Featherlite's First-Quarter Net Income Expected to Be Below Last Year

31 March 2000
Featherlite's First-Quarter Net Income Expected to Be Below Last Year

    CRESCO, Iowa, March 31 Featherlite, Inc. , a
leading manufacturer and marketer of specialty aluminum trailers and luxury
motorcoaches, said today that net income for its first quarter ended March 31,
2000, is expected to be in a range of 10 to 12 cents per diluted share, below
the 24 cents per diluted share Featherlite recorded in the first quarter of
last year, and below the company's earlier expectations.  Net sales for the
first quarter are expected to be approximately $65 million, compared with net
sales of $59.4 million in last year's first quarter.
    Conrad Clement, chairman and chief executive officer, said, "Although we
expect to report a sales increase over last year's first quarter in both our
specialty trailer and luxury motorcoach segments, motorcoach margins are below
last year's level and fell short of our earlier expectations.  As we have
previously announced, changes were made in our motorcoach division management
team at the beginning of the first quarter, and new programs that have been
implemented to improve production efficiency and to reduce and control costs
have not yet had sufficient time to become fully effective.
    "Gross margin in our specialty trailer segment held up well, and we have
seen increases in each product category of our specialty trailer segment, with
continued strength in our car and race car transporter business," Clement
said.
    Featherlite expects to report full details of the first quarter in late
April.

    About Featherlite
    Featherlite, Inc., is an innovative leader in designing, manufacturing and
marketing high quality aluminum specialty trailers, transporters and luxury
motorcoaches.  With 80 percent of its business in the leisure, recreation and
entertainment categories, Featherlite has highly diversified product lines
offering 400 standard model and custom-designed aluminum specialty trailers,
specialized transporters and luxury motorcoaches.  Featherlite is the
"Official Trailer" of NASCAR, Championship Auto Racing Teams (CART), Indy Race
League (IRL), SPORTSCAR, Automobile Racing Club of America (ARCA), American
Speed Association (ASA), World of Outlaws (W.O.O.) and the National Hot Rod
Association (NHRA).  Through its Featherlite Vantare and Featherlite Vogue
product lines, Featherlite is the "Official Luxury Motorcoach" of NASCAR, IRL,
SPORTSCAR, CART and NHRA.  For more information about the company, please
visit Featherlite's website at http://www.featherliteinc.com
    Safe Harbor Statement under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act:
Statements in this release looking forward in time involve risks and
uncertainties discussed here and in the company filings with the Securities
and Exchange Commission, including product acceptance and demand in each
segment of the Company's markets, the price of aluminum, competition, and
facilities utilization.
    For more information, contact Doug Ewing of BlueFire Partners,
612-371-0000, for Featherlite, Inc., or Jeffery A. Mason, CFO of Featherlite,
Inc., 319-547-6000.