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Cooper Tire Affiliation with West Coast Customs Body Shop Includes Involvement with MTV’s “Pimp My Ride”
FINDLAY, Ohio, April 13, 2004 – COOPER TIRE & RUBBER COMPANY (NYSE: CTB) Cooper Tire this week announced an association involving product placement with West Coast Customs, the Los Angeles-based body shop that serves as the set of MTV’s hit television series “Pimp My Ride.” Each episode of “Pimp My Ride” features West Coast Customs’ magicians/expert car technicians turning lemons into coveted dream rides.
After the March 18 show, “Pimp My Ride” tied for third among all cable shows for the week among 12 to 34 year-olds and ranked number four among 18 to 34 year-olds. This places it ahead of such other cable hits as Discovery Channel’s “American Chopper” and Comedy Central’s “Chappelle’s Show.”
Cooper Tire has supplied 24-inch and 22-inch ultra high performance Zeon tires for the show.
“Our work with West Coast Customs allows Cooper Tires to be seen as a key influencer in the rapidly growing ultra high performance market,” said Pat Brown, vice president of advertising and communication at Cooper Tire & Rubber Company. “Our product placement on ‘Pimp My Ride’ exposes Cooper Tires to the emergent tuner audience and creates a meaningful connection to this audience for years to come.”
Cooper Zeon tires were also installed on a purple 2003 Cadillac Escalade ESV, known as the Hot Wheels car by West Coast Customs. The SUV was replicated by Hot Wheels (item 1:64) and is available online at www.westcoastcustoms.com/shop/. The car has also been seen in variety of auto enthusiast publications and television networks, including Lowrider magazine, Discovery Channel and MTV.
About Cooper Tire & Rubber Company
Cooper Tire & Rubber Company, headquartered in Findlay, Ohio, specializes in the manufacture and marketing of products for the global automotive industry. Products include automotive, motorcycle and truck tires, inner tubes, tread rubber and equipment, as well as sealing, trim, NVH control systems and fluid handling systems. Cooper has more than 20,000 employees and 52 manufacturing facilities in 13 countries. For more information, visit the Company’s web site at: www.coopertireandrubber.com.
Company Contact: Patricia J. Brown, (419) 424-4370