European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - January 17, 1994, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 14 the stars and stripes automotive monday. January 17,1994 North America s car building capital appears to be moving from Lansing Mich with general motors plants that once built nearly 500,000 car annually to a sister operation in Lordstown Ohio. Ward s communications reported thursday that a third shift added at the Lordstown Plant is expected to show 1993 production at nearly 400,000 vehicles compared with Lansing s estimated 335,000 cars. Ward s says that poor sales of arising built Oldsmobile a Sievas Early in the year and a five wee summer shutdown to retool for the 94 models forced production to  s Lansing Complex employs about 14,000 hourly workers. Despite the loss of its Leader status pm s Lansing operation is not hurting for work and will Likely be putting another 1,000 workers or More on the production line to pick up work bumped from Lordstown which just 6won building rights to construct 20,000right-Side-Driver Chevrolet Cavaliers to be sold in Japan. And the Pontiac grand am also built in Lansing remained a top Selling Model while Achieva sales zoomed skyward late in 93. Demand for Lansing s Buic Skylark was also High. Gasoline prices nationwide dipped More than a Penny a gallon Early this month and an Oil Industry analyst said that prices Are 13 cents lower than a year ago. Trilby Lundberg author of the Lundberg letter said lower crude prices have kept retail prices Down atthe nation s pumps. But she said prices appear to have bottomed outland May be heading Back up soon. Lundberg s nationwide Survey of service stations found the composite Price of a gallon of Gas was 109.49cents, or Down 1.29 cents from the previous Survey conducted dec. 17. The composite Price includes Al grades of Gas at the self and full service pump including All local stat and Federal taxes. Those taxes currently constitute More than 35cents a gallon. In the wholesale markets Price shave bottomed out and Are edging upward Lundberg said. Most of All where the Price cuts began in the Gulf states and Midwest there is turnaround taking place. This would cause a turnaround at the retail  ,. Still Lundberg said Gas prices are13 cents lower this year than last year but a 5 cent increase in the Federal Gas tax Means motorists Are saving Only 8 cents a gallon Over 1993  the self service pump Lundberg s Survey of More than10,000 service stations nationwide found regular unleaded Gas Selling Foran average of 102.10 cents Middle unleaded 113.89 and Premium unleaded 121.98. Regular leaded was Selling for 103.69 cents. Motorists pulling into the full service pump were paying 143.14 cents for regular unleaded 152.10 for the mid Grade and 159.30 for Premium unleaded. Regular leaded was going for132.79 cents. A sales Arm of Nissan Zlotor co.,Japan s no. 2 automaker said Friday that it would begin Selling car imported from Ford motor co. This  Nissan Auto sales co. Will begin Selling Fords by May said spokesman Atsushi Horigome. Ford motor co. Japan confirmed that negotiations Are under Way but said that no deals have been reached from Vav re reports Oldsmobile quite a steal 84 Cutlass supreme was thieves top target in 93, study finds Detroit a last year s hottest car was a porsche Mercedes lexus Toyota camry Ford Taurus believe it or not the most stolen car of 1993 was your father s Oldsmobile. The 1984 Cut lass supreme placed no. 1. General motors corp. Products filled every top 10 Slot in the list released thursday by a company that does vehicle valuations for the insurance Industry. Although there always will be Joyride ers it s not the racing stripes that make a Model popular with thieves. The single most overriding reason Isth interchangeability Factor As far As the parts go said William Geen senior vice resident of acc information service inc. Of Chicago which released the list. The used parts business remains the  the Cutlass the 1984-87 models occupied four of the top five spots. If you look at the Model year Span there was nothing done to radically change the vehicle Geen said. The hottest cars the top 10 most stolen cars of .1993 As compiled by acc information services inc. Of Chicago which does vehicle valuations for insurance companies rank vehicle rank in 92 number stolen 1. 84 Cutlass supreme 1 769 2. 86 Chev Camaro 2 766 3. 86 Cutlass supreme 4 706 4 87 Cutlass supreme 11 660 5. 85 Cutlass supreme 3 654 6. 87 Camaro 6 630 7. 84 Buick regal 8 581 8. 87 Chev Caprice 7 557 9. 91 Chev s10 Blazer 5 554 10. 85 Buick regal 10 537 source the associated press is value of those parts becomes much higher in that you can use them for a lot of similar Type  pm said that being atop the list reflects the fact that it sold More cars than anyone else and that the Law of averages would dictate More of its cars Are stolen. The new models will be harder and harder to steal because of better anti theft devices said Lorenzo Perkins pm s senior project Engineer at the North american operations safety Center. Acc based its list on its vehicle valuations which Are used to determine the settlement values for insurance  valuations Are based on the Price for which the car can be purchased another factors. Geen said no accurate Way exists to gauge How Many cars Are stolen each year in the United states because so Many Are uninsured or never reported stolen. ,. Estimates by different agencies go a High As 1.5 million he said but aggressive efforts by car makers police consume Sand insurers to Stem car theft have shown Progress this decade. It s still a big problem but it s putting Little bit of a Dent in it he said. The 84 Cutlass led the list for the Sec Ond consecutive year. The Chevrolet Ca Maro held the distinction for the five pre Vious years. Following the 1984 Cutlass on the list were 1986 Camaro 1986 Cutlass supreme 1987 Cutlass supreme 1985 Cut lass supreme 1987 Camaro 1984 Buick regal and 1987 Chevrolet Caprice. The Cadillac Mcville contours has been redesigned for 1994, bringing its length to uni feet while maintaining compact style handling. Deville has room Power handling by Annmarie Job for the associated press car buyers used to Compromise on handling when buying a big big Auto. They expected it to Wallow around some on the Road. No More. Cadillac s Best Selling car the Deville is redesigned for 1994 and adds a 17-foot-Long Model that sur Prises with its Road manners. Simply the 1994 Cadillac Deville con Cours which starts at $37,990, provides ample room for six adults ample smooth flowing Power plus the handling feel of a much More compact car. It s no easy task. Cadillac Engineer started with a stretched wheelbase ver Sion of the Seville front drive platform making the 94 Deville nearly 4 inches longer arid More than 4 inches wider than the 1993 Deville. They installed Cadillac s highly praised 4.6-liter Northstar v-8 to make the 1994dcville contours the world s most pow Erful six passenger Sedan. This engine mated to a four Speed automatic trans Mission Powers this nearly 4,000-Pouridluxury Sedan with Grace. Maximum horse Power is 270 at 5,600 revolutions per minute and it s especially responsive at slower speeds Able to deliver half iterated Power by 2,800 rpm. When accelerating the contours jets past other cars. Shifting is virtually imperceptible. / the Northstar engine is the most advanced Ever engineered at general motors corp. Among its Many features it automatically restricts gasoline to four fits eight cylinders in a cyclical pattern if a sensor detects engine overheating. That Way a Driver can cruise to a Safe place to Stop while the engine in t damaged. The Northstar spark plugs Are dual Platinum tipped and Cadillac boasts the engine can go for 100,000 Miles without tuneup. The contours uses Premium fuel and a Knock sensor also automatically adjust ignition timing if someone pumps Low octane fuel into the tank by mistake. Still with fuel Economy rating of 16miles a gallon in the City and 25 mpg on the Highway the contours has no Gas guzzler lax. During the a s test drive the contours averaged 17.4 mpg unmixed City Highway driving. Key to this big car s handling is the sus pension system. It s a sophisticated mix of sensors actuators and three patented computer programs that can adjust Shock absorber settings at the four 16-Inch wheels up to 100 times a second. Cadillac Calls it Road sensing suspension because it responds to Road conditions and Driver behaviour. In front there Are space saing Macpherson struts in Back a Multi link design. Steering is Speed sensitive for Good Driver feel though on the test car it Felt a bit Loose on Center at slow speeds. Still there s no denying this is a very big car that does t at All handle like one. Inside the contours is cavernous with rear leg room of 43.3 inches beating out competitors such As the six passenger Lincoln town car and five passenger lexus ls400. It also has More rear head room than they do. The Flat seats feel like sem firm sleeping pillows and the.11-speaker Delco stereo with 160-Watt amplifier is Superb. Devil Les represent some 60 percent of Cadillac sales and the contours with its Northstar Power Plant and Premium sus pension is the top of the Deville line. Devil Les Start at $32,990. The lexusls400 starts at $51,200, while the Lincoln town car starts at $34,750. Cadillac expects sales of More than 30,000 contours cars in the Model year. Target Deville contours buyers Are men Between 50 and 65 years of age with household income of $100,000 or More Cadillac said. Half Are Likely to be Colleg graduates. Consumer reports said Devil Les from the 1990-92 Model years had fewer mechanical problems than the average