National Press Release

2009 NATIONAL AUTOMOTIVE TECHNOLOGY COMPETITION

National Finals to Be Held at the New York Auto Show - Wednesday, April 15th

NEW YORK, April 2 /PRNewswire/ --

(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20090402/NY93702 )

    Story:      With new cars getting increasingly sophisticated, as more and
                more high-tech gizmos and gadgets are added, so too must the
                young men and women who will service and repair them in the
                future?  Watch this year's brightest high school automotive
                education students from all over the U.S. battle it out to see
                will be names America's Top Technician at the 2009 National
                Automotive Technology Competition.

    Who:        High school seniors from all over the U.S. are competing for a
                chance to represent their State in the National Automotive
                Technology Competition. The National Finals will take place
                April 15 at the New York International Automobile Show.

    What:       It's a test of skill, a measure of knowledge, and a race
                against time, all rolled into one. Each two-person team of
                high school vocational education students must diagnose and
                repair a number of problems under a car's hood against the
                stopwatch.  Each "bug" correctly repaired is worth a number of
                points, depending on the level of difficulty. The student's
                overall knowledge is also tested through a series of written
                and workstation tests.

    Visual:     The contest will feature the 30 two-person teams of high
                school technicians under the cars' hoods racing to repair
                them.

    When:       Wednesday, April 15th
                8.30 a.m. -- Opening Ceremony
                9.00 a.m. -- 12 Noon Competition

    Where:      New York International Automobile Show
                Jacob K. Javits Convention Center
                11th Avenue between 34th and 39th Streets, New York, NY

    Why:        There is currently an annual shortage of 60,000 technicians
                nationwide.  This nationally recognized competition motivates
                students and teachers, helping raise education standards. 

2009 Participating Automobile Associations

Greater Los Angeles New Car Dealers Association -- Lexus

New Car Dealers Association of San Diego County -- Infiniti

Orange County Automobile Dealers Association -- Pontiac

Southland Motor Car Dealers Association -- Lexus

Colorado Automobile Dealers Association -- Ford

Greater Hartford Automobile Dealers Association -- Scion

Central Florida Auto Dealers Association -- Pontiac

South Florida Auto-Truck Dealers Association, Inc. -- Chevrolet

Chicago Automobile Trade Association -- Mazda

Louisiana Automobile Dealers Association -- Chevrolet

Massachusetts State Automobile Dealers Association, Inc. -- Mazda

Minnesota Automobile Dealers Association -- Kia

Missouri Automobile Dealers Association -- Toyota

St. Louis Auto Dealers Association -- Subaru

New Jersey Coalition of Automotive Retailers -- Pontiac

Greater New York Automobile Dealers Association -- Subaru

Niagara Frontier Automobile Dealers Association, Inc. -- Mazda

North Carolina Automobile Dealers Association -- Toyota

The Greater Cleveland Automobile Dealers' Association -- Ford

Metro Portland New Car Dealers Association -- Mercedes-Benz

Greater Lehigh Valley Auto Dealers Association -- Scion

Pennsylvania Automotive Association -- Nissan

Automobile Dealers Association of Greater Philadelphia -- Nissan

Rhode Island Automobile Dealers Association -- Pontiac

New Car Dealers Association of Tarrant County -- Chevrolet

New Car Dealers Association of Metropolitan Dallas, Inc. -- Chevrolet

Washington Area New Automobile Dealers Association -- Mercedes-Benz

Automobile Dealers Association of Mega Milwaukee -- Lexus

Toronto Automotive Dealers Association -- Mazda

www.NationalAutoTech.com

SOURCE NATC/New York International Automobile Show