Ward's Reports Estimated North American Vehicle Production- May 6, 2005

SOUTHFIELD, Mich., May 6, 2005 -- Vehicle production this week in the U.S., Canada and Mexico is expected to hit an estimated 329,645 units, down 0.5 percent from the 331,210 cars and trucks built last week, according to WardsAuto.com.

Including this week's estimates, calendar year North American output now totals 5,904,343 vehicles, down 2.4 percent from like-2004's pace.

In the U.S., automakers are expected to produce 243,969 vehicles this week, up 2.4 percent from the 238,354 cars and trucks built last week. To date, calendar 2005 U.S. vehicle output totals an estimated 4,422,081 units, down 2.3 percent compared to the 4,525,969 vehicles built in like-2004.

This week's Canadian vehicle production is estimated at 52,156, a decrease of 12.4 percent from the 59,522 units assembled last week. Estimated calendar-2005 Canadian vehicle production now stands at 942,437 units, down 3.8 percent compared to the 979,684 vehicles produced in like-2004.

Of the cars and trucks slated for production this week in the U.S., General Motors Corp. accounted for 27.6 percent; Ford Motor Co., 24.0 percent; Chrysler of DaimlerChrysler, 15.2 percent; Honda of America Mfg. Inc., 7.6 percent; Toyota Motor Mfg. Inc., 7.4 percent; Nissan Motor Mfg. Corp., 6.5 percent; New United Motor Mfg. Inc., 3.4 percent; BMW of North America Inc., 1.1 percent; Mitsubishi Motor Mfg. of America Inc., 0.8 percent; AutoAlliance International Inc., 2.1 percent; Subaru of Indiana Automotive Inc., 1.0 percent; Mercedes-Benz U.S. of DaimlerChrysler, 0.3 percent; and other manufacturers, 3.0 percent.

                     NORTH AMERICA FACTORY PRODUCTION
        This Week  Last Week  Same Week   To Date    To Date   Pct. Change
        Estimated   Revised   Last Year     2005       2004    2005 vs. 2004
  U.S.
  Cars     86,521    86,848     88,823    1,613,868  1,605,008      0.6
  Trucks  157,448   151,506    165,934    2,808,213  2,920,961     -3.9
  TOTAL   243,969   238,354    254,757    4,422,081  4,525,969     -2.3
  Canada
  Cars     23,092    30,166     30,786      450,676    485,882     -7.2
  Trucks   29,064    29,356     28,536      491,761    493,802     -0.4
  TOTAL    52,156    59,522     59,322      942,437    979,684     -3.8
  Mexico
  Cars     16,142    16,771     14,085      281,979    276,112      2.1
  Trucks   17,378    16,563     16,454      257,846    266,629     -3.3
  TOTAL    33,520    33,334     30,539      539,825    542,741     -0.5
  U.S.\Canada\Mexico
  Cars    125,755   133,785    133,694    2,346,523   2,367,002    -0.9
  Trucks  203,890   197,425    210,924    3,557,820   3,681,392    -3.4
  GRAND   329,645   331,210    344,618    5,904,343   6,048,394    -2.4
  TOTAL

  Note: All figures include medium- and heavy-duty truck production.

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