Spartan Motors Intros new Fire Truck Chassis

CHARLOTTE, Mich., December 17, 2001- Spartan Motors, Inc.
expects to spark an interest among its customers with the introduction of
the "Big Easy," a new custom fire truck chassis that offers plenty of bells
and whistles at a near-commercial price.
 
The Charlotte, Mich.-based manufacturer of custom chassis and emergency
vehicles said its new Big Easy chassis will allow manufacturers to build
roomier fire trucks that offer improved ride and handling compared to that
of a typical commercial unit.  Spartan Motors said the competitive pricing
on the Big Easy - within $10,000 of a commercial chassis - is designed to
make the new chassis attractive to fire departments looking to expand,
replace or upgrade their commercial fleets.   
 
"We designed the Big Easy so fire departments that could only afford
commercial chassis and cabs in the past can now afford custom features such
as extruded aluminum construction and a roomier cab," said John Sztykiel,
president and chief operating officer of Spartan Motors.  "Lean
manufacturing has allowed us to engineer and build products more
cost-effectively which, in turn, has allowed us to enter new market niches
in our competitive arena."
 
The Big Easy, which is built specifically for fire apparatus on an adapted
chassis, features:
 
·         Extruded aluminum construction
·         Four-door cab with a flat floor and raised roof, offering 30
percent more interior space than a commercial cab
·         A 20-percent larger windshield than commercial cabs, allowing for
greater visibility
·         A flat front end for increased maneuverability and greater
visibility 
 
Narrowing the price-point gap between custom and commercial products is
aimed at helping Spartan capture additional market share from commercial
chassis makers, who currently account for nearly 50 percent of the market,
Sztykiel said.  He also said pending legislation could boost federal
spending on emergency rescue services to more than $2 billion over the next
three years, which could significantly bolster spending on fire apparatus.
 
 "There are approximately 28,000 fire townships in the United States, which
indicates that this purchase pool could be very large," Sztykiel said.
"Federal funds are often used to replace the oldest trucks, which are
typically built on commercial chassis. The Big Easy enables departments
looking to upgrade to purchase a state-of-the-art custom chassis at a great
price."
 
Spartan Motors, Inc. (www.spartanmotors.com) is a leading developer and
manufacturer of custom platforms for recreational vehicles, fire trucks,
ambulances and other specialty vehicles.  The Company also owns fire and
rescue vehicle manufacturers Luverne Fire Apparatus, Quality Manufacturing
and Road Rescue, Inc.