J.D. POWER BUYS BRITISH ALLY.

Byline: Brent Hopkins Staff Writer

WESTLAKE VILLAGE - With its eyes on growing its European market, J.D. Power and Associates announced Monday that it has purchased its British partner and plans to open an office in Germany.

The market research company acquired the Oxford-based LMC Automotive Services Ltd., with whom it has collaborated on a global automotive forecast. Terms of the deal were not announced, but the duo's partnership dates back eight years. Combining with its new German operation, Power hopes to strengthen its relationship with companies in Europe, such as DaimlerChrysler AG, Volkswagen AG, Fiat Auto and parts makers Siemens AG and Bosch.

``We found that there's so much business developing, we felt that we needed to be even closer to our clients,'' said J.D. Power IV, executive vice president of international operations and senior partner. ``This is an opportunity to deepen our relationship with the European manufacturers.''

To supplement the work of its new English subsidiary and its existing office in London, the company will dispatch David Lauth as managing director of the Munich branch. Lauth, who's worked in the English and South African auto markets, will look immediately to hire a staff of four to five.

With the auto market changing, especially in Eastern Europe, Power made the move to allow for quicker response to foreign trends.

``They've been involved over there for a number of years,'' said Ed Lapham, executive editor of the Detroit-based Automotive News. ``They know the players, they know the people, they know the business, so this is an extension of what they've already been doing in North America.''

Brent Hopkins, [phone]

brent.hopkins(at)dailynews.com