SOUTHFIELD, Mich. (Feb. 18, 2004) - Have Toyota and Saturn tapped into a magic elixir that lures female new car buyers into dealer showrooms? Or do the Toyota RAV4, and Saturn’s SC, SL and ION models simply have the perfect selling points to attract the largest percentages of female buyers in the U.S.?

R. L. Polk & Co., the motor vehicle industry’s premier provider of statistical information and analysis, today announced the top vehicle choices among American women and men for calendar year 2003. The results are based on at least 1,000 new vehicle registrations per model, and calculated based on the percentage of all new vehicles registered by each gender.

The top four vehicles among American men are high-performance cars – the Dodge Viper, the BMW M5, the Porsche 911 and the Audi A8. Rounding out the top five is the GMC Sierra pickup truck.

"American men have a clear preference for performance and power," said Lonnie Miller, director of analytical solutions at Polk. "Women – who have tremendous influence on purchasing decisions in the household – select vehicles that are practical. Saturn and Toyota are big winners in these rankings. Saturn has three models in the women’s top five; Toyota has the top-ranked vehicle in terms of percentage of female buyers. Part of Saturn’s success in appealing to women may be their hallmark no-haggle sales process; an acknowledgement that a customer-friendly approach can make a difference in attracting customers."

About R. L. Polk & Co.
R. L. Polk & Co. is the premier provider of automotive information and marketing solutions. Polk collects and interprets global data, and provides extensive automotive business expertise to help customers understand their market position, identify trends, build brand loyalty, conquest new business and gain a competitive advantage. Polk helps automotive manufacturers and dealers, automotive aftermarket companies, finance and insurance companies, advertising agencies, consulting organizations, government agencies and market research firms make good business decisions. A privately held global firm, Polk is based in Southfield, Mich. with operations in Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Mexico, the Netherlands, Spain, the United Kingdom and the United States.