Providata Automotive Announces Global Interiors Benchmarking Strategic Alliance With Lear Corporation

    ANN ARBOR, Mich., July 9 Providata Automotive, the
automotive industry's leading market intelligence firm, announces a global
interiors benchmarking strategic alliance with Lear Corporation.
    "Lear's interior benchmarking capabilities represent the industry's 'Best-
in-Class' methodologies in terms of data collection, integrity and systems
coverage," said Scott D. Upham, president of Providata Automotive.  Upham
added, "AUTOBENCH provides a marketing channel for this benchmarking data to
vehicle manufacturers and Tier 1-2-3 suppliers around the globe."
    Through this strategic alliance, AUTOBENCH offers pre-packaged sets of
interior benchmarking data on over 28 different vehicles.  Sub-system interior
packages are:

    *  Acoustic Systems
    *  Center Consoles
    *  Flooring Systems
    *  Front Door Systems
    *  Front Seat Systems
    *  Interior/Hard Trim
    *  Instrument Panels
    *  Overhead/Headliner Systems
    *  Rear Seat Systems
    *  Rear Shelf/Package Tray
    *  Sun Visors
    *  Switches

    Each AUTOBENCH package includes hard-copy and CD-ROM sets of data tables,
measurements and benchmarking photographs.  Within each package, the AUTOBENCH
datapoints include:

    *  Dimensional: Length, Width & Height
    *  System/Component Mass
    *  Complete Photography
    *  Part Performance, Efforts & Travels
    *  Materials Identification
    *  Manufacturing Process Identification
    *  Attachment Methods & Strategies
    *  Supplier Identification

    Formed in January 2000, AUTOBENCH combines the vehicle teardown and
analysis operations of Providata Automotive and Mavel SA into one entity.
AUTOBENCH currently operates teardown and dismantling facilities in Sterling
Heights, Michigan U.S.A. and Lyon, France, Europe.  Currently, AUTOBENCH
provides complete competitive benchmarking, data analysis, craftsmanship
studies and independent  "Best-in-Class" evaluations to over 30 vehicle
manufacturers and suppliers worldwide.
    "Through our unrivaled AUTOBENCH services, our automotive clients can
utilize our comprehensive Internet/Intranet-based database, personally attend
vehicle teardowns and gain design, functionality and engineering insights
through our in-depth benchmarking and Design-For-Assembly analyses," said
Christopher A. Olliff, Director, AUTOBENCH North American Operations.
    For more information on the AUTOBENCH's products and services, companies
can contact Chris Olliff at Providata Automotive:

    Phone:    734-213-0400
    Fax:      734-213-0600
    E-mail:   info@providata.com
    Website   http://www.providata.com

    Lear Corporation, a Fortune 150 company headquartered in Southfield,
Mich., USA, focuses on automotive interiors and electronics, and is the
world's fifth-largest automotive supplier.  Sales in 2000 were $14.1 billion.
The company's world-class products are designed, engineered and manufactured
by over 100,000 employees in more than 300 facilities located in 32 countries.
Information about Lear and its products is available on the Internet at
http://www.lear.com .
    Based in Ann Arbor, Mich., Providata Automotive is the automotive
industry's leading marketing intelligence firm providing management
consulting, market research, forecasting, competitive teardown, consumer
clinics and competitive intelligence.  Providata Automotive has built a solid
reputation with automotive executives around the world as an intelligent
alternative to high-priced multi-industry management consulting firms.
Providata Automotive's website at http://www.providata.com contains over 5,000 free
links to automotive supplier Internet websites.