European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - September 19, 1994, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Monday september 19, 1994 automotive the stars and stripes Page 11 no matter How Many safety features your car or multipurpose vehicle has it is important that they be used correctly and that the vehicle be driven with the same level of care. Some features can be ineffective or even dangerous unless precautions Are used. Here Are some examples a air bags and seat belts. Air bags Only protect you in frontal collisions so it is critical that you also Wear your shoulder and Lap belts. A passenger air bags and child safely seats. In vehicles equipped with passenger air bags rear facing child seats must be placed in the Back seat. A deploying air bag striking a child safety seat in the front seat can injure or even kill a child. A injuries caused by air bags. Although air bags save lives and reduce injuries they also can cause abrasions broken Bones Eye damage and other injuries most of them minor. The Best Way to avoid such injuries is to move the front seats As far Back As Comfort permits so that you wont be in the Way during the fraction of a second it takes the bag to deploy in an Accident. Wearing your seat and shoulder belts also helps. A anti lock brakes. When braking in a vehicle with anti lock brakes it is important to apply constant pressure to the Brake pedal. Some Drivers unnerved by the pulsing sensation a the Brake pedal of such vehicles have lifted their foot or attempted to pump the brakes thus eliminating the brakes effectiveness. A automatic scat belts. In some automatic seat Belt systems Only the shoulder Belt moves into position on its own. In vehicles equipped with such designs it is vital that occupants manually buckle their Lap belts. Failing to do so can cause injuries during a collision. A adjustable headrests. It is important to adjust the rest so that it is even with the Back of the head. If the rest is too Low a a common problem for tall people a the head will Bend Back during a collision resulting in a neck injury. / Ita a Toyota motor corp. Said last week that it had chosen the largest of its five Domestic dealer networks to sell cars made by general motors for the japanese Market. The move is Likely to give an extra boost to . Automakers efforts to expand sales in the japanese Market and comes just As japanese-. Talks on autos and other Trade areas arc gathering Speed ahead of a .-imposed deadline of sept. 30. Toyota agreed last fall to buy 20,000 Chevrolet Cavaliers a year starting in 1996 for resale in Japan under its own Brand name. The right hand drive cars Are being made by pm specifically for the japanese Market and will be the first big three Model sold in Japan by Toyota the country a no. 1 automaker. The Dealership Chain Toyota has chosen for the Chevrolet cars has More than 1,000 sales outlets across the nation and a 35,000-person sales Force. The japanese Model name and Price for the car have not been decided. . Automakers have Long complained that unofficial arrangements Between manufacturers and dealers have kept foreign cars out of japanese dealerships but those ties have been eroding in recent years allowing More foreign car makers to reach arrangements with Auto dealers. Nissan motor co. Dealers have agreed to sell Ford motor co. Cars and the Niigata Kaihatsu Dealership has a agreed to sell cherokees and vision passenger cars from Chrysler corp. A for the associated press no longer a life of luxury cars in today a Market by James Bennet new York times Detroit a some blame the sport Utility vehicles others the higher income taxes on the very wealthy. Some claim �?T90s a a values have made the Rich self conscious while still others argue that fears of cutting costs in health care have made doctors miserly. A whatever the reason the luxury car Market roughly defined As cars costing More than $25,000, or about 13 percent 6f car sales in the United states is in turmoil and the Calfskin gloves have come  longer do the luxury Marques attract customers by simply coughing politely and drawing attention to their burled Walnut. These Days the once genteel divisions Are publicly taking potshots at each other and even competing a heavens a on Price. Amid the Din they Are Rushing to do vol of less expensive cars build new plants and Branch into new. Models such As fancy trucks and roadsters in a bid to catch up with their customers rapidly changing tastes. A a a a Quot a a a a we re in a dogfight a said John o. Gretton Berger the general motors corp. Vice president who is general manager of its Cadillac luxury division. A some of the Competition has gotten Down to a level that 1 would never want to see at  the reason he said is simple a a everyone a got a lot of  within the luxury segment in which buyers perhaps most closely identify cars with the nationalities of their makers the momentum has shifted. As a category imports Are doing Well. But after big losses to the japanese in the late 1980s, the germans and swedes have surged Back while some of the japanese a in particular toot a a luxury division lexus and Honda luxury division Acura a have struggled. Sales of luxury cars in the United states Are up by 4 percent Over last year but they Are lagging the rest of the robust Auto mar Ket. In particular sales of ears costing More than $35,000 Are Slack for several reasons. Conspicuous consumption the luxury car manufacturers grumble is out. Further most luxury cars Price tags Are too High for executives made anxious by widespread corporate restructuring. As a result less expensive cars with All the options but no luxury badge such As the new Mazda Mill Nia and the forthcoming Toyota Avalon Sedan Are drawing buyers who in the past might have paid $40,000 for a Little More prestige. The most unexpected blow to luxury sales however has been the popularity of four when drive sport Utility vehicles such As the jeep grand Cherokee and the Ford explorer. That shift has been a Boon to the big three automakers because they make the most sport utilities. Such vehicles Auto Industry analysts say remain decorous enough for country club parking lots while carrying a rough a ready Back to nature cachet. And amp a t. The 95 Oldsmobile Aurora which carries a $31,995 base Price has a sleek body and is designed for baby Boomers in their Early 40s. Whole new Olds dawns with Aurora by Ann Marie Job the associated press y the 1995 Oldsmobile Aurora certainly Isnit your fathers Oldsmobile. In fact it does no to seem like an Oldsmobile at ail. From its muscular Ray sleek body a which carries no Olds badge a to its smooth powerful Cadillac Northstar inspired v-8, the $31,995 Aurora is definitely a departure from traditional Olds  exactly As planned. A we knew from the beginning that it would represent the rebirth of Olds Mobile a said Dennis Burke chief Engineer of the Oldsmobile one studio. A everyone wanted it to be a dramatic break from recent Oldsmobile  the target buyers Arentt Oldsmobile a traditional shoppers either the Aurora is aimed at Well educated baby Boomers in their Early 40s who own a luxury import or Are leaning toward buying one. The question is whether they will go for a a a new name in the luxury segment or stick with the tried and True. There a no doubt the Aurora is packed with features. Just about everything is Standard from v-8 Power electronically controlled automatic transmission Antilock brakes six speaker sound system with cassette player and compact disc player traction control dual front scat climate controls two front air bags four cup holders real Walnut Burl trim leather seats pass through from the trunk to Back seat for skis Courtesy lights on the doors automatic rear View Mirror heated outside mirrors steering wheel controls for ventilation and stereo two position Lumbar support for the Driver a Holder for the garage door opener and a computer display for average Speed fuel Economy and other details. Options include a Sunroof heated front seats a rated performance tires engine Block Heater and a special Bose sound system. As part of the move to attract import buyers however there a no shiny Olds Mobile badge even though this is Olds mobiles new flagship. At 205.4 inches Long the front drive Aurora is longer than any lexus Acura and infiniti. Its 16-cubic-foot trunk is bigger than those of lexus Acura and infiniti. Auroras 102.3 cubic feet of room for riders is outdone Only by the Mercedes Benz a class and Bow 7-series. Auroras v-8 produces 250 horsepower at 5,600 revolutions per minute equal to the is 400, and torque of 260 Pound feet at 4,400 rpm also is identical. Top 0-to-60-Mph performance goes to the is 400, though As it charges ahead to reach 60 Mph in 7.9 seconds is. 8.2 seconds for the Aurora. Yet auroras Price of s31,995 a which includes a $625 destination charge a is $19,675 less than the base plus destination Price for a 1994 is 400 and just. $325 More than the lexus is 300, which has a 188-horsepower v-6. Toyota has not yet announced 1995 prices. There a no pass through in the lexus cars no rear cup holders no Standard heated outside mirrors no steering wheel controls for radio and ventilation and no computer display for average Speed fuel consumption and other details. Especially noteworthy Are auroras 4-liter, double overhead Cam v-8 and four Speed electronically controlled transmission. Power flows smoothly and impressively. There a a Low confident lion like purr that adds to the solid Feci of the  a a a a a a a the Aurora gets 17 Miles per gallon in City driving and 24 mpg on highways. Oldsmobile purists May fuss at the ride finding it a bit rough if they prefer a floaty feel. But the auroras Independent front strut and rear Semi trailing Arm with lateral links plus front and rear anti Roll bars help give a controlled ride. Inside the Aurora shows its Appeal to import buyers. Styling is upscale. Moreover the auroras dash flows nicely cockpit like around the Driver in contrast to the Flat chopped up dashboards Olds has been known for Over the years. Gauges Are analog with White letters and numbers on Black background. Because the Aurora is a new vehicle consumer reports docs not list owner trouble complaints