European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - November 29, 1993, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 10 the stars and stripes automotive Bow top designer confirmed that the mystery car to he produced at the new Greer s.c.,Plant will he a two scat sports car targeted for single people and couples without children. Officials with Hay Crisch motored Perkc . Previously have been unwilling to describe the new car but some Bow suppliers have been saying for the past year that they arc designing parts for a roadster. The styling on the new Model will be dramatically different than the i jews of recent years but will have touches from Bow s roadsters of the late 1930s," said Wolfgang Reitzle head of research and design for Bow. Bow will unveil the new Model at the Detroit Auto show in january 1995, he said. The $400 million Grcar factory i expected to begin production next fall and eventually manufacture up to90,000 vehicles per year. The head of Poland s largest Auto Plant said he expects to sign a contract with the . Automaker general motors corp. By year s end to produce the opel Astra car. Responding to reporters questions at a news conference last week so director  Tyszkiewicz predicted completion of the Deal which was initiated nearly two years . On feb. 28, 1992, pm and so initiated a $75 million memorandum of understanding to manufacture opel cars in Poland with the americans holding a 70 percent stake in the company. There were Many dates fixed cosign it Tyszkiewicz said. All indications arc that it will take Placebo the end of this  me said the new government looks favourably on development of the polish Auto Industry. Our Crew is looking Forward to the new foreign partner he said. One of pm s demands was introduction of a value added tax system which was done july 5. Pm has successfully obtained a Promise that excise taxes and customs duties would be lowered he said. In the initial stage the so Plant would assemble and later make some 10,000 medium sized opel astras which would Cost about $10,000. Pm officials earlier said they would like to raise production to 30,000 a year and had plans to design a new pm Model for Poland. The so car Plant in Warsaw employs 20,000 workers. It makes the sporty polish designed polonez car. The so official said producing the Astra would help to modernize the polonez a medium sized family car that costs$7,000. Volvo s proposed merger with French automaker Renault gained important support thursday when two of Volvo s major shareholders backed the Deal. The two shareholders Are the fourth pension fund and Volvo s largest swedish shareholder with 7.5percent of the voting rights and the insurance company Folk Sam with about 3.5 percent of the voting rights. The Deal would have been in serious jeopardy if the fourth turned Down plans to create Europe s largest Auto group after Volkswagen . And general motors. Public debate on the Issue is increasing As a crucial dec. 7 Volvo shareholders meeting approaches. Another pension fund with 1.3 percent of Volvo s shares fifth a fond said wednesday that it intends to vote against the merger. Pm wire reports Mon Jay. November 29, 1993 licensed to get the picture some wary of plans to put Drivers photos into computer files Boston a fourteen states and two Canadian provinces arc planning to use digitized photographs of Drivers on licenses adding people s faces to their air ready vast computer files. Once a photo is scanned into a com Puter to be stored digitally the image can easily be altered matched with similar images or even transmitted around the world. Privacy experts worry that the in formation will be misused by people with bad intentions or by Over zealous police. Expecting the direct Vrtar acting Indus try not to exploit these pictures is like try ing to Roll a Lamb chop past a Wolf said Evan Hendricks editor of the washing ton based privacy times newsletter. Hendricks said mailing list companies could search photo files to find people who need toupees or dental work. They could write we checked out your picture and you were having a bad hair Day he said. But Richard Barton senior vice presi Dent  affairs at the direct marketing association inc., said i can t think of any direct marketing use for the photos. The collection of the pictures in com Puter files adds a new twist to the debate Over Access to computer records at state motor vehicle departments some argue that criminals and others already have used  information to stalk harass or initiate unsolicited con tact with people. The photos Are covered under legis lation in Congress that would Block the release of personal information from state motor vehicle records without a person s approval according to a staff member for the measure s sponsor sen. Barbara Boxer a Calif. Storing the 14 million pictures of Cali fornia s Drivers makes it easier to replace digital dilemma Hare Are the advantages and disadvantages of states collecting digitized License pictures according to motor vehicle officials Law enforcement and privacy activists advantages Drivers with Good records coming to a new state could have an old picture transferred by Telephone to the new state s motor vehicle department. Pictures which Many states have never kept before would be a source for police who already use other types of motor vehicle data in investigations. Disadvantages privacy activists Are worried the photos could find their Way into the hands of people with bad intentions citing a California Case in which a Man stalked and killed a California actress with help from motor vehicle department records. Privacy and civil liberties activists Are concerned police might be overzealous in the use of a vast new source of information they be never had before. Manufacturing replacement or renewal licenses would be As easy As calling up an image and printing it out with other License information then mailing it to the Driver. Privacy activists Are concerned the photos would put a new too in the hand of direct marketeers who already use state motor vehicle records to build mailing lists that Send people junk mail. Images in digital form can be altered More easily than conventional photographs raising new questions about How to restrict Access to records in computers with this capability. So orc the associated prs or renew licenses said Gary Nishite technology chief in California s depart ment of motor vehicles which pioneered the High tech licenses. Nishite said he envisions the Day a Driver with a Good record could move from Massachusetts which plans its own $7.4 million system to California and have a picture transmitted through phone lines to California where it would be placed on a new License. Others see the new technology in less Rosy terms. It would be the first time the govern ment would have a photo file of virtually every citizen. Once that file is established bureaucrats can find All sorts of uses for it said Robert Ellis Smith pub Lisher of the Providence  Pri Vacy journal. The Fri already has its sights on the pictures said Dave Nemecek a Deputy assistant director in charge of information systems. Sas the Agency is upgrading a National sys tem that collects and puts on line information  As lists of wanted criminals and missing persons. The new system is designed to collect and transmit images and digital Driver s licenses from the states Are a great source he said. It will be a real Boon for Law enforce ment he said. But the collection of photos could be misused easily by overzealous Law enforcement officials said Andrew Good a defense attorney on the Board of the civil liberties Union of Massachusetts. People have an instinctive sense that this information can be abused. What they re trying to do is an end run around people s instincts for privacy Good said. Smith the privacy activist called for a go slow approach. I think it s probably too Early to Tell the implications which Means it really ought to be viewed with great caution he said. Buyers can drive a hard bargain by David Germain the associated press Cheektowaga . You be done your Homework pored Over con Sumer reports and car and Driver yet you still manage to pay 800 Bucks too much for that Ford Taurus or Olds Cut lass. Kevin King can sympathize. Until a few years  he might have been the sales Guy who took you to the cleaners. A former car sales and leasing agent King now runs 1-900-Autofax inc., which Sells computer software that lists prices dealers pay for cars and various options. The program gives buyers an idea of How much they can negotiate off the sticker Price. King s computer program is among the latest additions to what is becoming a cluttered Market of products and services to advise car buyers. For years publications  As con Sumer reports and car and Driver have published Price guides data on reliability and repairs and advice for Consumers. The magazines among others also offer900-numbers Consumers Caa dial to get information for a few dollars a minute. But with new computer and Telephone technology dozens of fax on line and other High tech services have sprung up offering pricing information at the touch of a Button. Computer users can get car information through on line services  Asau to Vantage or Compuserve s new car truck showroom. Price guides sent by fax machine Are the hottest new service. For fees ranging from s7 to More than $20, businesses  As Pace publications Amoco and even the Auto club Send Consumers up to Date Price guides on any Model car. King who started the Cheektowaga based Auto fax with a 900-number offer ing car prices said his computer program gives Consumers More flexibility because they can compare prices and options on More than 200 models. The software sell for $29.95. In an Ideal Market a consumer would walk into a showroom spread his Price guide on a salesperson s desk and the drive off with a car for As Little As $100 above the dealer s wholesale  s rarely that easy. Using Sleazy sales tricks King said he could take one of his Price printouts and discredit every number on it thoroughly confusing a buyer in a matter of minutes. It depends on How talented the Salesman is he said. If a seller tells a customer that the Price guide is wrong the buyer should demand to see the factory invoice King said. The invoice should Bear the manufacturer s logo Chevrolet Ford or whatever the make of the car. If the in voice is on Plain paper or does not have the automaker s logo it could have been dummies up by the dealer with Phon prices he said. If that happens the customer should say you Don t want to show me the fac tory invoice no problem. I la pack my stuff up and go to the next dealer " Kin said. Dealers say that Many Price guides Are wrong containing out of Date information. They also say there Are hidden costs and fees for Many cars expenses that Are not reflected in the guides. About half the time pricing guides Are helpful because the customer already knows what he wants to Purchase and has a rough idea of what it la Cost said dutch Bonk a sales manager at muck Ford in the Buffalo suburb of Getzville. The other half Many of the pricing guides Aren t  Ted Orme spokesman for the National automobile dealers association said Price guides also can give Consumers false Hopes of striking a Good Deal. Michael Green publisher of Pace publications said customers in Many cases should be Able to buy a car for $100 to $300 above the invoice Price. You want the Guy to make a profit but you Don t want him to get Rich off of you. Green said. But according to Orme dealers could not cover their expenses if they sold ail their cars on  slim profits. Here s the Bottom line Deal figure out what you want Arm yourself with a Relia ble Price guide and Cut the dealer some Slack so he can make a fair profit. The Odds Are you la drive away Happy experts