European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - October 3, 1994, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Monday october 3,1994 automotive the stars and stripes Page 9 Rolls Royce will begin Selling a a competitively priced a $149,900 Sedan for North american motorists in 1995, the company announced. The Silver Dawn which borrows its name from an old Rolls Model built Between 1949and 1955, will Cost $20,000 less than the Rolls Royce Silver Spur Iii which is now the lowest priced Rolls. The most expensive Rolls is the touring limousine priced at $347,200. The new Model is expected to fill a Market Niche formerly occupied by the Rolls Royce Silver spirit Onieh was discontinued after the 1992 Model year. The Silver Dawn features a longer wheelbase and faster acceleration than the Silver spirit and will comply with California emissions Laws through the year 2000, the company said. \ Bow of North America inc. Is voluntarily recalling 57,000 of its 1993 and 1994 sedans and coupes to fix the steering columns to meet Federal safety standards the company said. The problem was discovered by the National Highway traffic safety administration when it used 1993-and 1994-Model cars in crash tests. The recall involves Bow 325i models from both years. The tests showed that when cars carrying crash dummies not wearing seat belts were crashed into a Concrete Wall at 30 Mph the a injury _ measures were 18 percent higher than allowed by Federal standards said Bill Boehly an no tsar a administrator for enforcement. The Nitsa found that the Driver Dummy suffered higher than acceptable Impact Levels to its Chest area and that the passenger Dummy had similar results on its left thigh. Disabled Drivers who need help steering should not use a bar spanning the steering wheel if the car is equipped with an air bag because they could be injured by the device in an Accident the government warned. Some disabled Drivers use what is called a a spanner bar to help steer. The bar has knobs on either end and is installed across the steering wheel. If a spanner bar is installed across the cover of an air bag it could be hurled toward the Driver and cause serious injury when the bag deploys the National Highway traffic safety. A a administration said. Spanner bars Are attached in various ways including Spring latches or other compression devices. The Agency urged Drivers who need steering assistance to use knobs that attach to the rim of the steering wheel which it said Are less Likely to _ be dislodged by an air bag. Honda motor co. Has developed a new car navigational system that maps out the fastest route to a destination and uses a voice to warn the Driver of approaching turns the company said thursday. The new system priced at about $2,020, will be introduced in Japan next february and gradually will be made Standard or optional in All Quot Honda car models Honda said in a statement. It said the system is easier and faster to operate than earlier systems. It provides map displays and Access to data including location names and recreation and traffic facilities Honda said. If the Driver does not follow the recommended route it added the system calculates and displays an alternate route. A by the associated press carjacking crackdown defense technology used in experiments to foil Auto thieves by John Lynker Scripps Howard news service can technology bring carjacking and automobile theft to an end there Are predictions that at least partial solutions Are just around the Corner. The latest system under test comes from Nav trac technologies in Springfield a. This is a company that specializes in vehicle and Marine tracking products. Nav Tracy system called Vista uses the global positioning system developed by the defense department for use in navigation and to help missiles find their  a a a. A a  Gas receivers Are being used to help aviators and sailors reach their destinations and Many applications Are being developed and tested for use by motorists. Nav track a Vista Auto system is designed to work like a Home Protection system. If the vehicle is tampered with a signal is generated through the global to Sitio Nirta system to Vista monitors. Once the signal is authenticated Vista notifies authorities and keeps them aware of where the car is. 1 a a a a a in an Auto theft the vehicle usually is recovered and sometimes the thief is captured As Well. According to Nav track a chief executive officer Willie Armstrong the system works so Well that some subscribers May get their vehicles returned before they Are even aware they have been stolen. Armstrong says the system also can be used against car Ackers a silent signal can be sent to the Vista monitors without the attackers knowledge. In addition Armstrong says the vehicle operator will be Able to signal for routine Roadside assistance. Unlike most other systems now in use or under test Nav trac uses its own Vista personnel to Monitor subscribers and police Are not alerted until it is determined an emergency situation exists. Armstrong estimates the current Cost of installing the equipment in a vehicle at about $600, but that Cost he says should go Down As volume increases. The monthly Vista monitoring fee is expected to be about $20. Armstrong says the Nav trac Vista equipment can be installed in secret areas of the vehicle so that professional thieves will not be in a position to locate and disable it. He  value of the Vista monitors their ability to determine the Type of emergency and then relay specific information. In the Case of a carjacking with lives at risk the response by police would probably be More urgent than if Only a vehicle was involved. In the Case of a mechanical breakdown especially in a Remote location Vista monitors would most Likely know better than you exactly where you Are and How Long it will take for assistance to arrive. _ _ automobile companies themselves Are spending millions of dollars to develop anti theft systems some seem to work better than others. But the rash of carjacking by armed thugs worries Many motorists. Armstrong promotes his. System As a Means to discourage such at tacks. However this reminder the no. 1 cause of motor vehicle theft is the Driver who has left the keys in the ignition. Minivan Market expands rapidly by Mike Mckesson apart writer Detroit a boys and bread drove Bobby and Denise Jucker of Houston to buy their first minivan this summer. Denise Jucker chauffeurs up to six kids at a time in their Chrysler town amp country including her 3-and 4-year-old sons. A this gets everybody in there with a seat Belt on not doubling up a her husband said. A and she s in a program at the school where they take bread from my bakery and give it out to the kids on in Day we Load the plastic trays in the Back a lifestyles like the Tucker coupled with car makers who Are refining their ver hides and trying to convince Drivers they re indispensable have helped create a Market for More than 1 million new minivans a year in the United states _ a we think its generally going to build in volume until late in the decade a said Richard a. Winter minivan general product manager for Chrysler corp., the top seller of the vehicles. The growing Market is attracting More manufacturers. A Honda is introducing a new Van this fall based on the Accord the Sedan that is one of the Best Selling passenger cars in the country. Peugeot the French car maker has been showing a minivan around Detroit perhaps trying to find a partner to import it. General motors plans a major redesign in 1996 of its plastic bodied minivan models that have never really caught on with the buying Public and Toyota will probably have a new Van for 1997. And Chrysler which invented the modern Mim Van and started the Market in 1984, will begin building its next generation Early in 1995. Automakers that already have Strong minivan sales Are looking for More. Fords new win Star has raised its minivan sales to a Point where they almost matched Chrysler a in August. And Nissan which builds vans with Ford at a Plant in Ohio wants More than the 50,000 a year it is allotted. The Honda Odyssey will add Minter Esting twist to the minivan fight in the coming year but the real race is Between Ford and Chrysler. Researchers Divide the minivan Market into three segments a entry level buyers who choose vans that Cost in the neighbourhood of $16,000, make up about at Quarter of the Market. T i a a k Quot i a i a a a a a a a is Aoi ? t 1 Silt a Safe the chips scr town amp country is priced at the High end of the minivan Market. A they Are Young families hey pc owned two door coupes or Small four door sedans and they pc got a couple of kids now and All the paraphernalia that goes with that Quot Winter Sal a the a a cores Market 6tk percent of sales is made up of buyers who choose fancier models usually with longer wheelbase More space inside and options that bring prices from the High teens to $23,000 or so. Man of these buyers have moved up from cheaper vans. A a luxury minivans priced above that level account for about 15 percent of sales. A a a Quot t. A a a the median Ages for All three groups Are Ineffie Low 40s, and median family incomes Quot Range from $50,000 at the entry. Level of $85,000 for luxury buyers. R both Chrysler and Ford have vans that hit each of the three segments. Fprd a win Star introduced earlier this year with much fanfare Aims squarely at the Core Market. Its quiet ride up to Date styling and warlike qualities have made it the first real Challenge to chips Ler dominance. The win Star was supposed to replace Aerostat a re a re rive Van that is More like a truck especially in its suitability for towing. But dealers and owners persuaded Ford to keep making , and the vehicle lets Ford hit prices Low enough for entry level buyers and satisfy the trailer towing crowd at the same time. A. The Mercury villager a Short a Eccl base Van built on the same Assembly line As the Nissan quest hits the High Core and luxury segments. With the addition of the win Star and with the sales Boom that has had buyers clamouring for vans this year Fords share of the minivan Market nearly equated Chrysler a 42.4 percent in August. Ford it a but Chrysler Hasni to been relaxing nor had less than 19 percent in 199 is _ have its sales decreased lit fact they Are growing steadily. Its Dodge caravan and Plymouth voyager come in Short and Long wheelbase versions and cover entry through Core Market buyers. The Chrysler town amp country is for the High pee crowd. Until the win Star the Chrysler vehicles were the Standard against which other vans were measured. With its next generation of these vehicles code named is and scheduled to be shown in january and1 sold As 1996 models before mid-1995, the company Hopes to be the sole Standard bearer again