Automotive Lease Guide (ALG) Announces Sixth Annual Residual Value Awards for the Top Segment Leaders and Brand Residual Value Awards

SANTA BARBARA, Calif., Dec. 8, 2004 -- ALG's annual Residual Value Awards honor those vehicles in each automotive segment predicted to retain the highest percentage of their original price. This year's awards are based on 2005 model year vehicles. For the third year, ALG has also included awards for the brand with the highest predicted resale value of all industry and luxury vehicles. The awards are derived after careful study of segment competition, historical vehicle performance and industry trends. Award winners are featured on ALG.com, The Wall Street Journal, Automotive News, and other automotive websites dedicated to bringing the industry's best performing models into the public eye.

For the second consecutive year, American Honda Motor Company, Inc. heads the list with the Honda Brand winning the Industry Brand Residual Value Award. Honda also received two individual segment awards: the Odyssey for the Minivan Segment and the CR-V for the Compact SUV Segment. This is the fourth win for both the Honda Odyssey and CR-V.

BMW of North America, LLC has once again made a strong showing by winning the Luxury Brand Residual Value Award for the second consecutive year. MINI USA, a division of BMW of North America, has won the Compact Car Segment for the MINI Cooper for the third time.

Toyota Motor Sales, USA, Inc. continued a strong tradition in the Residual Value Awards winning four individual segment awards: the Tacoma for the Compact Truck Segment, Sequoia for the Fullsize SUV Segment, 4Runner for the Midsize SUV Segment, and the Tundra for the Fullsize Truck Segment. This is the fourth consecutive win for the Toyota Tacoma, Tundra and Sequoia; and the second consecutive win for the 4Runner.

Mercedes-Benz USA LLC is the winner of this year's Sports Car Segment for the SLK and the CLK has won the Luxury Segment award for the fourth time.

Nissan North America Inc. has won the Midsize Car Segment award for the Altima. Infiniti, a division of Nissan North America Inc., takes home the Near Luxury Car Segment award for the G35.

And last but not least, the CUV (Crossover Utility Vehicle) award goes to Volvo Cars of North America Inc. for the XC90.

"In an era of heavy incentives and discounts, Residual Value excellence becomes more difficult to achieve," said John Blair, Automotive Lease Guide's Chief Executive Officer. "Both the segment and brand winners clearly demonstrate that quality products combined with effective pricing strategies will rise to the top of the charts." Blair adds that "the gaps have tightened in all award categories showing the importance manufacturers are placing on retained value as a long term objective."

               Summary of 2005 Residual Value Award Winners

              Brand Awards                          Brand
   Industry Brand Residual Value Award    American Honda Motor Company, Inc.
   Luxury Brand Residual Value Award      BMW of North America, LLC

             Segment Awards                        Vehicle
   Compact Car                            MINI Cooper
   Midsize Car                            Nissan Altima
   Sports Car                             Mercedes-Benz SLK
   Near Luxury Car                        Infiniti G35
   Luxury Car                             Mercedes-Benz CLK
   Minivan                                Honda Odyssey
   CUV                                    Volvo XC90
   Compact SUV                            Honda CR-V
   Midsize SUV                            Toyota 4Runner
   Fullsize SUV                           Toyota Sequoia
   Compact Truck                          Toyota Tacoma
   Fullsize Truck                         Toyota Tundra

                  Industry Brand Residual Value Rankings
                    Rank                       Brand
                     1                         HONDA
                     2                         TOYOTA
                     3                         NISSAN
                     4                         VOLKSWAGEN
                     5                         JEEP
                     6                         SUBARU
                     7                         MAZDA
                     8                         GMC
                     9                         CHRYSLER
                    10                         FORD

Only brands above the industry average were ranked. Below industry average were the following brands (listed in alphabetical order): Buick, Chevrolet, Dodge, Hyundai, Isuzu, Kia, Mercury, Mitsubishi, Pontiac, Saturn, and Suzuki.

                   Luxury Brand Residual Value Rankings
                    Rank                       Brand
                     1                         BMW
                     2                         LEXUS
                     3                         ACURA
                     4                         MERCEDES-BENZ
                     5                         INFINITI
                     6                         VOLVO

Only brands above the luxury average were ranked. Below luxury average were the following brands (listed in alphabetical order): Audi, Cadillac, Jaguar, Land Rover, Lincoln and Saab.

Note: All brands with vehicles in at least three segments and minimum annual volume of 40,000 units were included. As a result of this requirement, MINI and Porsche as well as other brands were excluded from the above rankings.

Based in Santa Barbara, California, Automotive Lease Guide is a privately held company that has been forecasting automotive residual values for over 35 years in both the U.S. and Canadian markets.

Please visit us at www.alg.com to learn more about the 2005 Residual Value Awards, or any of ALG's other products and services.