Commuting by Phone and Plane to Detroit

Chris Cedergren, executive vice president of AutoPacific Group Inc., an auto-industry market analysis firm, may rank as Ventura County’s No. 1 telecommuter.

He’s a notable long-distance commuter too.

Although his office is in Detroit, Cedergren spends 40% of his time at his home in Thousand Oaks. Using a word-processor, a modem and a telephone, he keeps in touch with auto executives throughout the country and files reports to AutoPacific’s headquarters in Santa Ana. “Besides the electronic commuting, I log 75,000 to 100,000 miles a year on planes, traveling to Detroit and other cities. It’s worth all the effort to be able to spend a lot of my time in Thousand Oaks. I’ve lived here since I was 9 and I love it.”

With a new car model year about to start, Cedergren cites two major trends in the auto market. “First, there’s the emergence of the baby boomers as dominant buyers. People between 30 and 48 now account for almost half the cars and pickup trucks sold in the United States.

“They want the best of both worlds, so they’ve chosen the rugged look and the comfort offered by sport-utility vehicles.”

This, he says, explains the popularity of the Jeep Grand Cherokee, Ford Explorer and Chevrolet Blazer.

Another emerging trend: Cedergren says that auto makers will make a big push to hold and even reduce prices, trying to overcome the rising cost of meeting safety and anti-smog regulations.