AutoVIBES Study Announces 2004 Automotive 'Best Buzz' List

According to AutoVIBES, a monthly study from online automotive research leaders Harris Interactive® and Kelley Blue Book Marketing Research which tracks the launch of new nameplates, domestic vehicle manufacturers were successful in creating 'buzz' around their new vehicle launches during 2004. Six vehicles on the "2004 Best Buzz" list are from Detroit. Chrysler claimed the top two slots on the 2004 list with the Chrysler 300 reigning in at No. 1 and the Dodge Magnum grabbing a very close No. 2. Additional domestic vehicles making the "2004 Best Buzz" list come from the GM line-up including the Pontiac GTO, Chevrolet Colorado, Chevrolet Equinox and Cadillac SRX.

                        AutoVIBES 2004 "Best Buzz List"

                 1. Chrysler 300          6. Chevrolet Colorado
                 2. Dodge Magnum          7. BMW X-3
                 3. BMW 6-Series          8. Chevrolet Equinox
                 4. Nissan Titan          9. Mazda 3
                 5. Pontiac GTO          10. Cadillac SRX

"This is a significant achievement for a vehicle since 'Best Buzz' is chosen by consumer vehicle buyers," said Rick Wainschel, vice president of marketing research, Kelley Blue Book. "'Best Buzz' is a combination of manufacturing a great vehicle and the successful execution of advertising and marketing plans that truly resonate with consumers."

AutoVIBES tracks buzz, which is calculated based on in-market vehicle buyers' reactions and awareness to new nameplates entering the marketplace, three to six months prior to the vehicle arriving at dealerships through nine months of vehicle sales.

AutoVIBES is a monthly survey of approximately 2,000 U.S. adults ages 18 and over who plan to purchase or lease a new vehicle within the next 12 months. The survey is conducted for five days on Kelley Blue Book's Web site (www.kbb.com), the most visited Web site among in-market vehicle buyers. The study was designed and analyzed jointly by Harris Interactive and Kelley Blue Book Marketing Research.

The data were weighted by demographics and propensity to be online to reflect the general U.S. adult population of in-market vehicle buyers. Though this sample is not a probability sample, in theory, with probability samples of this size, one could say with 95 percent certainty that the results have a statistical precision of plus or minus three percentage points of what they would be if the entire U.S. adult population who plan to purchase or lease a new vehicle within the next 12 months had been polled with complete accuracy.

For more information about this study, please contact Kelley Blue Book Marketing Research at 949-268-3074 or Harris Interactive at 877-919-4765.

About Harris Interactive®

Harris Interactive Inc. (www.harrisinteractive.com), the 15th largest and fastest-growing market research firm in the world, is a Rochester, N.Y.-based global research company that blends premier strategic consulting with innovative and efficient methods of investigation, analysis and application. Known for The Harris Poll® and for pioneering Internet-based research methods, Harris Interactive conducts proprietary and public research to help its clients achieve clear, material and enduring results.

Harris Interactive combines its intellectual capital, databases and technology to advance market leadership through U.S. offices and wholly owned subsidiaries: London-based HI Europe (www.hieurope.com), Paris-based Novatris (www.novatris.com), Tokyo-based Harris Interactive Japan, through newly acquired WirthlinWorldwide (www.wirthlinworldwide.com), a Reston, Virginia-based research and consultancy firm ranked 25th largest in the world, and through an independent global network of affiliate market research companies. EOE M/F/D/V

To become a member of the Harris Poll OnlineSM and be invited to participate in future online surveys, visit www.harrispollonline.com.

About Kelley Blue Book

Kelley Blue Book is the most trusted vehicle information resource by both consumers and the auto industry, providing research tools and up-to-date pricing on thousands of new and used vehicles, including the company's New Car Blue Book Value, which reveals what a new car is actually selling for. Since 1926, car buyers and sellers have relied upon Kelley Blue Book for authoritative and unbiased information to make well-informed automotive decisions. The company reports vehicle prices and values via products and services including the famous Blue Book Official Guide™, software and Internet site, kbb.com. Kbb.com has been rated the No. 1 automotive information site as well as No. 1 and first visited automotive site seven years running. No other medium reaches more in-market car-buyers than kbb.com; one in every four American car-buyers completes their research on kbb.com.

SOURCE: Kelley Blue Book

CONTACT: Media, Robyn Eckard of Kelley Blue Book, +1-949-268-3049,
reckard@kbb.com

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