Spoiler Alert: How Customization Could Salvage The Auto Industry

--(Business Wire)--
In June, General Motors tumbled to its lowest stock price in more
than thirty years, and the Associated Press reported that an estimated
ten million fewer cars will be on the roads in America by 2012.

While these figures do not bode well for the automotive industry,
one area of the market continues to thrive: after market sales of
customized parts and accessories. In fact, over the course of the last
eleven years the automotive special equipment market grew 104%
compared with an average annual increase in new vehicle sales of
1.07%.

"The reality of the automotive industry is that car dealers
typically generate better profits on the sale of accessories than on
the cars themselves," says Rainer Poertner, Executive Vice President
of MWW Automotive, a leading designer, manufacturer, and supplier of
customized, high quality original equipment (OE) accessories for new
automobiles to the global marketplace. "Although automobile sales
continue to struggle in the U.S., the special equipment market has
steadily grown at an average annual rate of 7.4%, with European and
emerging markets producing strong sales growth for U.S. manufacturers
and suppliers."

Aftermarket products include everything from exterior systems such
as rear spoilers, front grills, running boards, side pillar trim kits,
stainless steel door sills and performance exhaust systems; interior
systems including real wood, carbon fiber, and metallic look dash trim
kits; electronic systems including seat heater systems, iPod interface
modules; adaptive lighting systems, and more.

"If consumers have become used to customizing their jeans, cell
phones, and computer software, why shouldn't they demand to
personalize their cars?" asks Poertner, suggesting the spike in
aftermarket sales is part of a larger cultural trend toward
customization. MMW's products are researched, designed, engineered,
and manufactured by in-house experts in the U.S. and Germany and
deliver innovative, cost-effective, and differentiated parts that
reflect today's customers' specific and increasingly demanding
lifestyle choices.

In an unique aftermarket sales model, MWW delivers its products
directly to the assembly lines of automobile manufacturer Vehicle
Processing Centers (VPC) in the U.S., Canada, and Europe. "This
assures consistency of part styles and color, and ensures that the
automobile manufacturers' warranties remain intact following accessory
installation," Poertner explains. "It's a sales model with solid
profit margins, in which the parts are definitely greater than the
whole."

For additional information visit www.marketingworldwide.us and
www.modelworxx.com.

IRG
Laura Colontrelle, 212-825-3210

Copyright Business Wire 2008