Eric G. Lawrence, formerly managing editor, Black Book CPI Collectible Vehicle Value Guide (CPI), has been appointed to the newly created position of director of marketing, National Auto Research (NAR). NAR, a unit of Hearst Business Media, is best known as the publisher of the Black Book family of vehicle appraisal guides. Robert Burnett, NAR president, and Tom Cross, NAR senior vice president, made the joint announcement. Lawrence will continue in his current role as editor of the CPI Value Guide.

Lawrence joined CPI Collectible Vehicle Value Guide in 1988 as an assistant editor and was named publisher/managing editor in 1992. Under his guidance CPI expanded its coverage of later-model collectible vehicles and developed separate appraisal guides for motorcycles, personal watercraft, and snowmobiles. CPI offers electronic data solutions in both disk and Internet formats and provides data for custom applications and historical value analysis.

Lawrence is a graduate of the Johns Hopkins University and received a masters degree from the University of Maryland.