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.February 04, 2004
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This Week:

• The Sky's the Limit With the New 2005 Chrysler PT Cruiser Convertible

• Lexus to Show the All-New GS Sedan and RX 400h Luxury Hybrid SUV at the Chicago Auto Show

• BMW 760i: The Ultimate Luxury Driving Machine - Now In A Performance Version

• Mazda RX-8 Wins Wheels Car Of The Year

• Ford Sees Luxury Trend Continuing To Grow

• The new-generation C-Class from spring 2004

• Top athlete and luxury saloon: Audi A8 6.0 quattro

• Agreement signed with Dongfeng Motor in the presence of Chinese President Jintao and French Prime Minister Raffarin

• Nissan Announces Name Change on Full-Size SUV

• Bangle Strengthens Design Teams Of The BMW Group

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Ford Sees Luxury Trend Continuing To Grow
 

LAS VEGAS - David Thursfield, executive vice president and president, International Operations and Global Purchasing, remarks before the J.D. Power International Automotive Roundtable that the world's major economies appear to be growing again, and if so, global automotive sales could reach 63 million in the next four years, fueling the trend to more luxury purchases that has been already been underway for the last decade. If the forecast holds, Ford Motor Company's Premier Automotive Group - which includes Aston Martin, Jaguar, Land Rover and Volvo -- could be a major beneficiary of this long-term trend. The luxury automotive customers, Thursfield said, not only are willing to pay for more content and more service, they also enter into the market more frequently. Thursfield presented an overview of the recent results of both the Premier Automotive Group (PAG) and each of its four luxury brands.

Last year, PAG was profitable, which represented a $1 billion turnaround over the same period a year ago. Aston Martin sold a record 1,500 cars worldwide in 2003 and 500 of those were in the U.S. By contrast, Aston Martin sold only 42 cars in 1994, the year Ford Motor Company acquired the rest of the company that it didn't already own. The new Aston Martin DB9's projected volume is 2,000 units and the first year's production is sold out.

Jaguar enjoyed record sales in 2002 and sales of the new Jaguar XJ, the most sophisticated Jaguar ever, is up 56 percent. In 1998, Jaguar offered only two models with sales of around 50,000. Today, Jaguar offers four models with sales of more than 120,000.

Land Rover saw an all-time record in 2003 and is embarking on an intense new-product launch. The brand that launched fewer than ten vehicles over its lifetime will unveil three in the next 18 months.

Volvo also saw a record year in North America with 14 consecutive year-over-year monthly increases, which make Volvo the second-fastest growing premium brand in the U.S. The Volvo XC90 is sold out and capacity has been increased by 60 percent.

When Lincoln is included with these PAG brands, Ford Motor Company is the largest marketer of luxury cars and trucks in the U.S.

(Jan. 30, 2004)