Würzburg, May 26, 2009



Positive examples in difficult times: The fact that there are currently numerous successful companies in the crisis-ridden automotive industry is shown by the trade journal "kfz-betrieb" in its current issue "Mutmacher 2009". Particularly in economically difficult times, it takes a lot of courage to set goals and leave old paths behind.



This was precisely the motivation for Vogel Business Media to produce a special issue on the courage makers of the automotive industry. The editors of the weekly journal looked for and found successful companies. "kfz-betrieb" portrays numerous movers and shakers in the automotive industry and provides good ideas for day-to-day business. "These movers and shakers are representative of many courageous companies in the automotive industry and a positive approach to difficult times," comments Wolfgang Michel, Editor-in-Chief of "kfz-betrieb", with a view to the battered industry.



The large number of good examples and the variety of encouraging stories prove the editors right: car dealerships that are investing heavily and even adding new makes, service providers and equipment suppliers that are successfully developing new products and placing them on the market just as successfully are just as much in the foreground in this issue as the fact that there is strong investment in training and further education even during the crisis.



Encouraging response from advertising customers

The response from the market has been pleasing: "Our advertising customers have also supported the idea and made it feasible with their courageous commitment," says Michel happily and sees it as a positive signal for the entire industry: "We have to tackle this together!"



"kfz-betrieb" is the most widely read trade magazine in the automotive industry and has been informing the automotive trade and service sector for 98 years. "kfz-betrieb" is the official organ of the German Motor Vehicle Trade (ZDK), the professional interest group for around 40,000 car dealerships and workshops. Daily news from the entire automotive industry is available at www.kfz-betrieb.de and in the daily newsletter. The parent company Vogel Business Media is one of the leading German providers of specialist information with around 100 trade journals and 60 websites as well as numerous international activities. Its headquarters are in Würzburg.