The company has launched a 52-page title, JCW Sport Compact, a new website, www.jcwsportcompact, and is aggressively working to raise its awareness among the young aficionados of the movement.

JC Whitney will employ the same philosophy for the sport compact market that has made it a leader in the automotive aftermarket: An infrastructure which allows the company to offer sport compact customers quality name-brand products, competitive pricing, superior customer service, technical support and fast and accurate deliveries. The 100 percent SATISFACTION, NO-HASSLE RETURN and product warranty policies are superior to anyone in the industry.

"Our enhanced marketing database allows us to selectively target customers, providing them with products and promotions that meet their specific needs," according to Tanya Norwood, business development manager, marketing department, JC Whitney & Co.

"JCW Sport Compact will specialize in a selection of accessories to personalize and customize the look of any sport compact vehicle, import and domestic," says Steve Lipa, product market manager, merchandising department, JC Whitney & Co. "And we will be adding and expanding our name-brand product offerings that enhance the appearance and performance of the vehicles with every catalog."

Lipa noted that the company spent more than a year planning the JCW Sport Compact introduction, conducting extensive research, including in-depth focus groups studies in Chicago and Los Angeles, the birthplace of the movement. The research identified a young demographic, roughly 18-30 years old, comparable to the hot-rodders of the ‘50s and ‘60s. This time around, though, they’re modifying mainly compact vehicles like the Honda Civic, Acura Integra, Mitsubishi Eclipse, Ford Focus and Dodge Neon.

"We’re very well known among the pickup truck, muscle car and restoration crowds. We want the sport compact enthusiasts to know that JC Whitney "Everything Automotive" now includes the sport compact market," says Jennifer O’Brien, category manager, merchandising department, JC Whitney & Co.

"JC Whitney was the innovator of selling automotive parts and accessories through direct mail catalogs," Lipa says. "The sport compact market represents a younger demographic than the traditional JC Whitney customer, and this new venture is a logical extension of our business."

Since 1915, generations of auto enthusiasts have relied on JC Whitney for name-brand parts and accessories. Known for "Everything Automotive," JC Whitney maintains an inventory of over 55,000 items covering more than 4.2 million automotive applications. JC Whitney offers products for virtually any vehicle – automobiles, trucks, motorcycles, off-road and recreational vehicles – through its comprehensive family of general and vehicle specific catalogs, and websites at www.jcwhitney.com and www.jcwsportcompact.com. The JCW Sport Truck catalog is scheduled to debut in March 2001.

Link for more info: www.jcwhitney.com