Cooper Tire Expands Arrangement with Kenda Rubber

    FINDLAY, Ohio, July 10 Cooper Tire & Rubber Company
today announced that an off-take contract has been signed between
Cooper Tire and Taiwan-based Kenda Rubber for Kenda to produce passenger
radial tires for Cooper's International Division.  These tires will be sold
under a variety of brand names including Cooper and Avon.  The tires will be
sold through the Cooper-Avon location in Melksham, England primarily to
customers in Europe.
    Cooper and Kenda have had a successful off-take arrangement in place for
some time in which Kenda produced bias light truck models for sale by Cooper
in the U.S. and International markets.  Cooper discontinued its less
profitable bias production in 1999, and dedicated this capacity to fill the
growing demand for Cooper-produced radial light truck tires.
    Thomas A. Dattilo, Cooper CEO, President and Chairman, commented on the
Cooper-Kenda contract, "This new agreement is the result of a growing
relationship between Cooper and Kenda.  It will help both companies capitalize
on our strengths and better position us for continued growth in the U.S. and
the Asian markets."
    Under this new off-take arrangement, Kenda will manufacture radial
passenger tires for Cooper-Avon in its newly constructed tire plant near
Shanghai, China with technical guidance from Cooper.  This month, Cooper will
relocate engineering staff to the Kenda plant to facilitate production and
assist with technical details.  Kenda is also the exclusive distributor for
Cooper Tire in Taiwan.
    Richard Stephens, Cooper's International Division President, said, "This
business arrangement benefits Cooper in many ways.  Kenda is a respected
supplier with the ability to produce quality radials at a competitive cost.
This allows us to shift our internal production capacity to the higher speed
rated performance radials without major capital outlay.  As we continue to
grow our relationship with Kenda, there may be other opportunities to expand
Cooper's business in Asia."

    Company Description
    Cooper Tire & Rubber Company is headquartered in Findlay, Ohio and
specializes in the manufacture and marketing of automotive products.  Products
for Cooper Tire include automotive, motorcycle and truck tires, inner tubes,
tread rubber and equipment.  Cooper-Standard Automotive is an original
equipment supplier of sealing, trim, NVH control systems and fluid handling
systems for the automotive industry in North America, Europe, Australia and
South America. Cooper has more than 20,000 employees and 57 manufacturing
facilities in 13 countries.  For more information, visit the Company's web
site at:  http://www.coopertire.com .