New Cars Debut at South Florida International Auto Show

MIAMI BEACH, Fla., Nov. 4, 2005 -- Major car manufacturers today unveiled their newest models at the South Florida International Auto Show presented by Progressive Direct as it opened its 35th anniversary exhibition on Miami Beach. The annual event is produced by the South Florida Auto/Truck Dealers Association, which comprises more than 220 dealers in Miami-Dade, Broward, Palm Beach and Monroe counties.

Press events opened with the North American auto show debut of Aston Martin's V8 Vantage, the newest of three models now in production, according to communications manager Geno Effler. The company produced only 42 vehicles a year ten years ago, but now makes 2,000 annually thanks to new production facilities in England and Germany. Aston Martin has nearly tripled its number of North American dealers in the last five years.

Hyundai revealed a new flagship Azera sedan with extensive safety engineering and upscale convenience features. It comes standard with eight airbags, said vice president Chris Hosford, who also highlighted an all-new Accent entry level sedan for Hyundai, now the fourth largest import brand in the U.S.

Sobre Ruedas, the leading Hispanic auto/lifestyle magazine, used the show to present its 2005 "Best of The Year" awards -- The Honda Civic is its Car of the Year -- and Ford Motor Company unveiled three new mid-size sedans: the Ford Fusion, Mercury Milan and Lincoln Zephyr.

Guest speaker for the media luncheon was James Taylor, general manager of Cadillac, who documented the brand's growth in market share following the introduction of five new models in 30 months. Cadillac now has 100 dealers in Europe and 12 in China, part of its attention to global opportunities. Cadillac will use the South Florida show for the worldwide debut of its 2007 Escalade on Friday, November 11.

Exotics were represented by the Italians, where Ferrari vice president Marco Mattiacci announced improvements to the line's 612 Scaglietti 2+2, the 430 coupe and the 430 Spyder. Florida is the third largest U.S. market for Ferrari, a position similar to that of its corporate cousin Maserati, whose U.S. sales leader is a dealer in Coral Gables, Fla. Other exotic marques at the show are Bentley, Lamborghini, Lotus and Saleen in the XM Satellite Radio Million Dollar Alley display.

Nissan announced its 2007 plans for a hybrid Altima, a new Sentra and an all-new entry level sedan named the Versa. Subaru spotlighted a limited- edition Legacy 2.5 GT spec.B sports sedan that features a Bilstein shock package and new aluminum suspension.

The South Florida show also features a Memory Lane room of classic cars from the 1920 to the 1970s, and a display featuring the latest motorcycles.

For more information, visit http://www.sfliautoshow.com/ .