SOUTHFIELD, Mich. (May 6, 2009) – R. L. Polk & Co. today announced the appointment of Jim Dimond as vice president of global network planning. In this role, Dimond will be enhancing and expanding Polk’s current dealer network planning business globally.

Dimond will oversee Polk’s current network planning business in Canada, Europe and Asia where Polk supports the needs of major OEMs such as BMW, Honda and Mazda. He will also focus on offering network planning services to the U.S. automotive manufacturers who can benefit from Polk’s global experience as they take on the current challenges of redefining their dealer networks.

“We are pleased to welcome Jim to the Polk team,” said Stephen Polk, chairman, president and CEO of R. L. Polk & Co. “He has extensive business experience in the automotive industry and is considered a network planning thought leader, making him a tremendous asset to our team.”

Dimond has more than 29 years of experience in the automotive industry that has been largely focused on automotive dealer network planning. Prior to joining Polk, Dimond worked in a variety of increasingly prominent positions within Chrysler LLC and served most recently as national dealer placement manager. He is also an expert witness in OEM/dealer disputes.
Dimond holds a Bachelor of Science degree from Wayne State University and a Master of Science from Central Michigan University.

About R. L. Polk & Co.
R. L. Polk & Co. is the premier provider of automotive information and marketing solutions. Polk collects and interprets global data, and provides extensive automotive business expertise to help customers understand their market position, identify trends, build brand loyalty, conquest new business and gain a competitive advantage. Polk helps automotive manufacturers and dealers, automotive aftermarket companies, finance and insurance companies, advertising agencies, media companies, consulting organizations, government agencies and market research firms make good business decisions. A privately held global firm, Polk is based in Southfield, Mich. with operations in Australia, Canada, China, France, Germany, Japan, Spain, the United Kingdom and the United States.