European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - November 06, 1993, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 10 the stars and stripes automotive saturday. Nov mtg 6, behind the i to Tatge cons Fotis Chrysler corp. Has shifted the sight where it will introduce its Rich Neon subcompact a car it Hopes will he a hit with Young people. The company had counted on using the hip South Beach area of Miami peach for the program. But negative publicity Over the slay rigs of foreign tourists just across the Bay in Miami in recent months and the fears of european journalists expected to attend the event prompted the automaker to move the opening to Austin Texas. Ten foreign visitors have been killed in Florida in the last 13 months two in Miami. We Deal with perception every Day said Tom Kowaleski director of Chrysler s product Public  reality is sometimes different from perception. But even if one person got mugged which could happen anywhere people would say you Guys should have seen this " Chrysler received a lot of publicity in August when two trucks collided during a ride and drive program in Nevada. Two people were killed and one was injured. Given the crime perception in Miami we said Why push it if this is not the perfect place " Kowaleski said. Volkswagen subsidiary Audi a said sales have dropped drastically,.leading to a $119 million pre tax loss in the first half of this year. Audi chairman Franz Josef Kortum said thursday night that he expected losses to be even higher for the whole of 1993 and forecast a 22 percent drop in turnover to 13 billion Marks $7.8 billion he said the vow subsidiary registered a pre tax loss of 198 million Marks $119 million in the first six months compared with a 315 million Mark $189 million profit in the same period last year. He said that after a record year in 1992, Audi expected sales to drop by about one fourth to 360,000 vehicles this year. Mitsubishi motors corp. Announced thursday that its net profit fell 6.7 percent in the first half of the fiscal year to 10.02 billion yen $92.8 million while profits declined from 10.74 billion yen $99.4 million in the previous april september period the results compared favourably with those of other major japanese automakers Many of which have reported or Are forecasting double digit profit declines or even losses. As in the past two years Mitsubishi motors the most Active japanese automaker in the recreational vehicle Market benefited from a increase in demand among japanese Consumers for off Road station Wagon and minivan models. Scat Volkswagen s crisis hit Spanish subsidiary on thursday appointed a new president and offered workers a 10 percent pay Cutasar Way of maintaining jobs. I apologize in Advance for some of the things we will have to do the newly appointed company president Juan Llorens said thursday. Seat s previous president Juan Antonio Diaz Alvarez left the company in september after Volkswagen said his restructuring plan was too  Llorens formerly the head of the Spanish automobile confederation asked the socialist government to reduce taxes on car As a Way to help the company survive. From wire reports Standard feature on the Sonoma include Side door guard beams Power steering and a Fife Speed manual transmission on most models. Gumc s Best by Warren brow the Washington Post the Gumc Sonoma would t Start. Blown fuse. I Felt sorry for the Little truck. All of the neighbors saw it arrive. They were impressed. It was pretty with its slanted front end and end capped rear bumpers the paint Job Silver and red beneath a Clear polyurethane coat was tops. The Interior the most warlike of any pickup i be driven was inviting. But the darned thing died in the drive Way. It did t just die. It loudly announced its demise. It cranked went Var Roo Momm. Then Pitter Patter cough choke. Nothing. Fuel pump fuse Fried. No pump action no fuel. No fuel no go. All of which was too bad because the 1994 Gumc Sonoma is one of the Best compact pickup trucks available. But people see what they see and what they saw was a pretty general motors truck that was t going anywhere. American Quality he a neighbor asked. Not really. Elvese things happen like the gear shift Knob that came off in my hand in a 1994 Bow 5-scries car. Like the tested 1993 Toyota Tercel that could t stay straight in panic stops. E like the tested 1993 Jaguar with a faulty fuel gauge. And like the upper Interior Driver s Side door panel of a 1993 Mercedes Benz a class car that dislodged itself along wit hits accompanying Power seat control but tons. Anyway pm fixed the Sonoma s fuse and the crimped wire that caused it to blow. I headed toward the Shenandoah Valley where the fall leaves were Bright Crimson and Orange. It was a Beautiful trouble free drive. Background the so Noma was introduced in 1982 As a rear wheel drive pickup. Changes have come almost every year since then including in 1991, when the Little truck s designers went on a Romp and produced the nigh performance Sonoma Cyclone. But the 1994 truck is Best of All. It s tighter and quieter than any Sonoma Ever built. It s wider than previous models by nearly 2 inches. But Interior space enhanced by redesigned doors and win Dows includes an extra 3 inches of Shoul Der room and modest increases in head and hip room. Standard features include Side door guard beams Power steering heavy duty shocks 15-Inch wheels tires anti lock brakes and a five Speed manual transmission on most models. A four Speed automatic is optional. Seven different suspension systems affecting ride and handling Are available for the Sonoma which can be bought As a rear wheel or four wheel drive pickup. The test Sis truck was equipped to haul a maximum payload the maximum allowable weight of cargo a vehicle can carry of 1,519 pounds. It could pull a trailer weighing up to 6,000 pounds. Buyers with serious off Road intention scan opt for the special Sonoma High rider. Complaints besides the Start up glitch there s the two angled jump seats in the Sonoma Sis extended cab. No adult should use them on any trip More than two blocks  an excellent Overall compact pickup truck both in design and construction. It replaces the Ford Ranger As my favorite in this product segment. Head turning quotient highly attractive moving or standing still. Ride acceleration and handling Supe rior Small truck ride and handling. Excel Lent  tested rear wheel drive Sonoma Sis extended cab was equipped with an optional 4.3-liter v-6rated 165 horsepower at 4,000 rpm with a maximum torque of 235 foot pounds at2,400 rpm. That engine is Standard on four wheel drive  was excellent Standard brakes include vented front discs rear Drums with rear wheel anti lock backup. A four wheel anti lock system is Standard on four wheel drive models. Mileage about 18 Miles per gallon 20-gallon tank estimated 348-mile Range on usable volume of regular unleaded run Ning mostly Highway and Driver Only with out  system four speaker am pm stereo radio and cassette with graphic equalizer by pm Deico. Good. Price base Price for the tested son Omasas is $12,113 with a dealer invoice of $10,961 Price As tested is $15,133, including $2�50 in options and a $470 Destina Tion charge. Purse strings note compare with an compact pickup at any Price. It s a buy. Low need for High octane by Joyce m. Stewar the new York times they re called supreme super plus and ultimate and their advertisements suggest that they la help your car move with the smoothness and Power of a Jun Gle cat. But Are Premium Grade High octane gasoline Worth the Premium Price not really experts say. An octane is a measure of the volatility of the gasoline. The More octane the More combustible the gasoline. The fed eral Trade commission requires that octane Content be posted on All fuel pumps look for a yellow sticker with Black lettering. Regular gasoline has an octane level of 87 Premium High test fuels have Levels ranging from 89 to 94 and usually Cost from 15 to 30 cents More a gallon. That Price difference can add up to hundreds of dollars a year. Many Many people who regularly buy High test fuel Are Over buying octane said Jim Caldwell chief of the fuels Sec Tion of the environmental Protection Agency. Only cars with muscle engines like a Mustang or Corvette can make any significant use of the higher octane Lect Jerry Bishop manager of Media relations at the general motors technical Center in Warren mich., agreed. He said that the Only cars requiring Premium fuels Are those with turbocharged High performance engines. Normal engines will All function and Are designed to function on regular unleaded fuel Bisho said. Dave Allan an expert on motor fuels Quality for the Exxon co., u.s.a., advised Drivers to Check the car owner s manual for its recommendation on Thebes fuel. Many new cars Are equipped with a Knock sensor which adjusts the ignition and fuel to eliminate knocks or pings be fore you even hear them he said. After this happens Drivers sometimes find that their car s performance is Flat and they Don t know Why. The car is Sim ply telling you it needs More  Jerry a. Bullin professor of chemical engineering at Texas am University in College station said if an engine does t match the octane level of the fuel you re using in it. That May be one reason the engine knocks when you accelerate. But As Long As an engine does t Knock significantly there s not much to be gained by buying  Allan said that Exxon s High octane gasoline like All High test varieties contains cleaning agents and other additives designed to improve drivability charac  Caldwell agreed that detergents in Gas lines help cars with fuel injection sys tems run better. But he also said that 70 percent of All regular gasoline contains Good Quality detergents and that by 1995 All gasoline sold in the Gnu a states must contain cleaning agents