Michelin Truck Tires Report Highest Satisfaction In J.D. Power Study

GREENVILLE, S.C., March 20 -- For the first time, J.D. Power and Associates included questions about tires in its 2001 Heavy-Duty Truck Customer Satisfaction Study(SM). Although no tire award was given in the heavy-duty truck category, Michelin had the highest results in the study among tire manufacturers for tire value, wearability/tread life, and overall satisfaction.

J.D. Power and Associates interviewed 2,814 purchasers of 1999 Class 8 trucks of eight brands of heavy-duty trucks. Customers were asked to rank tire performance in four key areas: Wearability, Overall Tire Safety, Tire Value and Overall Satisfaction with the original equipment tire brand.

``Michelin is extremely proud of its ranking by customers in this study,'' said Randy Clark, vice president of Marketing for Michelin Americas Truck Tires. ``Michelin has always been interested in customer satisfaction and we look forward to evaluating our progress in the heavy-duty truck tire market.''

Although this is the first study to address heavy-duty truck tires, the Michelin brand has a long history of dominance in the J.D. Power and Associates studies. For passenger cars and light trucks in the United States, Michelin has received 30 out of a possible 38 awards -- more than all other tire manufacturers combined. Michelin has swept all of the U.S. passenger and light truck awards (original equipment and replacement) for the past two years. Michelin also recently received the first awards in the J.D. Power and Associates Canadian Replacement Tire and Retailer Customer Satisfaction study, with awards for Best Light Truck Replacement Tire and the Best Passenger Car Replacement Tire (tie).

J.D. Power and Associates is a global marketing information services firm operating in key business sectors including market research, forecasting and customer satisfaction. They are headquartered in Agoura Hills, Calif. The independently funded J.D. Power and Associates 2001 Heavy-Duty Truck Customer Satisfaction Study is based upon the responses of more than 2,814 Class 8 truck and trailer owners. In the tire category, the study provides specific feedback on tire safety, wearability, value and overall satisfaction.

Michelin manufactures and sells tires for every type of vehicle, including airplanes, automobiles, bicycles, earthmovers, farm equipment, heavy-duty trucks, motorcycles and the space shuttle. The company also publishes travel guides, maps and atlases covering Europe, Asia, Africa and North America. Headquartered in Greenville, S.C., Michelin North America, Inc. (www.michelintruck.com) employs 26,500 and operates 23 plants in 19 locations.