Level Field Institute: $83 Billion in Auto Parts Sales - and 232,000 U.S. Jobs - Could Depend on Differences in Domestic Auto Parts Content

WASHINGTON, Aug. 31, 2006 -- The Level Field Institute today issued its first report on the U.S. automotive parts industry and how differences in "domestic content" among automakers affect the U.S. economy and jobs.

Despite the fact that domestic automakers (Chrysler Group, Ford and GM) used 93 percent more domestic parts, on average, in 2005 than foreign automakers, many observers argue that the two groups' parts strategies are converging quickly.

Level Field conducted this most recent study in response to growing confusion over whether, and how much, a car's domestic content still matters. The report examines how much automakers spent on U.S. parts in recent years, as well as the average domestic content for the cars sold in the U.S. by each company (as defined by the American Automobile Labeling Act (AALA)). From that, Level Field estimates how many jobs each automaker's domestic parts purchases support -- and how automakers compare on a market share-adjusted and per car-adjusted basis.

"Parts suppliers employ somewhere between 80 and 170 percent more U.S. workers than the automakers themselves, so domestic content has a big impact on our economy," said Level Field President Jim Doyle. "This report examines how various automakers rate against one another, and what the differences among them mean for U.S. jobs."

Doyle continued, "Domestic content can vary widely from model to model, but comparing companies demonstrates that tens of billions of dollars and more than 200,000 U.S. jobs are at stake."

Full details of the new Level Field report, along with previous studies examining the impact of the auto industry on the U.S. economy and jobs, can be found at: http://www.levelfieldinstitute.org/.

  Among Level Field's findings:

  * Domestic automakers' combined spending of $171 billion supported
    approximately 480,000 U.S. parts jobs in 2005, compared with foreign
    automaker spending of $50 billion, which supported approximately 140,000
    jobs.

  * Had domestic automakers reduced their domestic content average from 76
    percent to the foreign automaker average of 40 percent, U.S. parts
    suppliers would have sold approximately $83 billion fewer parts, which
    could have led to layoffs for as many as 232,000 workers (nearly two of
    every five workers employed by parts suppliers nationwide).

  * GM's parts purchases were approximately 1.5 times what its market share
    would suggest, while Toyota's parts purchases were lower by
    approximately one third.

  * Ford, GM and Chrysler used 93 percent more domestic parts on average
    than their foreign competitors. The report shows the significant
    domestic content differences on a brand-by-brand basis:

            Domestic Content by Brand (2005 -- sales weighted)

  BMW                                                                  10%
  Chrysler (domestic brands)                                           78%
  Ford (domestic brands)                                               78%
  GM (domestic brands)                                                 74%
  Honda/Acura                                                          59%
  Hyundai/Kia                                                           3%
  Isuzu                                                                17%
  Mitsubishi                                                           36%
  Nissan/Infiniti                                                      46%
  Subaru                                                               26%
  Toyota/Lexus                                                         47%
  Volkswagen/Audi                                                       4%

The Level Field Institute previously released a report examining how the latest buyout, layoff and new plant developments are likely to affect the U.S. economy -- collectively, and on a company-by-company basis. The report showed that the recent cuts will not have a significant impact on their comparative economic contribution to the U.S. economy.

About Level Field Institute (http://www.levelfieldinstitute.org/)

Level Field seeks to promote U.S. jobs, R&D and infrastructure investment by offering clear comparisons of how various automakers contribute to the U.S. economy. Established by retirees and families of GM, Ford, DaimlerChrysler, and the suppliers and dealers that support them, the Level Field Institute also has the support of major manufacturers, suppliers, dealers, unions and others who care about these issues.