European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - August 22, 1994, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Monday August 22, 1994 automotive the stars and stripes Page 9 car prices have reached a record High in Singapore where a family Sedan costs More than a Cadillac in the United states. To prevent traffic congestion the government of this Island City state allows Only about 1,400 cars to be sold each month. Buyers must bid for a certificate of entitlement at monthly auctions. ,. According to september bidding results released last week the Price for a certificate for a luxury car jumped by $6,000 from the previous month to $54,000, the Straits times newspaper said. Prices for no luxury cars were lower but still put Singapore s car costs at extraordinary Levels. For instance to put a Ford escort on the Road after paying insurance and a Road tax a buyer would have to pay at least $64,000. That compares to the . Price of $37,000 for a Cadillac Deville contours the top of the line Cadillac. Although traffic jams Are not unknown in Singapore the restrictive measures have kept the streets free from the paralysing traffic in cities like new York. The government says there Are about 307,000 cars in Singapore which has 3 million citizens. General motors corp. Has cancelled plans to sell a redesigned Geo storm for the 1996 Model year. The company said in May 1993 that it was suspending production of the car until 1995. The storm is a Small sport Coupe built in Japan by Isuzu motors Ltd. And sold by Chevrolet dealers pm abandoned plans for a new storm for 1996 because the strength of the japanese yen against the Dollar has made it unprofitable to import the cars. The yen has appreciated by about 11 percent against the Dollar this year. Pm has continued to Market its remaining Stock of storms. Sales so far this year have totalled less than 5,000 vehicles Down from about 26,000 in the same period last year. Pm continues to sell three other Geo models. The prize is built in California in a joint venture with Toyota motor corp. The metro and tracker Are built in Canada in a joint venture with Suzuki motor corp. The swedish car maker Volvo has announced it will introduce door Side air bags on its top of the line models next year the news Agency to said. Volvo apparently will be the first car maker to offer the door Side air bags As Standard equipment to reported. The bags will be attached to the inside of the doors and Are designed to protect the Driver and passengers in the event of a collision from the Side. South Korea has rejected . Suggestions that it lower tariffs and take other Steps to increase foreign car imports government officials said last week. But negotiations on increasing Access to the South korean Auto Market by . Cars will continue with several of the . Suggestions As the basis for the talks Trade ministry officials said. In a letter by its Trade representative Mickey Kantor the United states has recently asked South Korea to use . Cars for government vehicles and launch Amedia Campaign encouraging koreans to use More foreign cars. South Korea is one of the world s major Auto exporting nations but High tariffs and negative perceptions have kept its Borders closed to foreign cars. In 1993, South Korea exported 640,000 cars abroad 111,300 of them to the United states but it imported Only 1,463 foreign _ cars that year 0.2 percent of its Domestic car sales. Experts predict South Korea s Auto Market will grow by 10 percent a year for the next two years. From the associated press sour on sales techniques from High pressure to indifference customer loses out by Tom Incantalupo new Day some people in the car business still Don t seem to get it. ,. ,. For sure it s changing buyers Are Les Likely to be High pressured in dealerships nowadays less Likely to be treated like sheep to be fleeced. But a reporter helping his daughter choose a car recently found that at some dealerships old methods die hard. Here s some of what we encountered Good and bad at a Ford Dealership a Saleswoman looked at us As if we were two homeless people who could t afford a pre owned Yugo. J told we were thinking of leasing a car she turned without a word and walked into her office lacking the Good manners to invite us in or offer us chairs i sat Down while the Prospect my daughter leaned awkwardly in the doorway. Maybe  was having a bad Day. But her sour attitude helped Cost that Dealership a Sale. At a Chrysler Plymouth showroom even the Salesman did t sit Down just stood next to a Neon and quoted a lease rate for it. Did t even take our names. Maybe he thought we were tire kickers. A Pontiac Salesman let us test drive a grand am but then refused to quote anything but the sticker Price for one without a commitment that we would buy on the spot. Do i look like i was born yesterday As we headed for the door a Man identifying himself As a manager am bushed us stuck out his hand and posed a question that must predate the Model t what can we do to sell you a car today. Somebody should write this Guy some new lines. A Saturn Saleswoman suddenly leapt from her chair As we were chatting and rushed to the Dealership s doors to join other salespeople in cheering and photo graphing a buyer taking delivery of a car a Saturn tradition. Saturn s Coffee was Good and the pres sure was Low. But then it s easy to play softball when you can demand and get list prices for your cars and there in t an other Dealership a few Miles away offer ing the same models for a few dollars less to try to steal your  even Saturn apparently is not above a cheap shot on a Wall in the showroom was a bulletin Board with Arti cles about other car makers recalls. The implication of course is that recalls equate to poor Quality which in t necessarily True. They can also be a sign that a manufacturer is determined to do the right thing by its customers. That Proba Bly is How Saturn would like us to inter pret its eight recalls in four years. But of the 11 salespeople we visited the woman from Saturn made the most follow up Calls to our Home. So what did my daughter choose Well let s just say it was too Little car for too much Money and not what dad advised her to buy. But then if you have teen agers you probably guessed that Al  Dmitry Lomazov stands with some of his 74 antique cars and motorcycles in a garage on the outskirts of Moscow. Russian dreams of antique car museum Moscow a Dmitry Lomazov s passion for foreign luxury cars was t encouraged in soviet times but in the new flashier Russia he s planning to put his sparkling collection of classic cars on Public display. Lomazov with his older brother and their father have received permission to build the first classic car museum in mos cow and Are now negotiating with West Ern automakers for the funds. Between them they own 74 mostly antique cars and motorcycles All lovingly restored with their own hands using Only original parts. Collecting cars is an All consuming passion to me Lomazov said As he stroked the door of a German made 6 liter 1935 Horch-853. It satisfies my ego but if also makes me feel like a keeper of  Lomazov says the Horch is among Sev eral of his cars that belonged to famous figures. German nazi Leader Hermann Goring was so smitten by the Horch that he bought it directly from the Paris exhibition Hall where it was displayed. After nazi Germany was Defeated in world War ii in 1945, the Horch became a trophy for soviet troops who also found a 5.4 liter Mercedes Benz 540k from the 1930s, which allegedly belonged to the nazi propaganda chief Joseph Goebbels. Lomazov a 28-year-old who used to be an electronics Engineer said he has an eyewitness account from the soviet offi cer who took the Mercedes from Goeb Bels garage. All these cars would be exhibited in the museum Lomazov wants to create. His father began collecting the cars dec Ades ago when prices were Low in the so Viet car Market which was isolated from the world Market. The elder Lomazov spent years trying unsuccessfully to persuade soviet officials to fund such a museum with the changing times the younger Lomazov has had better Luck a private museum was an unthinkable thing in the soviet times said to Makov. Now the Moscow government has promised us a hectare 2v2� acres of  for now Lomazov s treasures Are kept in six Dusty garages and repair shops on the outskirts of Moscow. Lomazov Heads the russian club of classic cars lovers but the number of clubs in the former soviet Union has dwindled from 25 to two. Many members sold their cars for huge sums of hard cur Rency or emigrated to Europe or Ameri Ca where their skills in restoring classic cars Are appreciated. Ninety percent of the classic cars which belonged to soviet collectors have been sold abroad he said