ASC Says 'Thanks a Million' at Millionth-Convertible Celebration
Company Also Marks 20-year Anniversary With Toyota, and Tenth with Mitsubishi
LEXINGTON, Ky., July 13 -- ASC Incorporated, a supplier of specialty-vehicle body systems and assemblies to automotive manufacturers, here today at its Lexington Assembly Plant celebrated the production of its one-millionth convertible in its 23 years of building convertible systems. Toyota Motor Manufacturing of North America Inc. president Gary Convis and ASC president and chief executive officer Paul Wilbur commemorated the event by together lowering the top on the milestone car, a new Toyota Solara convertible. The ceremony took place under a large banner reading "Thanks a Million!," paying homage to some 16 automotive brands for which ASC has built convertibles since 1982, the year the company helped resurrect the convertible as a body type in North America.
ASC today also celebrated the 20th anniversary of its partnership with Toyota, a partnership that stretches back to ASC's turning Toyota Celica coupes into convertibles in California in the mid-1980s.
Also participating in the event today was Jerry Berwanger, executive vice president and chief operating officer of Mitsubishi Motors North America Inc. ASC has built convertible systems, including retractable-hardtop convertible systems, for Mitsubishi since 1995, and is right now tooling up its Lexington plant also to build convertible systems for the all-new Mitsubishi Eclipse, the third straight generation of Eclipse convertibles ASC has supplied.
"ASC wants to say, literally, 'thanks a million' to all the many auto companies for which we've built convertibles throughout the years," said Wilbur. "Starting back in 1982, when we helped revive the convertible as a body type in America -- with the launch of the Buick Rivera convertible -- we've been blessed to have been able to put ASC's design, engineering and production skills to work for so many great automakers. And two that certainly fall into that category are Toyota, with whom today ASC celebrates not only this milestone but also our 20th year of working together as partners, and Mitsubishi, with whom we're celebrating our tenth anniversary."
"On behalf of everyone at Toyota, I'd like to congratulate ASC on its one- millionth convertible -- and I'd also commend them for their impeccable timing in having this milestone occur on a Toyota product!," said Convis. "Counting this new-generation Solara here, ASC has worked with Toyota on a total of seven generations of Celica, Paseo/Cynos [Japanese market] and Solara convertibles, performing everything from topstack design and supply to second- stage manufacturing. Our 20-year relationship has been a good one for both sides, and it continues as strong as ever today on the hot-selling Solara convertible."
ASC holds more than 150 active patents for automotive open-air systems, and has more than 50 additional patents pending in the area. In 2004 -- a record year for convertible sales in North America -- ASC was number two among all makers of (folding) convertible systems, with 71,512 systems produced, accounting for more than 26 percent of the market. In addition to soft tops, those figures include the retractable-hardtop convertible system currently on the Chevrolet SSR, widely hailed as one of that vehicle's most striking features.
"People know ASC for the Chevy SSR and for our other total-vehicle integration projects," said Jeff Steiner, ASC's executive vice president and chief marketing officer, "but the fact is, we're also North America's premier convertible specialists. We can do, and have done, it all: conversions, component supply, full-fledged second-stage manufacturing, our convertibles have even been exported to Japan and Europe. We've also demonstrated ways of expanding the reach of convertibles onto new and different markets, the latest being our award-winning ASC Helios prototype, the world's first production- intent four-door convertible in almost 40 years. And we've done the same in top systems, such as our new, patent-pending xpanse(TM) top system, which allows large convertible tops to fit into small spaces and smaller tops to fit into tiny ones."
The brands for which ASC has built convertible systems over the years are: BMW (Z3, Z4); Buick (Reatta, Riviera); Cadillac (Eldorado); Chevrolet (Camaro, Cavalier, Corvette, SSR); Dodge (Shadow, Dakota); Ford (ASC/McLaren Mustang); Hot Rods & Horsepower (Dearborn Deuce Convertible(TM)); Infiniti (M30); Mitsubishi (3000GT, Eclipse); Nissan (240SX, 300ZX); Pontiac (Firebird, Sunbird, Sunfire); Porsche (944 S2, 968); Renault (Alliance GTA); Rover (Metro); Saab (900 Turbo); and Toyota (Celica, Paseo, Cynos, Solara). Its three largest customers in recent years, ASC has built 168,884 top systems for Toyota and 115,885 for Mitsubishi, and produced 353,189 for BMW before selling its interest in that operation at the end of last year. A full list of ASC's production convertible programs is at the end of this release.
"Convertibles, cabriolets, drop-tops, open-tops, ragtops, retractables -- call them what you want, they all spell one thing: fun," said Wilbur. "And, with this milestone here today, I'm proud to say that ASC has helped put a smile on the face of at least a million people -- and we can't wait to do the same for a million more!"
ASC's 71,000-sq.-ft. Lexington Assembly Plant is located at 112 Capstone Drive.
ASC's award-winning programs include vehicle development and sub-assembly of the Chevrolet SSR (winner of a "Gold" award in the 2004 IDEA industrial design awards competition sponsored by Business Week); convertible systems for the Toyota Solara and Mitsubishi Eclipse; and numerous appearance programs and body packages for such products as the Dodge SRT-4, Dodge Viper SRT-10 and Chrysler 300C SRT-8. Founded in 1965 and headquartered in Southgate, Mich., the company employs more than 1,200 car nuts at ten facilities in the U.S. and Germany, and is on the Web at http://www.ascglobal.com/ . Contact: Tim Yost, +1-734-246-0098 or +1-734-250-0568 (mobile); tim.yost@ascglobal.com (mobile e- mail).
ASC Production Convertible Programs
CY Customer Model ASC Contribution
1982-1985 General Motors Buick Riviera System supply
1983-1999 General Motors Chevrolet Cavalier System supply
1983-1997 General Motors Pontiac Sunbird/Sunfire System supply
1984-1990 Ford ASC/McLaren Mustang System supply
1984-1985 General Motors Cadillac Eldorado System supply
1984-1985 Toyota Celica Full conversion
1985-1987 American Motors Renault Alliance GTA System supply
1986-1994 General Motors Chevrolet Corvette System supply
1986-1994 Saab Saab 900 Turbo System supply
1987-2000 General Motors Chevrolet Camaro System supply
1987-1989 Toyota Celica Full conversion
1989-1990 DaimlerChrysler Dodge Dakota System supply
1989-2002 General Motors Pontiac Firebird System supply
1989-1991 Porsche 944 S2 System supply
1990-1991 General Motors Buick Reatta System supply
1991-1993 Toyota Celica Full conversion
1991-1992 Infiniti M30 System supply
1991-1994 Rover Metro System supply
1990-1993 DaimlerChrysler Dodge Shadow System supply
1992-1995 Porsche 968 System supply
1992-1994 Nissan 240SX System supply
1993-1996 Nissan 300ZX System supply
1995-1997 Mitsubishi 3000GT System supply
1995-1999 Toyota Celica Full conversion
1996-2000 Mitsubishi Eclipse System supply
1997-2002 BMW Z3 System supply
1997-2000 Toyota Paseo/Cynos Full conversion
2000-2003 Toyota Solara Dual-stage
manufacturing
2002-2004 BMW Z4 System supply
2003-Present General Motors Chevrolet SSR System supply
2004-Present Toyota Solara System supply
2004-Present Hot Rods &
Horsepower Dearborn Deuce
Convertible System supply/
body assembly
2006
Coming Soon Mitsubishi Eclipse System supply