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Volvo, Jaguar Head West

24 February 2000

Volvo, Jaguar Head West

    DETROIT, Feb. 23 -- Ford Motor Co. will announce Thursday
that the U.S. headquarters of Volvo, Jaguar and Aston Martin will move from
New Jersey into a new headquarters complex to be built in Irvine, Calif., for
the luxury Premier Automotive Group, according to automotivenews.com., the
website for Automotive News.
    The group, which consists of those brands and Lincoln Mercury, is now
headquartered in London. Lincoln Mercury moved to Irvine in July 1998.
    Ford bought Jaguar in 1990, around the same time Jaguar built a new
headquarters in Mahwah, N.J. Aston Martin shares a small part of the Jaguar
building.  Ford bought Volvo Car Corp. in March 1999.  Volvo Cars of
North America Inc. has occupied several buildings in Rockleigh, N.J. for
decades.
    Northeast markets traditionally have the highest penetration for European
brands, and all major European imports were based in the
New York-New Jersey-Connecticut area at one time.  But once Volvo and Jaguar
leave, the BMW Group, Mercedes-Benz USA Inc. and Ferrari North America Inc.
will be the only ones left in the area.

    Celebrating its 75th anniversary in 2000, Automotive News is the
industry's weekly automotive newspaper.  With a paid circulation of
82,000 dealers, manufacturers and suppliers, Automotive News has more than
50 editors and writers worldwide.  Headquartered in Detroit, the publication's
Web address is http://www.automotivenews.com .