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Good morning ladies and gentlemen, and welcome to the Daihatsu stand and to the 72nd British Motor Show. For the very first time, we have chosen the British Motor Show to debut two brand new cars - the new Cuore and the new Move. This reflects the importance we now place on the European market, and the British market in particular. Daihatsu (UK) has made impressive progress in recent years, with our 1997 sales volume here growing by 79% in just two years. 1997 was a record year for Daihatsu (UK) and sales this year are on target to achieve another record volume in 1998. In wider European market, Daihatsu sales are also increasing. Last year, our European sales increased by 104 % and we expect to see a same level this year. Globally, we face many new challenges and considerable uncertainty. Japan is grappling with its own problems and south east Asian economies are in turmoil. Now there is talk of global recession. As the world gets smaller, it is vital that nations and corporations operate in partnership to improve prospects and quality of life for everyone. At Daihatsu, we will do everything we can to play a positive role and we have decided to concentrate our efforts on small, compact vehicles. Our model development programme is in line with an increasing global demand for small, practical cars which also offer very low running costs and are kind to the environment. The new Cuore and Move you are about to see, are just latest examples of our thinking. Not only are they improved and worthy successors to the previous models, but we also believe that they will be even more acceptable and successful in Britain and Europe. I hope you will agree and wish you all enjoyable show. Thank you very much.

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