Ward's Reports Estimated North American Vehicle Production

SOUTHFIELD, Mich., April 25, 2003; Vehicle production this week in the U.S., Canada and Mexico is expected to hit an estimated 301,784 units, up from the 273,281 cars and trucks built last week, according to Ward's Automotive Reports.

Including this week's estimates, calendar year North American output now totals 5,443,336 vehicles, down 2.5 percent from like-2002's pace.

In the U.S., automakers are expected to produce 224,685 vehicles this week, up 9.9 percent from the 204,429 cars and trucks built last week. To date, calendar 2003 U.S. vehicle output totals an estimated 4,011,063 units, down 2.0 percent from the 4,094,038 vehicles built in like-2002.

This week's Canadian vehicle production is estimated at 50,318, a 6.0 percent increase from the 47,489 units assembled last week. Estimated calendar-2003 Canadian vehicle production now stands at 865,634 units, down 4.8 percent compared to the 909,154 vehicles produced in like-2002.

Of the cars and trucks slated for production this week in the U.S., General Motors Corp. accounted for 31.1 percent; Ford Motor Co., 26.3 percent; Chrysler of DaimlerChrysler, 12.9 percent; Honda of America Mfg. Inc., 7.9 percent; Toyota Motor Mfg. Inc., 6.3 percent; Nissan Motor Mfg. Corp., 4.1 percent; New United Motor Mfg. Inc., 3.5 percent; Subaru Automotive Inc., 1.2 percent; Mitsubishi Motor Mfg. of America Inc., 1.9 percent; AutoAlliance International Inc., 0.7 percent; Mercedes-Benz U.S. of DaimlerChrysler, 0.8 percent; BMW of North America Inc., 1.5 percent; and other manufacturers, 1.8 percent.

                     NORTH AMERICA FACTORY PRODUCTION
            This Week    Last Week  Same Week  To Date  To Date  Pct. Change
            Estimated     Revised   Last Year   2003     2002  2003 vs. 2002
  U.S.
  Cars        89,532      77,758    112,436  1,513,585  1,746,478    -13.3
  Trucks     135,153     126,671    156,447  2,497,478  2,347,560      6.4
  TOTAL      224,685     204,429    268,883  4,011,063  4,094,038     -2.0
  Canada
  Cars        26,818      24,974     31,670    462,805    452,254      2.3
  Trucks      23,500      22,515     30,356    402,829    456,900    -11.8
  TOTAL       50,318      47,489     62,026    865,634    909,154     -4.8
  Mexico
  Cars        10,066       9,902     20,469    296,203    318,359     -7.0
  Trucks      16,715      11,461     17,128    270,436    262,916      2.9
  TOTAL       26,781      21,363     37,597    566,639    581,275     -2.5
  U.S.\Canada\Mexico
  Cars       126,416     112,634    164,575  2,272,593  2,517,091     -9.7
  Trucks     175,368     160,647    203,931  3,170,743  3,067,376      3.4
  GRAND      301,784     273,281    368,506  5,443,336  5,584,467     -2.5
  TOTAL

  Note: All figures include medium- and heavy-duty truck production.

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