Volvo Construction Equipment Sells Compact Motor Grader Product Line to Current Management

Volvo Construction Equipment Sells Compact Motor Grader Product Line to Current Management Volvo Construction Equipment (Volvo CE) has sold its compact motor grader business to Champion LLC, Charlotte, North Carolina, a company organized by Gary Abernathy, manager of the Volvo compact motor grader product line since 1997. Abernathy became of manager of the business in 1993 under its previous owner, Champion Road Machinery, Ltd., which was acquired by Volvo CE in 1997. The acquisition by Champion LLC of the Volvo CE compact motor grader product line, which consists of the Volvo G60, Volvo G66, Volvo G80, and Volvo G86, is effective July 1, 2004. The products will be marketed by the new company under the "Champion" brand as models C60, C66, C80, and C86. Champion LLC will manufacture the line of compact graders at the present production facilities in Charlotte. The compact motor grader product line is well established in the North America market - sales in 2003 were nearly $4.5 million - and all Volvo CE dealers will have the opportunity to retain the distribution rights to the equipment from Champion. Volvo CE will continue to support all Volvo-branded compact motor graders in accordance with the Volvo CE warranty policy, and the current parts ordering process managed by the compact motor grader facility in Charlotte will remain in effect. Volvo CE Sells Compact Motor Grader Line Champion LLC will be responsible for parts and customer support for Volvo compact motor graders that are out of warranty. Compact motor graders built by the Charlotte production facility after July 1, 2004, will carry the Champion brand. This sale of the compact motor grader product line will have no effect on the manufacture and marketing of the G700B Series motor grader product range that is manufactured by Volvo Motor Graders in Goderich, Canada. 7 July 2004 For further information, please contact Klas Magnusson Corporate Communications Volvo Construction Equipment HQR tel: + 32 2482 5065 e.mail: klas.magnusson@volvo.com ------------------------------------------------------------ This information was brought to you by Waymaker http://www.waymaker.net The following files are available for download: http://www.waymaker.net/bitonline/2004/07/07/20040707BIT20390/wkr0001.pdf