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Ward's Reports Estimated Annual Production

30 December 1998

Ward's Reports Estimated Annual Production

    SOUTHFIELD, Mich., Dec. 30 -- Vehicle production for this
week has been suspended by all manufacturers in the U.S., Canada, and Mexico
due to the holidays.  Production will resume the week of January 4th.
    For the 1998 calendar year, North American output totals 15,927,072
vehicles, off just 0.2 percent from like-1997's pace.  Of this sum, calendar
1998 U.S. vehicle output totals an estimated 12,001,332 units, down 0.9
percent from the 12,114,899 vehicles built in like-1997.
    Estimated calendar-1998 Canadian vehicle production stands at 2,566,723
units, off 0.3 percent from the 2,575,333 vehicles produced in like-1997.  In
Mexico, calendar 1998 production has been estimated at 1,359,017 units, a 7.4
percent increase over the 1,265,580 units produced in the 1997 calendar year.
    Of all of the vehicles produced in the U.S. in the 1998 calendar year,
General Motors Corp. accounted for 32.6 percent; Ford Motor Co., 29.1 percent;
Chrysler of DaimlerChrysler, 15.1 percent; Honda of America Mfg. Inc., 5.8
percent; Toyota Motor Mfg. Inc., 3.9 percent; New United Motor Mfg. Inc., 3.0
percent; Nissan Motor Mfg. Corp., 2.6 percent; AutoAlliance International
Inc., 1.4; Subaru-Isuzu Automotive Inc., 1.8 percent; Mitsubishi Motor Mfg. of
America Inc., 1.3 percent; Mercedes-Benz U.S. of DaimlerChrysler, 0.6 percent;
BMW of North America Inc., 0.5 percent; and other manufacturers, 2.4 percent.

                       NORTH AMERICA FACTORY PRODUCTION

         This Week  Last Week   Same Week   To Date     To Date   Pct. Change
         Estimated  Revised *   Last Year    1998        1997    1998 vs. 1997
    U.S.
     Cars     0      70,442        0      5,554,987   5,924,861     -6.2
     Trucks   0      87,361        0      6,446,345   6,190,038      4.1
     TOTAL    0     157,803        0     12,001,332  12,114,899     -0.9
    Canada
     Cars     0      20,148        0      1,482,648   1,375,414      7.8
     Trucks   0      15,389        0      1,084,075   1,199,919     -9.7
     TOTAL    0      35,537        0      2,566,723   2,575,333     -0.3
    Mexico
     Cars     0      10,703        0        908,608     788,612     15.2
     Trucks   0       5,988        0        450,409     476,968     -5.6
     TOTAL    0      16,691        0      1,359,017   1,265,580      7.4
    U.S.\Canada\Mexico
     Cars     0     101,293        0      7,946,243   8,088,887     -1.8
     Trucks   0     108,738        0      7,980,829   7,866,925      1.4
     GRAND    0     210,031        0     15,927,072  15,955,812     -0.2
     TOTAL

    Note:  All figures include medium- and heavy-duty truck production.
    *  Last week's figures have not been revised due to the holidays.

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