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Auto Industry Poised for Turnaround While Utilities Could Reach Profits of Their Oil & Gas Peers, According to wRatings 2008 Study on Competitive Advantage
Friday November 7, 7:50 am ET
AutoNation, Constellation Energy, Harley-Davidson and Marathon Are Most Competitive in Their Industries


HERNDON, Va.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The wRatings Corporation, an independent competitive research firm, announced today the results of its annual study on the Most Competitive Auto, Gas & Utilities companies.

The wRatings Competitive Strength Index™ for the Auto industry will grow 6.8% CAGR over the next five years, as manufacturers rapidly transform to meet changing consumer expectations. By comparison, Auto Retailers and Oil & Gas companies will only grow by 3.2% and 5.0% CAGR respectively. Yet Utility companies will outpace everyone with a 10.7% CAGR growth in competitive strength.

Scores from the Competitive Strength Index are a blend of how well companies meet consumer expectations while also generating economic profit. The quarterly survey is conducted with a representative sample of 25,000 US households by wRatings across 12 industries. The firm has been conducting the surveys since 1999.

Gary A. Williams, CEO and founder of wRatings, says, “Whichever auto companies can make it through the current downturn will take part in one of the best bull markets for autos ever seen. Whether through pent-up demand or the transformation to alternative energy, consumers will be seeking out new cars that meet rising expectations. Companies with visionary CEOs and revolutionary products, similar to what Steve Jobs did with the iPod, will be the big winners.”

All 65 companies in the study received a W Score™, where 100 equals the most competitive nationally.

2008 RANK 2007 RANK AUTO COMPANIES W SCORE™
1 1 Harley-Davidson (HOG) 87.2
2 4 Honda (HMC) 64.9
3 3 Acura (HMC) 64.4
4 11 Lexus (TM) 61.6
5 13 Subaru (FUJHY) 58.6

AUTO RETAILERS
1 2 AutoNation (AN) 81.7
2 1 AutoZone (AZO) 72.6
3 3 Advance Auto Parts (AAP) 71.8

GASOLINE STATIONS
1 3 Marathon (MRO) 72.6
2 1 Mobil (XOM) 72.4
3 4 Valero (VLO) 69.3

UTILITY COMPANIES
1 1 BGE/Constellation (CEG) 68.2
2 2 Southern Co. (SO) 56.5
3 7 Allegheny (AYE) 47.3


Full rankings are available free for a limited time at http://www.wratings.com/projections.php?s=111. The annual report and detailed company profiles are available to premium subscribers. Check http://www.wRatings.com for subscription prices.

http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/081107/20081107005100.html?.v=1