FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Doug Freeman - Freeman/McCue
Phone: 714-557-3663

KAWASAKI’S BOB MOFFIT ANNOUNCES RETIREMENT

Veteran Executive to Leave Company December 31

IRVINE, Ca. (October 16, 2002) -- Bob Moffit, Vice President Marketing & Product Management - Motorcycles and Watercraft at Kawasaki Motors Corp., U.S.A., has announced his plans to retire after 32 years in the power products industry. He will continue in his current role through the end of this year.

Moffit, who joined Kawasaki as a district manager in 1975, has served the company in various executive positions since moving to its Orange County headquarters in 1978. Among the other positions that he has held are director, marketing research & industry relations; vice president, marketing; and vice president, sales.

Moffit’s broad experience with the company’s various operations has paralleled his commitment to the industry.

The Motorcycle Industry Council (MIC) and the Motorcycle Safety Foundation (MSF) each benefited from Moffit’s active participation. He served 11 terms as Chairman of the MIC’s Board of Directors, including his current role in that capacity, and also devoted two terms to the MSF as its Chairman.

“Leaving Kawasaki was not an easy decision after so many years of involvement with the industry, the company, and all of the people I’ve been fortunate to interact with,” said Moffit. “But it is certainly fulfilling to reflect on 27 years of relationships that have made the experience an enjoyable one that I will never forget.”

Moffit first made his retirement plans known to executive management at KMC earlier this year, and has maintained a very active role since that time. “I have no intention of backing off until I go through those front doors at the end of the year,” he said.

Moffit has seen Kawasaki’s sales in the U.S. increase many times over since joining the company. During his tenure he participated in the brand’s expansion beyond motorcycles and all-terrain vehicles to include personal watercraft and utility vehicles.

“There are many more opportunities for Kawasaki in the marketplace of the future and I’m confident that the company’s pool of employee talent will make major contributions to its continued growth,” said Moffit.

Since joining KMC, Moffit’s relationships with the dealer network have always been a primary source of both professional satisfaction and personal enjoyment, and he made reference to that in announcing his retirement.

“My field sales background has been an invaluable asset, and my association with our many dealers is foremost among many pleasant memories,” said Moffit.
Steve Hamada, KMC president, said “Kawasaki and its employees, dealers, and vendors will all feel a sense of loss when Bob retires, but his presence will continue to be felt through the many products, programs and policies in which he was instrumental.”

According to Hamada, the company will announce its plans for replacing Moffit later this year, closer to the time of his actual departure, and coinciding with the company’s usual timing for announcing organizational changes. Moffit will relocate to the Southeast, where he will live with his wife and son. He told employees that they “can expect to see me riding more, and turning up at places like Daytona and Laguna Seca for many years to come.”

Kawasaki Motors Corp., U.S.A., (KMC) is the wholesale distributor of Kawasaki motorcycles, ATVs, JET SKI® watercraft, MULE™ utility vehicles, portable generators and power products. Kawasaki’s tagline, Let the good times roll™, is recognized worldwide for the spirit of fun, adventure and high performance that characterizes the Kawasaki recreational vehicle line. Kawasaki product lines are sold through a network of more than 1,700 independent retailers. The company and its affiliates employ nearly 2,400 people in the United States, with approximately 550 of them located at the Irvine, California headquarters.

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