Ford has announced pricing for the all-new 2002 Explorer and Mountaineer.

The ARI PriceNet system has been updated to reflect the current pricing and specifications.

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MSRP

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National
Fleet Incentive

Fleet
Marketing Credit

Fleet
Special Adjustment

Explorer

Mountaineer

The National Fleet Incentive is available in combination with the Fleet Marketing Credit and Fleet Special Adjustment. Pricing is effective November 29, 2000. Order banks are currently open and production began on November 13, 2000 for the Explorer and December 4, 2000 for the Mountaineer.

Please see the Production News for a current list of equipment holds and delays for the 2002 Explorer and Mountaineer.

The 2002 Explorer's Safety Canopy is an industry first - combining side-curtain air bags and a rollover sensor to provide a new level of rollover protection not available on any other vehicle.

The side-curtain air bags, offered for the first time in SUV history on the 2002-model Explorer, are designed to help enhance protection for first- and second-row occupants in outboard seats during certain side-impact collisions. Triggered independently of one another, and of the driver and passenger front airbags, they deploy instantly.

Enhanced occupant protection during rollover events is the second facet of the Safety Canopy. The 2002 Explorer's rollover sensors were created to help keep occupants within the vehicle during a rollover situation. The rollover protection sensors measure vehicle movements like tilt and lean-angle change, to gauge whether the vehicle is in a rollover situation. If the system determines the vehicle is rolling, it deploys the side curtain air bags to help protect passengers in the two front rows-and help keep them inside-until the vehicle comes to a complete stop. The Safety Canopy will be offered later on in the model year.

2002-model Explorer's fully integrated, computer-driven Personal Safety System actually "thinks" safety. Employing nearly a dozen technologically advanced components, it analyzes different accident conditions, and then deploys the appropriate occupant protection systems to help protect occupants.

The Personal Safety System is designed to work with a collection of sensors that feed back to the system's "brain"-the vehicle's Restraints Control Module. How close to the steering wheel is the driver seated? Are passengers wearing safety belts? How severe is the collision? Are air bags needed? Using information that the sensors provide, the system's brain makes a determination, and then deploys the necessary technology: some combination of the dual-stage front air bags, safety belt pretensioners, and load-limiting retractors.

The 2002-model Explorer drives with safety in mind. AdvanceTrac™, a computer-driven interactive vehicle dynamics system, will help drivers maintain vehicle control in extreme driving conditions, when it is introduced later in the model year.

The 2002 Explorer's body itself was designed with crash-safety in mind. A new ControlSlip rear driveshaft is designed to telescope, not buckle, on frontal impact. That means the vehicle is better able to absorb impact force and manage energy. Precisely engineered crush zones in Explorer's front portion also dissipate energy on frontal impact. The fully boxed frame is 350 percent stiffer all around, for further improved side-impact protection. And steel beams in the doors also help reduce injury risk in side impacts.

Designers weren't just concerned with Explorer occupants, however. The 2002 Explorer was created to be more friendly toward other vehicles on the road, as well. The bumper was lowered more than two inches, to be on par with most passenger cars. That means less damage to both vehicles in common slow-speed incidents.

Inside and out, the 2002-model Explorer was built for enhanced safety, for passengers big and small.

There's a new description for the unique, segment-busting 2001 Chrysler PT Cruiser -- Motor Trend Magazine's Car of the Year.

Motor Trend tested 21 vehicles in this year's competition ranging from entry-level models to sports cars and upscale minivans. The editors noted the Chrysler PT Cruiser was a stand-out in factors such as design, daily livability, value, special features and, of course, the "fun" quotient.

"In my 20 years as an automotive editor, I've learned that rarely does a car with so much pre-release publicity actually live up to the hype," said Motor Trend Editor-in-Chief C. Van Tune. "Well, guess what? This one exceeds it. The Chrysler PT Cruiser not only looks great, it is great. And at a phenomenal price, to boot. It was the hands-down winner of our 2001 Car of the Year award."

To support the unprecedented demand for the PT Cruiser, a second production site goes on-line next summer. Progress is well underway in Graz, Austria to start building an additional 50,000 vehicles which will bring annual capacity to approximately 230,000.

Industry-leading design, plus an ability to invent and reinvent product segments, placed several other Chrysler Group products in contention for the Motor Trend award, including: Chrysler Sebring LXi sedan, Chrysler Sebring Convertible, Chrysler Voyager and Chrysler Town & Country minivans and Dodge Stratus R/T coupe. Recent Chrysler Group vehicles preceding the PT Cruiser in winning the Motor Trend honor are the 1999 Chrysler 300M, 1996 Dodge Caravan and 1995 Chrysler Cirrus.

Troy, MI — Saturn has announced the name for their 2002 SUV. It’s called the Saturn VUE (pronounced "view") and it will be arriving at dealerships in the fall of 2001.

The Saturn VUE gives customers the benefits of a traditional sport utility vehicle, including space for five plus over 30 cubic feet of cargo space, in a vehicle that is as easy to maneuver as a midsize sedan.

The Saturn VUE includes a number of distinctive and unique features. Dent-resistant polymer bodyside panels and car-height bumpers help keep the vehicle looking newer longer. Saturn’s space frame construction incorporates full-length frame rails and a steel safety cage into a single welded structure. The VUE will also offer Saturn’s head curtain air bags, which are designed to help reduce the risk of head and neck injuries in certain side-impact collisions.

The VUE will offer a choice of a powerful 138-hp twin-cam four-cylinder engine or a 181-hp dual-overhead camshaft V6. It will be available with either front-wheel drive or all-wheel drive. And advanced continuously-variable transmission (CVT), available with the four-cylinder engine, offers seamless performance with fuel economy comparable to that of a manual transmission.

Auburn Hills, MI — Jeep has announced that the all-new 2002 Jeep — to be produced in the Spring of 2001 and available in dealerships this summer — will be named Liberty.

The Jeep-engineered Liberty will be produced at the all-new state-of-the-art Toledo (Ohio) North Assembly Plant, located across the street from the original plant where the company currently churns out Cherokees and Wranglers for worldwide consumption.

"Jeep engineers are hard at work putting the finishing touches on what is going to be a great new Jeep vehicle being built in the shadow of where it all started 60 years ago," said Craig Love, Vice President Jeep Platform Engineering, DaimlerChrysler Corporation.

Boosting Fuel Economy With Active Control

Up until just a few years ago, a vehicle's valvetrain operated on fixed cam profiles and timing within an engine. With the introduction of cam phasing and variable lift systems, this began to change. Today, more and more valvetrain systems are coming under the control of the engine's computer - the engine control module (ECM). With active control, valvetrain systems are becoming part of the overall engine management system.

Delphi Automotive Systems' cylinder deactivation is an advanced system that selectively "turns off" half of the engine's cylinders under certain driving conditions. The engine continues to be even-firing on the remaining cylinders. This technology is designed to significantly boost fuel economy.

In the United States, for example, the federal Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) standards are driving automotive manufacturers to improve their fuel economy across their entire fleet of vehicles. Today, full-size pickups and sport utility vehicles are especially popular with consumers - even though these vehicles provide less fuel economy. Because sales of these large vehicles are so high, automakers are finding it difficult to meet CAFE requirements, resulting in stiff financial penalties.

Cylinder deactivation can provide a simple solution to improving fuel economy for manufacturers and consumers both. And it is especially beneficial for these large vehicles, where gains in fuel economy are so critical.

Deactivation How Works

With an eight-cylinder gasoline engine, for example, Delphi Automotive Systems' cylinder deactivation system "turns off" four of the cylinders any time there is a light load on the engine. These predetermined driving situations can include highway cruising at moderate speeds and driving around town at lower speeds.

Cylinder deactivation is available for two types of gasoline, port-fuel-injected engines: the pushrod and overhead cam (OHC) valvetrains. Controlled by the ECM, the system automatically switches between eight and four cylinders as load and RPM parameters change.

The system precisely closes the intake and exhaust valves within the target cylinders. An ECM-controlled actuator is used to disable the valves, using either hydraulic (oil) pressure or electric solenoids. This actuator makes the deactivation device turn "on" or "off" the valves. The deactivation takes place in the valve lifters on a pushrod engine and the rocker arms on an OHC engine.

At the same time, the ECM also stops the injection of fuel to these target cylinders. With the valves closed and the fuel stopped, the combustion event does not take place in the target cylinders.

The simplified design does not require other sensors or exhaust system enhancements.

Working "Harder" for Fuel Economy

When the valves and fuel are controlled precisely, the target cylinders can be safely deactivated until they are needed again. In the case of an eight-cylinder engine, the remaining four cylinders are left to power the vehicle.

The fuel economy success of cylinder deactivation comes from the fact that these remaining cylinders must work harder. In reality, engines are more efficient when they are loaded - or closer to "wide open." By making the four cylinders run harder - with the throttle farther open - efficiency is improved compared with having eight cylinders doing less work.

While each cylinder deactivation system is unique to the customer's application and other driving conditions, fuel economy is expected to improve by 8 to 10 percent.

The Future of Deactivation

Delphi's cylinder deactivation system is now being prepared for production. The technology is also applicable to midsize six-cylinder engine applications. This high-value system provides good fuel economy improvement, without the investment of more complex systems.

Instead of the compromise of a traditional one-size-fits-all design, automakers now have the ability to adapt their valvetrain functions to the different demands on the engine. Cylinder deactivation systems from Delphi provide the active valvetrain control needed for significant fuel economy solutions for the future.

Bridgestone/Firestone, Inc. announced that it has provided consumers with an estimated 5.5 million tires in less than four months under its safety recall of P235/75R15 Radial ATX, ATXII and certain P235/75R15 Wilderness AT tires. The company also announced that there is now sufficient supply of replacement tires to satisfy the needs of remaining recall customers. Finally, with the exception of some smaller markets mainly in the midwest and upper northeast, waiting lists for Firestone replacement tires have been eliminated.

"This remarkable achievement underscores the commitment all of us at Bridgestone/Firestone have to regaining the public's full confidence," said John T. Lampe, Chairman and CEO. "When we initiated this effort in August, everyone believed it might take at least a year to reach this point. But 13,000 Firestone dealers, thousands and thousands of Bridgestone/Firestone employees, along with our associates at the Ford Motor Company, have worked hard to do the job faster than anyone believed possible."

"We have more than an adequate supply of Firestone and Bridgestone replacement tires," said Lampe. "There are some independent dealers, predominately in smaller markets, that don't have the physical capacity to install replacement tires as rapidly as we would prefer. In those areas we are working with our dealer network to accommodate those customers."

No major automotive recall has achieved such significant results in so short a period. The extraordinary actions Bridgestone/Firestone took to meet this challenge included dramatically increasing the production of replacement tires at its North American plants and airlifting hundreds of thousands of tires from Japan. Bridgestone/Firestone also gave consumers the option of replacing their Firestone tires with competing brands and reimbursing them up to $100 per tire for the purchase of competitors' brands at competing outlets, both unprecedented steps intended to speed the recall.

Earlier this month, the head of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), Dr. Sue Bailey, was quoted in news media accounts as describing the Firestone recall as "a phenomenal effort" on the part of the company.

"My personal mission is to restore confidence in the Firestone brand. The first step on that path has been to replace the recalled tires quickly and efficiently. The next step is to determine the root causes of the problems that led to the recall," Lampe said.

The company has assembled a special team to try to determine what may have caused tread separations in a small number of the recalled tires. The company also has hired Dr. Sanjay Govindjee, an independent expert who is working separately from the company on another study of tread separation issues.

Lampe said he hopes and expects the company's special team will complete its investigation before the end of the year.

In addition to announcing the progress of the recall, Lampe also urged consumers who have not yet replaced recalled tires to visit their local Firestone retailer for free replacement.

Anyone who still needs help in finding replacement tires can call the Firestone recall hotline toll-free at 800-465-1904.

Although some consumers who opt to replace recalled Firestone tires with other brands may still experience delays, there is a strong supply of both Bridgestone and Firestone brand tires in the P235/75R15 size more than sufficient to address the recall needs of all remaining consumers.

When used properly, an antilock brake system (ABS) adds an important measure of safety to your driving, under all conditions. ABS lets you maintain vehicle stability and directional control, and may reduce stopping distances during hard braking - particularly on wet and icy roads. But to work properly, you have to allow your ABS to do its job. So it's important to understand how ABS works.

Wheel lockup: slippery when wet

When your wheels lock up on wet and slippery roads or during a panic stop, you may lose traction and control, causing your vehicle to spin. Antilock brakes keep your wheels from locking up, so your car maintains directional control around hazards if you can’t make a complete stop in time.

The pumping heart of an antilock brake system

ABS works with your regular braking system by automatically pumping them. In vehicles not equipped with ABS, the driver has to manually pump the brakes to prevent wheel lockup. In vehicles equipped with ABS, your foot should remain firmly planted on the brake pedal, while ABS pumps the brakes for you so you can concentrate on steering to safety.

More specifically, ABS automatically changes the brake fluid pressure at each wheel to maintain optimum brake performance–just short of locking up the wheels. There is an electronic control unit that regulates the brake fluid pressure in response to changing road conditions or impending wheel lockup.

There’s more than one kind of antilock brake system

Four-wheel systems, including those found on cars and minivans, are designed to keep all four wheels from locking up. Rear-wheel-only systems, found on some pickups, vans and sport-utility vehicles, keep the vehicle from spinning out of control, but the front wheels may lock up, resulting in a loss of steering control.

The feel and sound of ABS

When ABS is activated, you may experience a slight vibration or a rapid pulsation of the brake pedal–almost as if the brakes are pushing back at you. At times, you will feel the pedal suddenly drop. The valves in the ABS unit may make a grinding, scraping or buzzing noise. This means your ABS is working. Continue to apply firm pressure and steer. Do not take your foot off the brake pedal.

Do cars with ABS stop more quickly than cars without?

Perhaps, but that’s not the main purpose of ABS. It is a system designed to help you maintain control of the vehicle during emergency braking situations, not necessarily make the car stop more quickly. ABS may shorten stopping distances on wet or slippery roads and most systems may shorten stopping distances on dry roads. On very soft surfaces, such as gravel or unpacked snow, ABS may actually lengthen stopping distances. In wet or icy conditions, you should still make sure you drive carefully, always keep a safe distance behind the vehicle in front of you, and maintain a speed consistent with the road conditions.

Other considerations for better braking

How effectively you can stop your vehicle can be influenced by many factors including:

• Road conditions, since wet and slippery roads provide less tire friction and will therefore result in longer stopping distances than dry roads.
• Vehicle condition, including properly inflated tires that have good tread, and a properly maintained brake system that is free from defects such as worn linings, air or dirt in the brake fluid, or leaks that reduce the available braking force.
• Driver reaction time. At 60 mph, your car travels 88 feet each second. Reaction time, that is the time it takes a driver to identify a braking situation and then apply the brakes, will affect the overall distance to stop. A one-half second reaction time will result in a vehicle stopping 88 feet shorter from 60 mph than a one-and-one-half second reaction time. That is why it is important to always pay attention to the road and other traffic.
• Type of brake system. When faced with a panic braking situation, ABS allows a driver to rapidly apply the brakes without worrying about wheel lockup, and the vehicle begins to stop immediately. Without ABS, a rapid, hard brake application could cause wheel lockup and loss of vehicle steering control, if the driver does not pump the brakes correctly or limit the brake pedal force to prevent wheel lockup. Therefore, more driver skill is needed to obtain short stops without ABS.

Be the safest driver you can be. For more information, visit the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) web site at www.nhtsa.dot.gov.

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