ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — IHS Inc. entered a definitive agreement
to buy Carfax parent company R.L. Polk & Co., in a $1.4 billion
transaction.

Officials said as a part of today's announcement that the
deal must first go through customary closing conditions, including expiration
or termination of the applicable waiting period under the Hart-Scott-Rodino
Antitrust Improvements Act of 1976.

"The acquisition of R.L. Polk brings extensive and
complementary information and analytical solutions that would establish IHS as
a vital strategic partner of the global automotive value chain," IHS president
and chief executive officer Scott Key said.

"R.L. Polk has a long history of providing critical
information to the automotive industry," Key continued. "The combination with
IHS Automotive creates a comprehensive capability that will significantly
enhance customers' insights and decision processes across the full vehicle
lifecycle with analytics from product planning through manufacturing, sales and
into automotive aftermarkets."

R.L. Polk includes two divisions: Polk and Carfax. As Key
put it, the company's services are "complementary to existing IHS Automotive
solutions and open up large adjacent markets."

Carfax would be a "high-growth U.S. asset," officials said,
that could be "replicated" elsewhere in the world amid strong international
used-car growth.

"The continued growth and transformation of the automotive
industry through the next decade, led by global growth in light vehicle demand,
technological changes and the transformation of the OEM supply chain, will fuel
strong growth in demand for data, research and analytics to support investment
decisions," Key said.

"IHS has successfully acquired and integrated more than 50
acquisitions since 2007. We look forward to combining R.L. Polk's
market-leading information with IHS Automotive's industry-leading forecasts and
insights to create new efficiencies for customers and reduce decision times."

Stephen Polk, chairman, president and CEO of R.L. Polk &
Co., said: "We're excited about the opportunities this acquisition would offer
R.L. Polk clients by supporting solutions and analytics for our more than
30,000 customers worldwide. The IHS global reach would expand the unique and
vital role we've played in the auto industry over all these years, helping
stakeholders across the value chain — from manufacturers to consumers and a
range of service providers in between — to function more intelligently and
efficiently."

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