News 24-08-99 Page 2

News of August 24, 1999

Page 2 of 4

Retail Sales Prove Popularity Of New Chevrolets
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New Impala and Silverado: Strong Competitors in Largest Market Segments
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DETROIT, August 19, 1999 - High retail sales numbers in July prove the popularity of Chevrolet products, especially its recent lineup additions.

Averaging 88 percent retail sales for its 17-vehicle lineup, Chevrolet posted especially impressive numbers for its newest products in the industry's largest market segments. Total Chevrolet retail sales for the month were 199,392 of the 225,981 units sold.

2000_Chevrolet_Impala_LS-Sedan

2000 Chevrolet Impala LS-Sedan

Photo: GM

"By the end of 1999 Chevrolet will have introduced seven new products in 14 months (Silverado, Corvette Hardtop, Tracker, Impala, Monte Carlo, Tahoe and Suburban), and those products will account for more than 50 percent of our yearly sales," said Kurt Ritter, Chevrolet general manager. "In July we had five vehicles on each of the top 20 best-selling car and truck lists. We are especially encouraged by public acceptance of vehicles such as the all-new Impala and Silverado."

Impala's July retail sales exceeded 80 percent of the line's total sales for the month. Introduced just four months ago, Impala was already in the top 20 best-selling cars in the U.S. during July, making impressive inroads in the midsize car market, the industry's largest car market segment. Impala sales in July (9,815) overtook several competitors, including Dodge Intrepid (8,219) and Toyota Avalon (4,942).

In the largest volume vehicle segment of all -- full-size pickups -- Chevy Silverado's sales for July (45,929) increased 35 percent versus the year-ago period, and more than 92 percent of those sales were retail sales. With Chevy full-size pickup production scheduled to reach nearly 700,000 units in 1999, the all-new Silverado will make a significant contribution to what should be Chevrolet's best annual truck sales for the fourth consecutive year. "Chevy's all-new 2000 Tahoe and Suburban full-size sport utility vehicles, which are built on the Silverado platform, will also exceed customer expectations before the end of the year," Ritter said. "Our continuing success in a variety of markets is building customer loyalty and strengthening brand identity.

High-performance Avant: RS4 by quattro GmbH
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Ingoldstadt, Germany, August 20, 1999 - The RS4, a high-performance vehicle with uncompromising sports character in terms of both technology and visual appearance, is being launched onto the market by quattro GmbH, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Audi AG. quattro GmbH has designed the RS4 on the basis of the Audi S4 as the supreme model in the A4 series and developed it in cooperation with AUDI AG. The RS4, which, like its predecessor the RS2, is to be produced exclusively as an Avant model, will impress discerning customers who favour sports-style driving, thanks to its supreme performance.
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Audi RS4

Audi RS4

Photo: Audi AG

As on the S4, a 2.7-litre biturbo V6 engine with five valves per cylinder gets to work under the hood of the Audi RS4. Audi’s engineering experts have taken what was already a very high-performance engine and given it even more power and torque on the RS4. Instead of 195 kW (265 bhp) in the S4, the RS4 engine develops 280 kW (380 bhp) at 6,500 rpm.

The six-speed manual gearbox with ratios chosen to suit the car’s sports character, together with permanent four-wheel drive, convert the high torque of the biturbo V6 into propulsion and traction effectively and with excellent directional stability. Cast aluminium wheels of a new spoke design provide space for the RS4’s more voluminous brake system. The vehicle body has been significantly lowered compared with the A4.

The spring and shock absorber units and elastokinematics have been retuned to suit the modified axle weights and axle geometry. Rack-and-pinion steering with a direct ratio also contributes towards the vehicle’s distinctly sporty handling. The RS4 has cast off the visual understatement which typifies the S4: its flared wheel arches, aerodynamically styled tail and the side sills harmoniously integrated into the body line unmistakably emphasize the character and performance of the RS4.

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