Group 1 Automotive, Inc. (NYSE:GPI), a Fortune 500 automotive
retailer, today announced that it has renewed a $300 million credit
arrangement with Ford Motor Credit Company for floorplan financing under
similar terms and pricing. This evergreen facility provides $300 million
of availability to finance new vehicle inventory manufactured by Ford
Motor Company and its affiliates.
About Group 1 Automotive Inc.
Group 1 owns and operates 100 automotive dealerships, 133 franchises,
and 25 collision service centers in the United States and the United
Kingdom that offer 31 brands of automobiles. Through its dealerships,
the company sells new and used cars and light trucks; arranges related
financing, vehicle service and insurance contracts; provides maintenance
and repair services; and sells replacement parts.
Group 1 Automotive can be reached on the Internet at www.group1auto.com.
This press release contains "forward-looking statements," which are
statements related to future, not past, events. In this context, the
forward-looking statements often include statements regarding our goals,
plans, projections and guidance regarding our financial position,
results of operations, market position, pending and potential future
acquisitions and business strategy, and often contain words such as
"expects,” "anticipates,” "intends,” "plans,” "believes,” "seeks” or
"will.” Any such forward-looking statements are not assurances of future
performance and involve risks and uncertainties that may cause results
to differ materially from those set forth in the statements. These risks
and uncertainties include, among other things, (a) general economic and
business conditions, (b) the level of manufacturer incentives, (c) the
future regulatory environment, (d) our ability to obtain an inventory of
desirable new and used vehicles, (e) our relationship with our
automobile manufacturers and the willingness of manufacturers to approve
future acquisitions, (f) our cost of financing and the availability of
credit for consumers, (g) our ability to complete acquisitions and
dispositions and the risks associated therewith, (h) foreign exchange
controls and currency fluctuations, and (i) our ability to retain key
personnel. These factors, as well as additional factors that could
affect our forward-looking statements, are described in our Form 10-K
under the headings "Business—Risk Factors” and "Management’s Discussion
and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations.” We urge
you to carefully consider this information. We undertake no duty to
update our forward-looking statements, including our earnings outlook.