European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - December 19, 1985, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Thursday december 19, 1985 the stars and stripes Page 13 . Car Industry enjoyed a Strong year As tilt  iw5 a a chs to a Mem to i. Marche Ai Linc. The american null Industry will  in Down As anole or highly successful line with the i iks Model year sales for passenger cars Topping the la million Mark this figure also including sales of imports. According to the  Maga inc Atilo Mnich be h to. Hit 11 85 Model year sales for american made automobiles totaledh.m9.m. An increase of a percent Over the preceding Model year when sales hit 7.9i4.732. The Model year was from oct. I. I9h4 to sept. 30. Iv85. This was the Best shoeing for american made car since the i9 u Model year. Imports meanwhile were up 11 38 percent with 2,ft8l.ti35 sales compared to2.-i07.679 for the preceding period. Import penetration in inc 1985 Model year Rose in 24.22 percent from 23.33 percent during the previous Model year. There have been Many changes in the past few years where he Domestic count is concerned with some japanese firms now in on the american made production total the Honda company for instance posted he largest percentage gain among Domestic producers for the 1985 Model year wild an increase of 27.7 percent according to  news while Chrysler followed with a gain of 20.9 per Cynil Ord registered an increase of 13.8 percent and general motors had a gain of Only  percent. On the minus Side were Volkswagen of America with a drop of 14.1 percent and american motors Wilh a drop of 32 percent. General motors with its five divisions produced the most Domestic cars during the Model year 5.2 million and As of nov. 30. Pm s 1985 Calendar year production figure totalled 5.086.712, Wilh pains recorded in every month except february and March. Pm s 5,086,712 unit total through november compares to 4.547,485 for Calendar year 1984 up by 539.227 cars. Thai s a lot of statistical material but most of it is optimistic and the figures show thai inc american Industry continues its extremely Strong resurgence since inc Gray Era of l 80-82 when sales were continually on the Down Side. In a recent general motors news re lease pm chairman Roger u. Smith said the . Car and truck Industry will surpass the 15-million unit level he had projected last december for inc 1985 Calendar year. Regarding Model year sales he de scribed them As extremely Strong add ing that most signs indicate that the Economy is fundamentally sound. That is Good news for both the consumer and the Auto Industry Smith said. A a fes car shows big hit while on the subject of american cars am s Comanche shown Here at the cafes Auto show in Kaiserslautern is interest in the domestics rates quite High in the military Community with cafes officials noting heavy sales and a total Al Len dance of nearly 57,000 persons at the two a Eccl cafes new car sales Auto shows Sec photos. The opening three Day exhibition at tin Patrick Henry Village officers and civil ians club in Heidelberg Drew some 18,400 visitors while the five Day show thai Fol Lowed Al Vogl wig shopping Center in Kai  ally Aclid 38,300 car fans. More than 100 vehicles were displayed a Heidelberg while some 150 were shown it . Cafes officials say that two More american car shows will be staged in the Spring one in inc Frankfurt area and anole or in inc Nuernberg area. Saab meeting demands the swedish car maker Saab said in a recent press release thai production of Saab cars is expected to reach 150,000 by 1988, Wilh this year s total to hit 111,000. Five years ago Saab s output was 66,000 cars. To meet i desc increasing demands Saab Scania a has inv sled $250 million in machine tools and   the past iwo years. In doing so the swedish automotive an aerospace group has come up with a new production system thai replaces inc Assem Bly line. Saab said it has replaced the final Assem Bly line with a new system called mini inc an Extension of the group Assembly process. Instead of a continuous Assembly line autonomous groups of 20 to 30 people arc responsible for Short lines Wilh no More the new Comanche 4x4 compact truck has cd on inc popular am jeep Cherokee a Jon. The Comanche has four wheel drive and the buyer May choose either Turbo Dic Sel or gasoline engine. The 1986 front wheel drive Chrysler laser sports car Al the  show Fea Llian six work stations. Saab says. These min lines arc separated by Buffer ones thai allow each group to vary its Pace 15 percent in relation to the planned Rale. Saab says Quality is improved because the added flexibility gives workers time to Correct minor faults. A defect gets immediate attention in Stead of going through the entire production system and being corrected at the end of inc line Al higher Cost. And each person is responsible for his own work says Rolf Chrysler laser turbos a Ohoro lured a to bar open roof and inc optional2.2-lifer Turbo engine. Sandburg Saab s vice president of production and development. Saab says that automation Al is plants is part of a National trend that has made swe Den a world Leader in Industrial  Industry Saab says has More than 20 robots for every 10.000 Industrial work ers. Thai is two thirds More than in Japan where inc corresponding figure. Saab  12. Randy Barnett Auto of be emissions still present big problems years of America s Auto pollution  Edward Miller a Auto Hollcr Dearborn Mich. Am circa s cars run cleaner  to  devices but emissions still present big problems and Many answers arc literally blowing in the wind experts say. Instituting pollution controls on cars while a major and costly step was Only the beginning of the fight to curtail Aulo Molive emissions says Thomas Grumby. Exc Culive Dirc Clor of the health effects Institute a non profit organization concerned solely Wilh Auto emissions re search. Unsolved questions abound How do engine emissions react Wilh other Pollux ants How do Vinci weather or the turbulence of cars move pollutants How do Auto emissions contribute to acid rain what s the Best Way to control the grow ing amounts of diesel poll mils in the air we arc now entering the second wave of environmental problems that Are More difficult to solve because they re More difficult to understand crumbly said at a recent conference Here organized by the Institute. The health effects Institute based in Cambridge mass., is designed to per form and sort out research and share ideas spin dog $6 million a year at 40 establishments in the United Stales Canada West Germany and Britain. The conference billed As the first of its Type brought together scientists from universities Auto companies government and Public interest groups who often were adversaries during the formative this conference could t have happened five years  crumbly said. They were Al each other s throats Industry is. Government Wilh  technology makes pollution control moving Tarci. Crumbly said. For example Ceramic diesel car engines expected to debut late in the decade Burn fuel Al much different temperatures than do conventional diesels altering the con Lenl of the exhaust and inc Lypp of de vices needed to clean it. New fuels also will change the Char Acter of what comes out of the tailpipe crumbly said. If anole or Oil Stonage comes we could be forced Quile quickly to change to other fuels he added and it s important not to be caught Short of  half he Institute s operating funds comes from the  Protection Agency and the Oiher half from the Nore than two dozen companies that sell motor vehicles and engines in the United states instead of providing new findings conference participants offered outlines of studies they Are about to begin in heir Fields of pollution research and asked their colleagues for help. Crumbly said the papers Are to be completed in 60 Days then submitted to peer review with presentations schedule for next summer. We might Mohave fewer fights but Well have better educated fights he said