Press Release

J.D. Power Announces that Customer Satisfaction Depends on Vehicle Interior

11/21/96

J.D. Power and Associates Reports: Vehicle Interior is a
Differentiator in Medium-Duty Truck Customer Satisfaction


AGOURA HILLS, Calif., Nov. 19 -- Substantially higher
ratings for vehicle interior drive the top rankings for product in
both the conventional and cab-over segments in the 1996 J.D. Power and
Associates Medium-Duty Truck Customer Satisfaction Study released
today.  Service attitude and quality drive the top ranking for
medium-duty truck service.

The study unveils Freightliner as the Best Conventional Medium-Duty
Truck.  Freightliner captures the highest position for conventional
medium-duty trucks with an interior that substantially leads the
segment and a top ranking for vehicle performance.  In the cab-over
segment, Volvo receives the Best Cab- Over Medium-Duty Truck title by
moving well to the front of the competition for vehicle interior and
vehicle performance.

Mitsubishi Fuso's commitment to superior customer service is apparent
as the manufacturer is recognized as the Best Medium-Duty Truck for
Service.  Mitsubishi solidly moves to the top position with the
highest rankings on each of the three measures contributing to service
satisfaction: service capabilities, service timeliness, and service
attitude and quality.

"Product differentiation and meeting the needs of consumers are the
keys to gaining greater market share," comments Linda Schulz,
director, commercial and specialty vehicles at J.D. Power and
Associates.  "The Medium-Duty Truck Customer Satisfaction Study
provides feedback to manufacturers on how well they are meeting
customer needs, as well as providing valuable information and insight
into what the competition may be doing right."

J.D. Power and Associates 1996 Medium-Duty Truck Customer Satisfaction
Study offers manufacturers strategic insight into the medium-duty
truck market.  It focuses on product quality and dealer service for
two year in- service vehicles.

More than 2,600 medium-duty truck principal maintainers responded to
the survey, completing a twenty-five minute telephone interview.
Study participants were selected using a national sample of 1994 VIN
identified Class 5, 6 and 7 medium-duty trucks.  All survey data is
weighted to reflect appropriate total industry and manufacturer market
share.

J.D. Power and Associates is an international marketing information
firm with headquarters in Agoura Hills, California and offices in
Detroit, Michigan; Westport, Connecticut; Torrance, California;
Toronto, Canada; London, England; Tokyo, Japan; and Seoul, Korea.
J.D. Power and Associates is best known for marketing information,
consulting and measurement expertise in the areas of consumer opinion
and customer satisfaction.  J.D. Power and Associates can be accessed
through the World Wide Web at http://www.jdpower.com.  Email:
info@jdpower.com.

No advertising or other promotional use can be made of the information
in this release or J.D. Power and Associates survey results without
the express prior written consent of J.D. Power and Associates.

J.D. Power and Associates 1996 Medium-Duty Truck Study

Conventional Medium-Duty Truck Product Ranking

Freightliner -- 103
Chevrolet -- 100
International -- 97
Industry Average - 96

Cab-Over Medium-Duty Truck Product Ranking

Volvo -- 112
Hino -- 103
Isuzu -- 98
Nissan UD -- 97
Mack -- 93
Mitsubishi Fuso -- 92
Industry Average - 90

Medium-Duty Truck Service Ranking

Mitsubishi Fuso -- 122
Mack -- 106
International -- 104
Freightliner -- 101
GMC Truck -- 101
Industry Average -100