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SACRAMENTO - 05/17/05 - Members of the California Legislature and the Governor's Office met last week with representatives of several international automakers to discuss new environmentally friendly vehicle technologies.

A delegation representing the Association of International Automobile Manufacturers (AIAM) and several of its member companies visited the state capitol "in a day-long effort to highlight the contributions of the international automobile industry to the California economy and to demonstrate their leadership in the area of advanced technology vehicles," according to a statement issued by the industry group.

Several gasoline-electric hybrid, natural gas, and fuel cell vehicles - all manufactured by AIAM member companies - were made available for lawmakers and their staff to 'test-drive' around the Capitol.

Currently, California leads the country in hybrid vehicle purchases, accounting for a full 30% of all sales nationwide.

AIAM members account for approximately 40% of the 1.4 million passenger cars and light trucks sold annually in California, and operate 75 separate facilities, including seven headquarters offices, nine R&D centers, and nine financial service operations around the state.
 
The group represents 14 international motor vehicle manufacturers - Aston Martin, Ferrari, Honda, Hyundai, Isuzu, Kia, Maserati, Mitsubishi, Nissan, Peugeot, Renault, Subaru, Suzuki, and Toyota.

The member companies have a combined domestic production capacity of 3.4 million vehicles - a figure equal to about 40% of all the passenger cars and 20% of all the light trucks sold annually in the US.

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Cal Grad School Receives Export Education Grant

MONTEREY – 05/20/05 – The two-year, $183,000 federal grant will go to establishing a Center for the Globalization and Localization of Business Exports (GLOBE) at the Monterey Institute of International Studies’ Fisher Graduate School of International Business; the GLOBE will help companies adapt and tailor their products and services for export to foreign markets.