Nothing is so firmly believed as that which is least known. -Michel de Montaigne (1533-1592)

If we were to wake up some morning and find that everyone was the same race, creed and color, we would find some other causes for prejudice by noon.-Senator George Aiken

I am free of all prejudices. I hate every one equally. -W.C Fields

It would undoubtedly be a folly for me to hide the fact that I am prejudiced toward the fleet industry. And, am concerned regarding the lack of industry-related people vocal and supportive of that important fleet segment. In recent weeks a number of auto company annual reports have crossed my desk. While there are references to total sales, production highlights, quality efforts and summaries on international and far-flung divisions, there has not been one paragraph, not even a sentence, about the company's fleet activity.

Now that absence of recognition is a definite prejudice by Detroit management. They are predisposed, with many of their current problems like trying to make money again along with similar concern for their dealer network, to ignore fleet's impact.

An analysis drawn from our Fact Book '81 model year registrations is reproduced here so that you can visualize what is really happening with new car registrations. You are invited to study the actual figures, among the three high volume segments (Standard, Intermediate and Com­ pact), where nearly 70 percent of all registrations are recorded; where 82.6 percent of all fleet registrations are numbered.

(While the Luxury, Subcompact and Sport markets account for over 30 percent of the total market, fleet penetration is significant in specific areas, i.e., Continental-Mark-Versailles account for 31 percent of total, Cavalier garnered 25.5 percent of the Subcompact group, and Capri registered 17.5 percent for fleet in the Sport market.)

Significantly, fleet registrations total a full 24 percent of the three volume categories, that's virtually one out of every four cars. St. Regis/Gran Fury, Malibu, Concord and Zephyr each accounted for more than 40 per­ cent of those built. The chart vividly portrays the vital importance of fleet to total in the segments where it counts.

Let's get the fleet departments out of the corporate pigeon-holes and wipe out the prejudice of fleet sales. Let's make sure that there is no discrimination towards fleet-minded dealers be­ cause they are alert to the market or receive special incentives. Let's get them more visibility and recognition from auto maker management. (The last major address specifically on fleet we can find was by Bob Lund, then v.p. of GM and general manager of Chevrolet, to the CATRALA convention in Los Angeles in 1976.)

Let's eliminate prejudice against fleet. I think that it has a good ring to it.

1981 MODEL YEAR REGISTRATIONS STANDARD, INTERMEDIATE & COMPACT MODELS ONLY

CO./DIV.

TOTAL RETAIL

FLEET

% FLEET

AMC

L-M

CHEVY

OLDS

BU1CK

FORD

PONTIAC

C-P

DODGE

106,872

200,210

733,469

656,215

561,035

817,037

338,113

228,797

278,254

35,928

62,654

208,916

161,769

134,412

 188,292

61,334

 39,097

47,207

33.6%

31.3

28.5

24.6

23.9

23.0

18.1

17.1

17.0

TOTALS

3,970,002

939,609

23.7%