DaimlerChrysler and California Landowner Form Partnership to Create First ``Gem Village''; New Green-Oriented Village Grand Opens This Month

LADERA RANCH, Calif.--Nov. 5, 2003--Global Electric Motorcars (GEM), a DaimlerChrysler Company, and Tuttle-Click Dodge in Irvine, CA have formed a partnership with Rancho Mission Viejo to create California's premier village designed for zero-emission electric cars.

Rancho Mission Viejo is the largest family-owned cattle ranch in California and the second largest family-owned landholding company in Orange County, CA.

According to the partnership, a fleet and dealer discount up to $1,000 off the listed price on every new GEM vehicle purchased at Tuttle-Click Dodge will be awarded to all homebuyers within the 1,260-home Terramor village, the nation's largest green-oriented village of production-style homes. Terramor will grand open on Nov. 15, 2003 at the 4,000-acre Orange County community of Ladera Ranch, master planned and developed by Rancho Mission Viejo.

Homes at Terramor will feature garages with conveniently located electric vehicle recharging outlets. Designed around a single circular arterial street and a network of connecting trails, Terramor encourages both neighborhood "walkability" and the use of alternative fuel vehicles.

"The GEM vehicles are a perfect way to augment the green-oriented practices that will be implemented at Terramor," said Anne Marie Moiso, director of marketing for Rancho Mission Viejo. "With homes focused on communal open space as opposed to streets, residents will be encouraged to walk or bicycle around the village's network of arroyos, courtyards and paseos. A GEM car could become the ideal mode of transportation for Terramor residents to use when running errands, taking children to school or just visiting with neighbors. We are proud to be setting this new precedent in California."

"Through our vehicles, we are trying to foster the idea of a 'GEM Village' at Ladera Ranch -- that is, a mobile front porch of sorts that encourages neighborhood interaction," said Russ Kiefer, director of sales for DaimlerChysler's Global Electric Motorcars LLC. "The fundamental open design of GEM cars allows residents to pull up to their neighbors to stop and say hello or run down to the local park for a picnic. It's a trend that's catching on in communities all over the world, and Terramor is setting the standard for Orange County."

For additional information, visit the Ladera Ranch Web site at www.laderaranch.com.