Hundreds of International Auto Dealers Meet At Port Everglades;
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla.--May 10, 2001--Nearly 500 Caribbean and Latin American auto dealers and U.S.-based automobile suppliers will converge on Port Everglades this Friday and Saturday as part of a major effort to transform the port into the international auto-shipping hub of the Americas.The main event is the grand opening of the new 45,000-square-foot headquarters and terminal of AutoTerminal.com Americas, an international auto-shipping concern that began shipping cars and other vehicles through the port last October.
AutoTerminal.com Americas received approval last month from the U.S. Customs Service to include its auto terminal in the Port Everglades Foreign Trade Zone and AutoTerminal.com estimates that it will quickly be shipping some 3,000 cars, SUVs, small trucks and commercial vehicles a month--worth an estimated $300 million a year--to dealers throughout the Caribbean and Latin America.
"The Caribbean and Latin American auto-dealership community is really excited about having a large, steady and dependable supply of high-quality cars so close by," said Stephen Magee, AutoTerminal.com Americas CEO.
Port Everglades Director Paul DeMariano said: "We are delighted with AutoTerminal's venture here at Port Everglades. For years, automobile cargo has identified ports north of Fort Lauderdale, primarily in spots such as Jacksonville, Fla., and Brunswick, Ga., where the availability of large land tracts and wide distribution networks are available.
"South Florida has had little or no auto business until this creative group arrived with their export program, which further diversifies our growing cargo base. We wish them well and plan to help however we can."
On Friday the auto dealers and suppliers will tour the new terminal and learn about the unusual array of services that AutoTerminal will make available only at Port Everglades.
Saturday evening will be a grand-opening celebration with Port Everglades officials and other local leaders joining the international group of auto buyers and sellers. Food and entertainment from around the world will highlight the international focus of the event.
AutoTerminal is an international company serving large-scale vehicle wholesalers and dealers worldwide. It provides a complete range of transportation services to ensure its customers' goods are delivered on time and in excellent condition. Besides Port Everglades, it has terminals in the United Kingdom, Asia, the Middle East, Europe and the South Pacific. The company plans to have terminals in every major shipping hub in the world, including South Africa and Belgium.
"AutoTerminal is making a major commitment to Port Everglades by making it our home base for the United States, the Caribbean, and Central and South America," Magee said.
Magee explained that AutoTerminal's services make it unique among international auto shippers in the following ways:
| -- | AutoCheck, a quality-control guarantee featuring full-vehicle inspections before and after shipping. |
| -- | www.autoterminal.com, an interactive web site that allows customers a secure way to monitor shipments, inspect vehicles inside and out, and even pre-sell vehicles to dealers or individual auto buyers. |
| -- | Customization and repair services in transit at its Port Everglades terminal. |
| -- | A worldwide proven record of safely shipping vehicles on time and at the most reasonable rates. |
"AutoTerminal and Port Everglades will very soon be the major funnel of vehicles to the Caribbean and Latin America from the United States and the rest of the world," Magee said.