Letter From The President Of American LaFrance

[x635 4,066]

From: www.americanlafrance.com

On September 7, 2005, Freightliner announced that they were going to sell American LaFrance. That announcement has been interpreted many different ways and generated several rumors in our industry. I want to clear those up. At American LaFrance, we are extremely excited about the future of our company. We valued our relationship with Freightliner but this announcement means we are poised to take this company to the next level.

There have been rumors that American LaFrance will somehow “go away.” That simply isn’t true. We are not shutting the doors and we are not going away. In fact, we expect to be stronger and better equipped to serve you than ever before. The changes we have made in the past 12 months and the plans we have for the next 12 months will see to that.

We are identifying and working with a prospective buyer who will keep American LaFrance whole and who will help us be more competitive and valuable to the industry in the future.

As we implement these plans, we expect people, including our competitors, to increase the noise about our pending demise. Keep in mind that these are only rumors. Our employees and our dealers see through them – and I thank them for that and for their continued support.

Finally, it’s important to understand that the emission demands of 2007 will dictate significant changes in our industry. Every manufacturer will be affected by them, some through divestiture – others may go away entirely. We are staying ahead of the demands. When the time comes, rest assured that we will be on sure footing, positioned for the future and prepared to honor all of our commitments to you.

Above all, we value the trust and the relationships that we have developed, throughout the years, with our customers and dealers. Please accept our sincerest thank you and promise that our commitment, to the industry and to you, will continue.

    Sincerely,

    John Stevenson, President