European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - March 12, 1992, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 18 the stars and stripes thursday March 12,1992 Money matters today s tip at amp to announced a new service tuesday that is intended to link the computers and telephones operated in different countries by Large multinational organizations. The company said its first customer was . Morgan the financial services company which has about 10,000 personal computers around the world. Such network services linking what Are known As local area networks of computers Are bound to become More important As Trade barriers fall in Europe. These services make possible such popular computer applications As sending electronic mail and transferring files not Only within a building but also across National Borders and oceans. The Morgan contract is Worth about $8 million and will initially link about 500 to 1,000 computers. At amp to Calls it acc master management services. Conversion rates London up wednesdays rates for the . Dollar to other currencies. Figures Are expressed in dollars to the British Pound other local currencies in dollars Gold was quoted at s34950 an ounce Silver at 14.15. March 10 March 11 British Pound. 1.71580 1.72385 German mark.1.6700 tss59 Perch franc.5.6485 dutch Guilder. 1.8675 1.8843 belgian tranc.34.30 34,32 italian lira.1,246.75 1.257.05 Swiss tranc.1-5115 1-5125 greek drachma.1. 1 �2-85 turkish lira.6,011.50 6,058.40 saudi arabian riyal.3.7501 3.7501 Spanish peseta.104.71 105.41 portuguese escudo.143.00 144.13 Canadian Dollar.1.1937 austrian schilling.11 680. 11.785 norwegian krone.6.508 6.582 danish krone.6,4380 8.4935 these Are commercial rates and can be related Only to the use of foreign currency by . Forces for official business. The Only official rates concerns the Sale of German Marks and British pounds to . Personnel for personal use and these will be 1.64 Marks to a Dollar and $1.76 for a Pound through thursday based on wednesday s noontime Price fixings. New York Exchange new York up York Stock Exchange Stock Rwjr Nabisco hid Glaxo holdings at4t company Philip Morris Fox Meyer corp Amer express co Cli corp Humana inc Nall med err tip Tele Lonos de my ism corp Pepsico inc Chrysler corp Bristol Myar so limited inc the 15 most Active stocks in new composite trading on tuesday. Silts 3.662.600 2.514.900 2,317,700 2.225.200 1.931.800 1,979,400 1.907.100 1,417,000 1.401.100 1.392.900 1.263.800 1.246.600 1.236.200 1.233.600 1.226.900 lilt 10 27 a 38 a 76 14 14 a 21 14 18 a 24 a 15 a 55 a 87 a a 31 h 16 a 80 2b Nat chg. Up up a putt up a up 1 �?T4 Oft a up a Oft a up a Oft Vuk up Al unch up a up 44 up Vuk american Exchange new York american Stock Stock Dias sonics inc system Industry Nabors Industry Wang labs inc b us Blos Dence St Republic 8c Al a corp Jan Bell mtg Amdahl corp Echo Bay Minas a the ten most Active stocks in Lange composite trading tuesday. Salts last Nat chg. 606.100 18 unch 451.600 2 i 397.900 7 a 346,500 8 a 331.100 1644 293.900 16 Vuk 260,200 43 Vuk 256.100 14 v4 251,000 19 232.600 7 v4 unch off Vuk up Vuk up Vuk off Vuk up a up a on a a pvt unch Dow Jones new York up Dow Jones doting Range of averages tuesday 30 industrials 20 transport 15 i Miles 65 stocks High 3259 17 1423.21 206.69 1177 23 Low 3207.29 1402 65 20374 1159 26 close 323099 140807 205.12 1166 51 change up 15.87 up 317 up 069 up 4 57 european car makers Scurry to meet japanese invasion by Terril Jones the associated press Geneva a moving aggressively to protect their Home turf Europe a car makers Are slashing payrolls and boosting productivity in Advance of a stepped up invasion by japanese rivals. Mercedes Benz is reducing its work Force by 20,000 Over the next three to five years. This year Renault is eliminating 3,700 jobs Bow 3,000, Ford Europe 2,100, Peugeot 1,420 and Vauxhall 300. Import barriers Are to fall in the european Community at the end of this year a by which time japanese automakers will have three factories operating in Britain with an annual production capacity of 512,000 cars by 1995. By the end of the decade analysts believe the japanese will produce 1 million cars a year in Europe. That along with last years Accord with the econ opening Europe to japanese imports by 1999, troubled european car representatives at this months International Auto show in Geneva. A ten years ago the japanese had about five luxury models. Now they have about 15, and the luxury Market Hasni to grown that much a said Jurgen Hoedel a spokesman for Mercedes Benz. A . Luxury tax of 13 percent on cars costing More than $30,000 a virtually every Model of Mercedes a has Hurt american sales already damaged by cheaper but upscale japanese models such As lexus Acura and infiniti. Ford is trying to boost productivity by reducing its payroll in Britain. Like Mercedes Ford relies on retirement incentives and attrition rather than layoffs. A it follows a pattern we will continue to use to match the performance of the japanese a said Ken Cannull a Ford Europe vice president based in London. Even Volkswagen Europe Stop automaker which also has factories in North and South America is feeling the Pinch from Japan. A a vow will suffer less but it will certainly restrict our growth potential a said Werner Schmidt head of overseas business at Vwg a Headquarters in Wolfsburg. If the european Market grows from the current 13 million to 15 million cars by 1998, a the japanese can double their penetration without taking a single unit away from existing manufacturers a ten years ago the japanese had about five luxury models. Now they have about 15, and the luxury Market has t grown that much a Jurgen Hoed i a spokesman for Mercedes Benz Schmidt said. A recent study by the Massachusetts Institute of technology in Cambridge said the japanese can produce cars for 30 percent less than europeans. A but. There is no reason to believe that the future of the european Industry will depend on copying japanese systems a said William Eaton president of general motors Europe based in Zurich Switzerland. A Europe should Stop placing the japanese car Industry on a  Eaton predicts Japan a share of the european Auto Market will Rise from 11.6 percent now to 20 to 30 percent by the year 2000. But the japanese Arentt complacent. A we done to feel european car manufacturers potential is As bad As is thought a said Toru Saito of Nissan a european Headquarters in Amsterdam. A the capability of european parts suppliers is quite High and French automakers Are coming out with successful new models a Saito said. Both Honda and Toyota plan to open modern factories in Britain later this year joining Nissan. But Toyota a Carina a especially designed for the european Market is a calculated Gamble. The Plant in Derbyshire will produce 200,000 annually. A it would be disaster if we produced the car in Britain and then  sell it in Europe a said Masazumi Konishi chief Engineer for the car. Still while major japanese automakers make vehicles in Japan the United states and now Europe most european makers Are concentrated in their Home countries. A if things go wrong for Peugeot in Europe it would be a catastrophe a said Eric Van Den Heuvel spokesman for Toyota a european Headquarters in Brussels Belgium. A if things Are bad for Toyota in the ., we still have other markets. Producing in Europe spreads the  european chief executives say that the a big six of vow Fiat spa Peugeot citroen Renault Ford and pm have some 75 percent of the Market. But they estimate that in 15 years the big six could be a big three with the others drastically changing their Structure possibly merging a or even disappearing. Russian dream to afford a Ford by Alan Cooperman the associated press St. Petersburg Russia a on weekends children press their faces against the big Glass windows of russians first full service Ford Dealership a gleaming Island of America in a country seized by the american dream. A if its slow we invite them in they sit in the cars with their eyes like this a said Salesman Sergei Golit Sinsky forming big circles with his fingers. A they hold the steering wheel and 1 think they re afraid to  Toyota Nissan and other japanese manufacturers were among the first to enter the russian Market. Ford is not Selling a lot of cars but it is fighting for a foothold in the Market. The Dealership looks As if it were lifted straight out of new Jersey and plunked into a working class neighbourhood on the Edge of St. Petersburg next to a plastics Plant and a Hospital. Even adult russians Are not immune to the wonder. Ali Mamedov an azerbaijani clothes merchant eyeing a red fiesta in the showroom said he had heard the slogan a have you driven a Ford lately a and it made him nostalgic. Quot in be never driven one Ever a he said a but i remember the first time i saw  it was 10 years ago a weather beaten old Model on a Muddy St. Petersburg Street a but a it still looked very Good compared with our soviet cars Quot he said. The Dealership opened in january As a joint venture Between a belgian car dealer trans co my and Lada Peter an operator of service stations for russian made driving in the former soviet Union a in 1989, there were 42 cars per 1,000 people As opposed to 570 per 1,000 in the United states that year. Yet there were just As Many fatal traffic accidents in the soviet Union As in the United states mostly due to Drunken driving. A car parts such As Windshield wipers Are extremely hard to get and frequently stolen. It is perfectly Normal for Drivers to remove them and lock them up at night or leap out of the car and replace them during a rain Shower. A it is illegal to drive at night with headlights on. Only parking lights Are permitted. Foreign cars Are growing in popularity despite their expense and the difficulty of getting parts and service. The Moscow traffic police now have several sporty Blue and White bows. A the Boot or wheel lock for illegally parked cars has come to Moscow As have several yellow Tow trucks. A women Drivers Are extremely rare in the soviet Union and they draw Long stares from russian motorists. Cars. It Sells european made Fords but russians View the cars As a thoroughly american product. Unlike Many Western firms operating in Russia the Dealership accepts either dollars or rubles As payment. But the Ruble prices Are calculated at a a free auction Exchange rate a now 174 rubles to the Dollar. Sales manager Igor Litvinov said the Dealership has signed sales contracts for nearly 1,500 cars but so far has received a amps full payment for Only 15 to 20. An average russian worker earning about 1,000 rubles a month would have to save his entire salary for 145 years to buy a no frills $10,000 Ford escort. A top of the line $30,000 Scorpio similar to a Ford Taurus in the United states would require the combined wages of 22 skilled engineers each earning 2,000 rubles a month for nearly 10 years a and no instalment plan is available. Looking however is free