European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - January 24, 1994, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 10 the stars and stripes automotive monday january 24,1994 if president Clinton has his Way Many commuters will get pay increases if they give up their parking spaces. To reduce air pollution by encouraging people not to drive to work the president will propose in the budget he Send Congress next month that some employers who subsidize their commuters parking Bills be required to give the workers the same amount of Money in Cash if they relinquish their parking spots. That Means for example that workers who now Park in a lot that charges $100 month would have to be offered $100 in additional pay instead of free parking. People who do not get subsidized parking would not be affected by the proposal. The rules would require legislation before they could be put into effect and the prospects in Congress which returns to a new session this week cannot be gauged yet. Administration officials who acknowledged in answers to inquiries that the parking proposal would be part of the budget said that the details were still being worked put. But they said that almost certainly the Cash option would be required Only in cases in which employers pay the parking fees at lots owned by someone else. The rules would not apply to the More common situation in which commuters Park free on a company lot. The Money workers would receive in place of subsidized parking would be fully taxable the officials said. " " the Chrysler corp s joint venture jeep maker in China plans to produce 60,000 vehicles this year up from 47,100 in 1993, an official newspaper reported. The joint venture Beijing jeep corp. Ltd., celebrated its 10th anniversary this month and announced plans to increase capacity to 200,000 cars annually by the year2003. The company the first Auto joint venture Between the United states and China has made More than $115 million in profits Over the Pas decade the China daily newspaper said. Volkswagen a kept its position As Europe s no. 1 automaker in 1993 a year most european car manufacturers would rather forget vow stayed on top although registrations of its cars with motor vehicle authorities dropped 20.1 percent to 1.89 million. Car registration figures Are used As a measure of sales in Europe. Other car makers also suffered declines As Industry wide registrations Hurt by the recession fell 20 percent the association of european automobile manufacturers said. Registrations at general motors Europe fell 11.8 percent to 1.49 million with France s spa Peugeot citroen third with 1.41 million registrations Down 14.4 percent the Trade group reported. The shrinkage in the european Market from 13.5 million vehicles in 1992 to 11.4 million in 1993, was the worst performance in Many years for what was once the world s largest car Market overtaken last year by the United states. Vow s 1993 Market share dropped to 16.4 percent from 17.5 percent pm Europe s Rose from 12.5 to 13.0 percent and Peugeot citroen Rose from 12.2 percent to 12.3 percent. Pm has been the Star performer the last three years said Auto analyst Nigel Griffiths of the London forecasting firm Dri. From wire reports new s-1 of Sonoma recalled Detroit a general motors corp. Is recalling 120,000 new compact pickups that could explode in a Side Impact crash blaming the supplier of a fuel system part for a mix up. Pm Learned of the safety defect in its Chevrolet s-10 and Gumc Sonoma trucks this month from the National Highway transportation safety administration which performed a routine Side Impact test on an s-10. R the Agency said the fuel system sur Vived the Impact but leaked More fuel than allowable under Federal standards when it was rolled Over. Leaking fuel can cause explosions and fire. The problem was unrelated to charges that pm s older full size pickups Are vulnerable to explosions and fires in Side Impact collisions. In the compact trucks the Agency and pm traced the leak to a joint that connects a tube that vents overflowing Gaso line Back into the tank with the filler neck. The problem had not occurred when pm had a prototype of the truck certified earlier. Owners of the 53,000 a los and Sono Mas already sold Are being told of the re Call by mail. The other 67,000 trucks Are on dealer lots or on their Way to them.  been told not to sell them until they Are fixed. Pm spokeswoman Linda Cook said the supplier r which she refused to identify switched the method of connecting the tube with the filler neck using Silver solder instead of a brazing method. Solder withstands less heat such As would be created by friction in a crash than brazing Cook said. William o Neill director of communications for pm s North american operations said the supplier told pm the mix up occurred in a Handoff of Blue prints Between its prototype and production engineers. The recall of the fast Selling trucks was unrelated to pm s efforts to Cut its sup plier costs o Neill said. Pm has said its crusade to save Money has Cut $4 billion from its $35 billion an Nual parts budget since the end of 1991, and it expects More savings this year. We Are confident it is riot because of pricing but because of a Lack of communication Cook said. This supplier has been a supplier of general motors for Many years and is known for its High  the supplier denied to pm that it switched processes to save Money o Neill said and the supplier will be expected to reimburse pm for the Cost of the recall. Upon discovering the problem pm halted production of the trucks at plants in Shreveport la and Linden n.j., on wednesday. Production resumed thurs Day. It also told dealers to Stop delivering the trucks to customers until repairs could be made. The 1995 Chrysler Neon sport is designed to Appeal to Price conscious Small car buyers. The Sedan carries a base Price of $8,975. Chrysler Hopes Neon will Shine by Ann Marie Job the associated press it has been a while since the Auto motive spotlight shone on Price conscious Small car buyers. The Market Seg ment with its Low profit margins has t been particularly lucrative especially for Domestic automakers. But Chrysler corp. Intends to brighten that picture with its highly touted Neon Sedan Chrysler s first 1995 Model. Base priced at $8,975, it s arriving now at Dodge and Plymouth showrooms. Boasting More horsepower than any direct competitor More front headroom and rear legroom than the Honda civic and Nissan sentry and with Standard front seat air bags and Side Impact door beams the Neon should spark new inter est in Small cars Chrysler says. Company officials Hope both no yup pie baby Boomers and the demanding Twenty something generation x buyers Are dazzled by Neon s hug Gable and Friendly glow. Buyer incomes Are expected to Range from the mid-$30, to Low $40,, the automaker said. The a s test Neon they re the same cars whether wearing a Dodge or Plymouth badge could Streak around with Pep even while delivering competitive fuel Economy. Powered by a new 2-liter, single Over head Cam 16-valve, in line four Cylinder engine the Neon is capable of 132 horse Power at 5,000 revolutions per minute. It goes from 0 to 60 Miles an hour in 8.8 seconds Chrysler says. Riders hear a lot of that acceleration Effort inside the passenger compartment and also get an earful of Road noise. But that s pretty much the Rule in cars in this Market segment. And there s no question the Neon s 132 horsepower surpasses the 110 horse Power at 6,000 rpm of the sentry 102 horsepower at 5,900 rpm of the civic and even the 124 horsepower at 5,600 rpm of the top of the line Saturn Sedan the sl2. All have engines with smaller Dis placement than Neon. Yet Neon s fuel Economy rating for a five Speed manual Model is 28 Miles a gallon in the City and 37 mpg on the High Way just a Tad under sentry s 29 and 38 mpg respectively and better than the Saturn sl2. The civic is rated Best How Ever at 34 mpg in the City and 40 mpg on the freeway. I preferred the Neon s Short throw five Speed since i could keep the revs up for spirited performance and the clutch was t temperamental. But Ron Bolz Gen eral manager of Chrysler Small car plat form said it s Likely that 75 percent of Neon s Early production will be automatics. Most buyers prefer automatics and in an Effort to contain costs Chrysler did t design a new transmission but adapted an existing Chrysler three Speed. The competitor cars All offer four Speed automatics. The Neon steering is a bit Loose on Center at slow speeds but four wheel in dependent suspension front Macpherson struts and rear Multi link design combined with a stiff body can handle a surprising number of demands. On the outside the Neon is rounded with a High rear deck lid. It s More mod Ern looking than the Squarish sentry and has rounded Eye like headlights As of 3osed to Saturn s rectangular headlamps. Jeon rides on a slightly longer wheel 5ase than the competitors and the length goes to Good use. Chrysler says the Neon s rear door openings Are bigger than those on the Ford Taurus and Mer Cury Sable midsize cars. Head room in the Neon is admirable. At 54.7 inches tall Neon is at a mini mum 0.8 Inch taller than the competitors. Neon front seats Are quite supportive enough to hold off body fatigue on a four hour drive. In the Back seat three adults sit closely but two people do of. Because Neon is a new car consumer reports does not list owner trouble complaints