Automotive Retailing Today Chairman Alan C. Starling Issued the Following Statement Today

MCLEAN, Va., Dec. 8, 2004 -- Automotive Retailing Today chairman Alan C. Starling issued the following statement today:

"Some straight talk about what consumers think about their experiences with new car dealerships is long overdue, and the only way to get it is to ask those who can best answer the questions -- consumers who recently shopped for or actually made a purchase. The new Gallup survey on the honesty and ethical standards of various professions is the measurement of an outdated stereotype, and only half the story, at least for our industry. Gallup did not target those in the know -- car buying consumers.

"Automotive Retailing Today (ART)'s latest survey is a very focused look at the performance of our industry. Conducted by WirthlinWorldwide, it reached a very different conclusion because we spoke to car shoppers and buyers: men, women and minorities alike. ART's survey was done not to tout our accomplishments but to ensure that we do even more to keep our positive customer reviews.

"The results are being finalized for release, but here are two key findings:

* The greater the exposure to new car dealerships, the more positive are consumer perceptions (i.e., buyers tend to be more positive than shoppers, and shoppers more positive than non-shoppers).

* Consumer perception about "my salesperson" is off-the-charts positive in terms of trust and honesty (71%).

"America's automobile dealers and their more than one million employees are professionals committed to customer satisfaction during and after the sale. When you talk to our customers -- as opposed to people who merely have opinions -- overwhelmingly, they are telling us we are doing an excellent job of meeting their needs."

Automotive Retailing Today (ART), a coalition of all major automobile manufacturers and dealer organizations, works to narrow the gap between perception and reality of today's franchised automobile dealers among the media and consumers. Another goal of ART is to promote a better understanding of dealer sales and service business practices, career opportunities, and contributions to the community. For more information, visit http://www.autoretailing.org.