European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - August 15, 1994, Darmstadt, Hesse                                O monday August 15, 1994 automotive the stars and stripes Page 9 imagine sitting Down at a computer and custom ordering your new car choosing options right Down to the fuzzy Dice and then taking delivery in just three Days. I Don t think it s Star wars. I thin this is stuff that someday could be real Ken Baker vice president of research and development for general motors corp., said at a University of Michigan management conference Friday. Computer controlled processes Are the key to allowing customers to specify their car s options right Down to the instrument panel layout handling characteristics an upholstery fabric and speeding Assembly and delivery he said. We re close to being Able to give you customized interiors today Baker said without elaborating on when such cars might be available. On Day one the customer will sit Down at the retailer s virtual ordering station select the base vehicle he or she wants and Start customizing the vehicle with individual preferences for everything from color trim seating contours and instrument panel layout to the sound system and communication package right Down the fuzzy Dice he said. The concept of personally customized cars is a departure from pm s focus on mass produced Model with Standard sets of options. Baker said Consumers Are changing and demanding products tailored to their individual needs. We ought to be Able to respond to your personal set of choices he said. General motors corp s drive to build enough trucks to Supply potential buyers of pickups vans and sport Utility vehicles is being slowed by worker shortages but the company in t ready to hire. Right now our big Challenge is getting our people aligned in place where we need More output pm vice president Clifford j. Vaughan said thursday at an automotive management seminar outside traverse City. We re continuing to move pockets of people from Here to there he said. The company has helped relocate1,000-1,500 workers in the past three or four months with mortgage subsidies and other inducements Vaughan said. It is reluctant however to hire new workers As it Shi inks in other areas. A better solution is to shift workers whose jobs Are being eliminated another parts of the Corpany he said. But Many Laid off pm workers who receive generous benefits Are reluctant to relocate to go Back to work especially when the jobs Are inless desirable places like pm s engine casting foundry in Defiance Ohio -. The German government said Friday it will let German prosecutor assist . Authorities probing Industrial espionage charges against former general motors corp. Executive Jose Ignacio Lopez de  has accused l6pez and seven subordinates of taking company secrets when they defected in the Spring of 1993 to German automaker Volkswagen a. Lopez had Brengm s chief of worldwide purchasing. Lopez is under investigation by German and .  ministry spokesman Peter Wel Kitzki said the Federal government authorized state authorities to share information from their investigations with the . Department of Justice which had requested the assistance from the associated press snacking on the Road author provides tips in keeping kids fed and  by Judith Newmark St. Louis Post dispatch to pass the time on car trips the thing americans most like to do is snack that s interesting. I thought the thing americans american kids anyway most like to do on car trips is turn the car into a rolling trash can. But perhaps these Are not so far apart after All. Summer vacation is a particularly Fine time to notice this coincidence. Whether you Are making a major family Road trip taking a couple of Days to go to the coun try or using some vacation time to get to know your town chances Are that if you have kids you have fed them in the car. This can Lead to Many educational conversations such As How the indians used berries for Dye exactly the Way the kids have on the upholstery. This Experiment can be repeated with lots of other inter Esting materials particularly chocolate. The Allstate motor club which came up with the info on snacking and coun try line  both have an obvious stake in dining on the Road. So they got together then put travel writer Carole Terwilliger Meyers on the Case. Meyers author of Miles of smiles 101great car games and activities came up with these suggestions to make travel snacks More convenient. 1. Bag it. Small zip lock bags or Brown bags tied with ribbon Are just the right size to hold kid sized snack portions. Decorate the bags with stickers and tuck a Surprise toy inside. Finger puppets Little cars or Little dolls Are Good choices Small enough to fit and Good to play within the car.2. Box it. Shoe boxes Are terrific Lap trays the High sides offer spill  easy cleanup line with foil 3. Think Small. Choose snack foods that Are easy to handle such As pretzels Bagel chips dried apricots and cheese Sticks. The always popular Peanut butter and Jelly Sandwich fits and is extra fun if you Cut the sandwiches with a cookie Cut Ter. 4. String them along. Let the kids make Cereal Bead necklaces a crafts activity. Let them eat them a snack. 5. Dry up. There is probably no Way to let kids drink in a car without mishap but you can Cut Down on spill potential by putting liquids in plastic sport bottles. Juice boxes also Are convenient and if you get those folded plastic boxes they fit in it s just about impossible to squeeze the Box until the juice squirts out. Of probably not impossible. But very very hard Don t forget straws. 6. Be prepared. Bring an insulated cooler or lunch bag for things that need to stay cold on a Long trip include Frozen ice bags to keep snacks fresh. Before the trip save plastic grocery bags then take a stash for drip proof trash  some old Bath towels in the trunk they Are Handy for major spills plus do extra duty As pillows rolled up and Light blankets. Most essential of All moist towelettes or baby wipes. Distributed by scrupps Howard news service will red Flag Fly chinese Engineer Meng Hsiang Chao Center introduces the More Power now Gas consumption and faster acceleration than 1994 Model of red Flag China s luxury car in Shanghai re earlier versions. The up Dort car factory in Shanghai plans to can try. The new Model uses Chrysler technology an features make 300 red flags this year. On by the Washington Post if you have never driven a car in Brit Ain or any country where traffic moves on the left Side of the Road you Proba Bly will want to rent a vehicle with an automatic shift even though the rental Price is higher. \ so advises Susan Pellowe a writer who has put together a useful brochure for the Novice Driver in Britain called driving in Britain left alive or dead right. In Britain manual shifts Are located on the Driver s left Side and trying to shift gears with your left hand while negotiating a new traffic pattern can be extremely stressful. So unaccustomed Are americans to left hand shifting Pellowe says that there Are Many tales of Drivers who have broken off turn signal levers on the right Side of the steering wheel by trying to use them As gear shifts. Even Drivers bred and born with four on the floor frantically grab that innocent lever on the  Pellowe a frequent Driver in Britain details exercises you can practice in your own parked car to prepare you to face up to the Challenge. She suggests sitting in the passenger seat which is the Driver s Side in a British car and adjusting he rear and Side View mirrors so you can see alongside the car. Then practice looking up left at the rear View Mirror and Down right at the Side View Mirror until you Are Comfort Able with the movement. As she writes Safe driving in Britain requires learning new habits. Most move ments Are opposite what you Are accustomed to at Home. The brochure also is full of tips on Safe driving tactics once you actually climb be Hind the wheel in your British rental car including How to understand Britain s complicated Lane markings. Copies Are available for $5 from re Nard productions 450 a. Galena Aurora 111. 60506