European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - May 16, 1994, Darmstadt, Hesse                                After flirting with More foreign nameplates corporate fleets Are coming Home to american named vehicles the number of non american cars purchased by corporations and businesses was never very Large a about 7 percent in 1991 a but it has been declining according to a study by Runzheimer International the Rochester wis based management consulting firm. In 1991, Toyota had the largest number of non american cars in Fleet use with 3 percent followed by Honda Acura at 2 percent and Audi and Mazda at 1 percent. In 1993, none had More than a half percent. The closing of the perceived Quality Gap Between japanese and american cars appears to be the reason Why americans have regained lost business. The biggest gainers were Chevrolet Ford and Chrysler Dodge nameplates. \ Chevrolet a Lumina which fell off the selection list for several years because it did riot have air bags returns this year with the new Model that goes on Sale this summer a with Driver and passenger air bags. Although they can be expensive More lightweight High technology materials will find their Why into new cars in coming years according to an Industry forecast. The need to Cut the weight of cars and trucks to meet fuel mileage requirements and the disdain of most Consumers for Small cars will be the main factors for the use of lightweight materials said Brett Smith a researcher with the office for the study of automotive transportation. Smith and former general motors corp. Executive Michael Dibernardo say the use of aluminium plastics magnesium and powdered metals in North american produced vehicles will increase by up to 20 percent Over the next decade. However steel and cast Iron will continue As automotive mainstays though the use of steel is projected to drop 10 percent and cast Iron 15 a percent. A a a a a a  Firestone tire amp service centers offer tips to save hundreds of dollars each year in vehicle operation costs a Check your owners manual to determine the fuel octane level you need. If you buy 93 octane at $1.29 a gallon when you could be using 87 octane at $1.09 a gallon you re wasting 20 cents a gallon. Multiplied by the average 555 Gallons the typical car owner buys a year and the potential savings is $111. A driving at a constant Speed saves fuel. Fluctuating Between 55 and 65 Mph in a 65-Mph zone instead of staying at a steady 60 Mph can Cost 1 to 1.5 Miles per gallon. At 35 mpg and $1.29 a gallon the potential savings or loss is 33.3 Gallons or $42.95 a year. A a simple engine tuneup could improve Gas mileage up to 20 percent. At 25 mpg and $1.29 a gallon the potential saving is $143.19. A a clogged air filter can Cost one mile per gallon. Using the same _ factors above replacing the filter could save $28.63 a year. A likewise running tires at an improper inflation can steal one mile a gallon. Another $28.63. A a wheel out of balance by As Little As 3 percent can have the effect of adding 36 extra pounds to your vehicles total weight. Since every 100 pounds added to a vehicles weight causes Gas mileage to drop Between .1 and .4 mpg four tires out of balance could equal 144 Gas robbing pounds. A from wire report mechanics College has no fraternities a for car starters by Joe Edwards the associated press Nashville Tenn. A with three pennies in his pocket . Balls left his Rural Tennessee Home More than 75 years ago to find his place in life. He ended up in Nashville and founded a school known today As the Nashville Auto diesel College where Young men and women can get their hands dirty and learn How to repair car engines. The one year school has no fraternities no football team a not even a Homecoming. It has kept such a Low profile locally that Many Nashville natives done to even know it exists. But the private school has been training Auto technicians since 1919, diesel technicians since 1935 and Auto body technicians since 1946. The school predated a by 65 years a an automotive corridor in Tennessee that now includes general motors Saturn Plant a Nissan Plant and numerous parts plants. Students from All 50 states and 53 foreign countries have attended narc. More than 1,200 companies employ school alumni including general motors Ford Chrysler and John Deere. A the character of this school centers on turning out Quality graduates a said Walter Pruitt director of marketing. The schools 950 students pay $10,700 tuition for 48 weeks of classroom and hands on shop experience at the 11-acre Campus 10 Miles North of Down Jown Nashville. V students learning Auto body repair take courses in Are amps such As welding Frame and structural repair and painting procedures. Those studying to become Auto and diesel technicians take courses in transmissions brakes engine rebuilding electrical systems and the like. A a there a a lot of electronics a Pruitt said. A we begin with the Structure of the.  7 7.7 7 v7 a 7. The schools instructors done to Wear Tweed sport Coats or smoke pipes. But its teachers numbering some four dozen have written the 37 textbooks the students use. Narc has More than $1.7 million in training equipment and 1,840 cars for students to work on. The Buick motor division of pm recently donated a 1993 Buick Park Avenue Ultra for the schools computer training lab. Similarly John Deere donated four engines to the school. Yale University May boast of having president Clinton As a graduate but at narc the bragging focuses on Waddell Wilson a Veteran Crew chief on the Winston cup circuit of the National association for Stock car Auto racing. Another famous Grad is Eddie Lanier also a fixture in Stock car racing. Narc graduates work for trucking companies automobile agencies repair shops Fleet owners heavy equipment agencies bus lines and construction companies. The school now owned by a third generation member of the balls family lists its main competitors As Ohio diesel in Cleveland Wyoming tech in Laramie and Universal technical Institute in Phoenix Houston and Chicago. Mazda a millennia offers great ride by Ann Marie Job the associated press the Quality of a lexus the durability of a Mercedes and a Price tag several thousand dollars below either one. Such Are the lofty ideals of Mazda a newest car the 1995 millennia sound like fluff Best take a ride in the millennia and then decide. With a base Price of $25,995 this midsize luxury Sedan impresses with its nimble yet solid character and its comfortable tasteful ride created for Mazda Snow cancelled Amati luxury car division the millennia comes to Mazda showrooms with luxury car goodies found on lexus and Mercedes models while adding unique features of its own. Tops among them is a 210-horsepower, 2,3-liter Miller Cycle six Cylinder engine that delivers the torque of a larger 3.3-liter engine with the fuel Economy of a smaller Power Plant. Standard on the $31,400 top of the line millennia a the Miller Cycle v-6 engine was developed by american Ralph Miller in the 1940s but never before used in a production Auto. The test millennia s with this Power Plant mated to an electronically controlled four Speed Gearbox provided Good torque through a Broad Range with maximum torque of 210 Pound feet at 3,500 revolutions per minute. Yet riders Felt Only sub 7 tie gentle tugs when the accelerator was pushed and the car responded quickly. There a none of the lag found in turbocharged cars and no hunkering Down feel ing that can accompany Rio Turbo cars. This is a spirited Well balanced car that a Superior in both horsepower and torque to competitors such As the lexus es300, $34,900 Mercedes Benz c280 and $36,950 infiniti j30, All of which also have six Cylinder engines. Fuel Economy on the millennia s is Superior As Well 20 Miles a gallon in the City and 28 mpg on the Highway. The millennia s rides on bigger wheels than the competitors Alloy 16inchers. Its four wheel Independent suspension includes a front Multi link design that behaves much like a Wishbone suspension and a rear with Many lateral links to keep tires in proper Contact with the Road no matter How the car is turning. Anti lock brakes and electronic traction control Are Standard on the s Model. The millennia a a stable ride is reminiscent of a German Road car that a also Light on its feet. Drivers will note a bit of the 1995 Mazda millennia a midsize luxury car with a base Price of $25,995, has a 210-horsepower, 2.3-liter, six Cylinder engine that packs a lot of punch. Under steer in the Corners As expected in a front drive car. Riders will Marvel at How quiet the engine is and indeed i had to concentrate to hear it. Mostly there was just a subdued Jet like sound during heavy acceleration. Its understandable company engineers went to great lengths to make this the quietest Mazda Ever. The Windshield wiper motor has rubber mounts As does the Sunroof motor. In addition the speedometer is Cable less so there a no Cable noise. Outside while observers probably wont notice Mazda positions body panels to within 4.1 Millimetres of each other smaller than the 5 Millimetres of body panel Gap Mazda says it finds on Mercedes Benz cars to reduce wind noise and improve fit and finish. Even the outside Mirror on the passenger door is slightly downsized to improve aerodynamics. Done to worry that visibility is reduced though Mazda designed the Mirror Glass specially to compensate for the mirrors smaller size. And the entire Side Frame of the Mill Nia is a single steel Sheet to help increase body rigidity and body panel fit. Adding to the solid feel Are More than 13 pounds of polyvinyl Chloride used As an undercoat tit the car. And All hollow parts such As doors and lids Are coated with anti rust Wax. Millennia in particular is Well appointed with Standard leather scats Power windows door locks mirrors cruise control Sunroof two front air bags automatic climate control with air conditioning theft alarm and Power front seats. Three Good sized adults sit closely in Back but the Back seat is just Fine for two with a Center armrest provided. There a plenty of rear legroom with the front seats Back on their tracks some. With the seats Back All the Way i tucked my toes underneath and still had decent legroom. Mazda expects to sell 2,000 Mil Lenias a month once Good supplies of the japanese built cars Are available. Buyers arc Likely to be men 59 percent with median age of 44 and median household income of $85,000, the company said. Sixty nine percent will be College graduates and 72 percent will be married. Because the millennia is a new Model consumer reports does not list owner trouble complaints