Team IMC Leaves Los Angeles for Las Vegas as the Tour D' AAPEX Begins Team IMC will Ride for the Next Four Days to the AAPEX Show in Las Vegas to Raise Funds in Support of the Aftermarket Industry Researching of Telematics

CANOGA PARK, CA October 25, 2007 - Team IMC, a group of cyclists made up of employees from Interamerican Motor Corporation (IMC) and industry partners have departed Los Angeles for a four day 366 mile bicycle ride to Las Vegas.  The planned arrival date in Las Vegas is October 28, 2007.  The team will ride over 90 miles a day on average, with two of the four stages taking place on historic Route 66.  The ride is also serving as a conduit to raise funds and awareness for issues that will impact the Automotive Aftermarket Industry.  This years' issue is the challenge that Telematics poses to all areas of the Aftermarket.

“After a year of planning and training for the ride to Las Vegas, it is finally time to hit the road,” stated Thomas Beer, President and CEO of IMC.  “As excited as we are about riding in the Tour d' AAPEX, we are equally excited about the response from the industry with regards to sponsoring the ride.  Most of our major industry partners as well the installer and jobber communities have contributed or have pledged to contribute funds, to sponsor a study on the impact and opportunities raised by Telematics.  It is a unique experience for a distributor like IMC to be able to bring the industry together for a common goal.”

Telematics refers to the process where cars communicate wirelessly with the dealership, which allows dealers to run diagnostics remotely.  Because the dealer alerts the owner of issues with the car, the dealer typically gets the first opportunity to repair the issues; the closed loop nature of Telematics can keep the customer from calling an independent mechanic for service.  Telematics could adversely impact the automotive aftermarket on all levels and consequently have a negative effect on the cost and service quality for the consumer.

The Tour d' AAPEX is comprised of four stages.  Stage1 is Santa Clarita, California to Victorville, California, “The Beginning” and is highlighted by a ride past the airplane graveyard at the Mojave airport.  Sage 2 is Victorville, California to Amboy, California, “Route 66” and is highlighted by the Amboy Crater.  Stage 3 is Amboy, California to the California, Nevada, Arizona border, “Leaving California“ and is highlighted by a ride through the Mojave Desert.  The final stage is Stage 4 CalNevAri to Las Vegas, Nevada “Vegas Baby”, and is highlighted by the highest elevation of the ride 3,735' at Searchlight, Nevada and then the finish line at the Sands Convention Center in Las Vegas. 

If you are interested in learning more about the Tour d' AAPEX and would like to contribute funds to be used for the study, please contact David Pollack at (818)-678-1233.

About IMC
Founded in 1962, Interamerican Motor Corporation is a leading importer and distributor of European and Asian OEM, and Aftermarket replacement auto parts.  Headquartered in Canoga Park, California, IMC has more than 500 employees and operates branches nationwide.  For more information go to www.imcparts.com.  IMC is a member of the Automotive Aftermarket Industry Association (AAIA) www.aftermarket.org and the Auto Teile Ring (ATR) www.atr.de.