Frankfurt/Würzburg, Germany, 14 September 2007

„Only the businesses that score well with high-quality customer contact will be able to enduringly withstand the massive structural changes currently taking place in the motor trade,“ was the view expressed by Wolfgang Michel, Editor-in-Chief of the specialist German magazine, »kfz-betrieb«, at the sector’s well-established Service Award ceremony. „Those businesses which are not proficient in the service domain have very little chance of survival in the automobile business. Customer services have therefore undergone enormous developments.“

The jury selecting the winners of the »kfz-betrieb« Service Award 2007 picked out three businesses in the motor sector out of more than 400 competition entrants from across the whole of Germany. The winners, shown below, stand as ideal examples for the entire sector:

1st prize: In the category of passenger cars: Automobile Forum Stegmaier & Büeck GmbH, Crailsheim (Ford)

1st prize: In the category of independent businesses: Quante & Weber, Südkirchen (1a autoservice)

1st prize: In the category of commercial vehicles: Robert Kunzmann GmbH, Aschaffenburg (Mercedes-Benz)

The well-established »kfz-betrieb« Service Award was presented for the twelfth time yesterday at the IAA automobile exhibition in Frankfurt and attracted a lot of interest from the sector. The competition is a neutral one covering all makes of vehicle and is open to contenders from the whole of Germany. It is awarded by the German motor trade sector’s most widely read specialist magazine, »kfz-betrieb« – weekly journal & website, in conjunction with its two business partners, Pirelli, the tyre manufacturers, and Fuchs Europe Schmierstoffe, the manufacturer of lubricants. The prizes go to those automobile businesses in Germany which excel in providing customer-orientated services relating to all aspects of the automobile. Outstanding services and marketing performance, implemented with conceptual skill and in an innovative way, both externally and internally – those are further key criteria which play a part in the selection of the winners of the Service Award.

The »kfz-betrieb« Service Award 2007 was presented to winners in the three different categories of passenger cars, independent businesses and commercial vehicles. The award winners receive 3,000 euros each. »kfz-betrieb« Editor-in-Chief, Wolfgang Michel, alongside Sven Leyens-Wiedau, Head of Trade Marketing at Pirelli Germany, and Dietmar Neubauer, Head of Sales and Trade at Fuchs Europe, presented each of the winners with their winner’s cup and a cheque for the prize money.

Overall, the following businesses ranked highest in the competition, in the order shown below:

Top ten in the category of passenger cars:

1st place: Automobile Forum Stegmaier & Büeck GmbH, Crailsheim (Ford)

2nd place: Autohaus Jakob GmbH Kassel, Kassel (Chrysler, Jeep, Dodge, Honda)

3rd place: VW – Audi Hermann Klein GmbH, Fuldatal (VW, Audi, Skoda)

3rd place: S & G Automobil AG, Kehl (Mercedes-Benz)

5th place: Autohaus Josef Pickel, Erlangen (Mercedes-Benz)

6th place: Auto Köhler GmbH & Co. KG, Mainburg (VW Pkw/Nfz, Audi, Seat, Skoda)

7th place: Schubert Motors GmbH, Oschersleben (BMW)

8th place: Auto Schneider, Leipzig (Ford, Volvo)

9th place: Auto Deters, Osnabrück (Opel, Subaru)

10th place: Lauer & Süwer, Siegen (Chrysler, Jeep, Dodge)

Top three in the category of commercial vehicles:

1st place: Robert Kunzmann GmbH, Aschaffenburg (MB)

2nd place: Horst Beständig GmbH, Gochsheim (MB)

3rd place: DC NL Mannheim/Heidelberg (MB)

Top three in the category of independent businesses:

1st place: Quante & Weber, Südkirchen (1a autoservice)

2nd place: Theo Niessing GmbH, Raesfeld (Bosch Service)

3rd place: Auto Heunisch, Geroldshausen (Autofit, Seat)

The service market is at the very core of the motor trade and is subject to intense competition. Independent car businesses and those dealing in specific makes of car both deal with very varied groups of customers. Car businesses are finding that there is money to be earned from repair and maintenance work on cars, whereas there is hardly any profit still to be made from the business of selling new cars. The »kfz-betrieb« Service Award gives support to the German motor trade sector in the service segment.

»kfz-betrieb« is a specialist magazine published by Vogel Auto Media, Würzburg. It is the most widely read specialist magazine in the German car trade, delivering all the relevant information to people in the automobile trade and service sector for the last 97 years. »kfz-betrieb« fulfils the role of official publication of the German vehicle trade association (ZDK), which represents the interests of over 40,000 car dealer businesses and repair garages. Current daily news from the entire motor sector is available at www.kfz-betrieb.de and also in the newsletter issued daily.

If you have any queries, please feel free to contact:

Dr. Gunther Schunk

Editorial office of »kfz-betrieb« – weekly journal & website

Vogel Auto Media

97064 Würzburg

Germany

Tel. +49 (0)931 418-25 25

Fax +49 (0)931 418-29 15

Email: gunther_schunk@vogel-automedien.de