobs for Cologne.  Ford is investing
a total of 800 million Marks in the project -- in the Supplier Park itself and
in the conversion of the relevant production halls, in which the new Ford
model lines, whether three-door, five-door or minivan, will be assembled
beginning in the Fall of 2001.  As a result of the world's most sophisticated
facilities, Ford will increase production in the initial start-up phase to
400,000 units per year, an increase of about one-third compared to its current
production capacity.
    The City of Cologne has selected the Michigan based international
marketing and sales organization that specializes in the automotive industry,
ZAP International, to head up its marketing campaign.  ZAP International has
offices in Ypsilanti, Michigan; Greer, South Carolina and Germany.