DaimlerChrysler reported second-quarter earnings of $1.53 billion - this represents very little change from last year - hence the "disappointing". Investors reacted by dumping DaimlerChrylser stock - it closed down over $7 on 7/29/99.

Analysts said that one of the major factors of the flat earnings is the "sluggish operating profit margins in traditional Chrysler brands - Chrysler, Dodge, Plymouth, and Jeep.

``We're in the best of times in North America and Chrysler's earnings were flat,'' Lehman Brothers analyst Nicholas Lobaccaro said. ``If they can't have higher earnings in the best environment, then it's only downside form here.''

Jeep Makes the Top 10 Most Requested Brands List

InvoiceDealers.com, the only new-car buying service offering up-front dealer pricing nationwide, released the ten automotive brands most requested by shoppers who used its comparison shopping tool during the past six months.

InvoiceDealers.com research shows that 18.1% of its online car buyers favored Ford, the site's most popular brand in the first 6 months of this year. Buyers also showed high demand for cars and trucks made by Chevrolet (14.2%) and Dodge (12.4%), in second and third place respectively. Toyota led all foreign-made automobiles with 7.7% of all purchase requests. Volkswagen topped the European makers, with a high number of requests for its second line of 1999 cars, introduced in April of this year.

``We're working to insure that America's most popular makes and regions are well represented in our system,'' said InvoiceDealers.com CEO Jon Christensen. ``Our mission is to give people the power to get the car they want, when they want it, at a pre-disclosed price they can count on.''

Top 10 Most Requested Car Models in 1999 (Percent of All Requests)

• 1. Ford 18.1%
• 2. Chevrolet 14.2%
• 3. Dodge 12.4%
• 4. Toyota 7.7%
• 5. Honda 6.8%
• 6. Nissan 5.5%
• 7. Jeep 5.2%
• 8. Volkswagen 3.4%
• 9. Chrysler 3%
• 10. Pontiac 2.4%