Various makes and models have Final Order Due Dates scheduled in early-to-mid April. ARI strongly recommends that orders be placed as soon as possible to help ensure order fulfillment. At the latest, we ask that all final orders be submitted to ARI three business days prior to the Final Order Due Date to allow our Order Specialists sufficient time for processing.

Please visit the "2002MY Final Order Dates" section of the ARI Purchasing News at www.arifleet.com for a complete list of due dates.

Base prices have increased on most 2002 GM models, effective March 15, 2002. Increase amounts range from $0 - $995 MSRP. Destination and delivery charges are unchanged.

Fleet orders received by GM on or before March 15, 2002 are automatically price protected.

Ford has announced firm introductory pricing for the all-new 2002 E-550 Super Duty Cutaway, the newest addition to its commercial truck lineup.

Base manufacturer's suggested retail prices (MSRP) for the E-550 Super Duty Cutaway range from $28,780 to $31,240 depending on wheelbase length. The base vehicle is equipped with a 6.8-liter V-10 Triton™ engine and features a gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) of 17,500 pounds. All prices include destination and delivery charges of $715.

Ford will produce the E-550 Super Duty Cutaway at the Lorain Assembly Plant in Lorain, Ohio. Job #1 production is scheduled to begin on 3/25/02.

The all-new 2002 E-550 Super Duty Cutaway

GM has compiled a list of major changes for the 2003 model year. Many models will be discontinued and there will be several new models added to the 2003 lineup.

Here is summary of key changes:

Ford spokeswoman Della DiPietro said that the automaker has corrected the defect and normal production has resumed. The affected vehicles, which are being held at the plant, will be promptly repaired and shipped by the end of March, sources said.

2003 Buick Park Avenue Ultra	2003 Buick Park Avenue Ultra "VentiPorts"

For 2003, the Buick Park Avenue Ultra is redesigned with a fresh look that GM calls "a modern interpretation of a classic Buick".  Just in time for the division's centennial year, GM reaches back into its rich design heritage to give the Park Avenue Ultra its own distinctive look.

The new model includes such classic Buick features as a prominent vertical-bar grille and front fender portholes. The vertical-bar grille is a modern interpretation of a design created for the 1938 Buick Y-Job by GMs' first design chief, Harley Earl. Portholes, or "VentiPorts", are design icons strongly associated with Buick since their introduction in 1949.

Larger wheels, lower profile tires and chrome accents compliment the Ultra's 240-hp supercharged 3800 Series II V6 engine. On the inside, the Ultra gets new polished walnut woodgrain, updated instrument panel graphics and bright aluminum sill plates. Increasing front-seat storage space, an optional convenience console creates a five-passenger seating environment.

With new 17-inch chrome-plated aluminum wheels and a standard Gran Touring package, the 2003 Park Avenue Ultra has better handling and a sportier ride. 

The 2003 Buick Park Avenue Ultra is scheduled for production in September 2002. Three new colors, Cabernet Red Metallic, Jade Green Metallic and Silver Blue Ice Metallic are available in addition to seven carryover colors.

2002 Town & Country eX Touring Edition	2002 Town & Country eX Touring Edition LCD screen

Chrysler brand is now offering a limited edition Town & Country eX Touring Edition minivan.  It is the first Chrysler vehicle to feature a factory-installed, flip-down 7"x6.4" liquid crystal display (LCD) screen and a DVD unit that plays DVDs and CDs.

The eX Touring Edition model also comes with two sets of wireless headphones, two removable power center consoles, a beverage cooler bag insert for the console, unique aluminum wheels and a Touring Edition badge.

In addition, the model features a power-up and power-down liftgate, split 50/50 Easy Out® roller rear seats and three-zone temperature control. Other features include four-wheel disc brakes with traction control and a 215-horsepower 3.8L V6 engine.

The MSRP for the Town & Country eX with Touring Edition Group is $28,070, which includes $680 for destination charges.

Ford's 7.3-liter Power Stroke® diesel V-8 now offers 525 foot-pounds of torque at 1,600 rpm on models equipped with an automatic transmission, an increase of 20 lb.-ft. of torque over last years' Power Stroke engine. It produces 250 horsepower at 2,600 rpm.

More torque allows a diesel engine to move or tow heavier loads, while enhancing the vehicle's performance feel. High torque ratings allow drivers to maintain speed without frequent transmission shifting and enable drivers to easily launch highly loaded trucks from rest. In addition, torque also enables drivers to maintain speed while negotiating steep grades.

Since its introduction in 1994, the Power Stroke diesel has received power improvements five times. In addition to torque enhancements, noise vibration and harshness (NVH) improvements have been made to the engine to make the engine quieter and more refined.

The 7.3-liter Power Stroke turbo diesel V-8 engine features direct injection, part of a low-pressure electro hydraulic fuel system. Direct injection delivers fuel under extremely high pressure with precise electronic control, contributing to improved fuel economy and clean diesel emissions. The Power Stroke is built with cast-iron heads for increased reliability and durability.

GM is bringing the safety advantages of StabiliTrak to sport utility vehicles equipped with the 5.3-liter V8 engine beginning in the 2003 model year.

A four-channel StabiliTrak stability enhancement system will be available on the 1500 series Chevrolet Tahoe, Suburban, Avalanche, GMC Yukon, Yukon Denali, Yukon XL and Yukon Denali XL, available in some combinations of two-wheel drive, 4X4 and all-wheel drive models. Previously, a two-channel StabiliTrak was exclusive in GM full-size trucks on the Cadillac Escalade and Escalade EXT.

In addition to the expanded availability of the StabiliTrak system in GM full-size sport utility vehicles, the system has also been refined for 2003. Here are some of the highlights and benefits:

•   Maximizes handling and braking dynamics by using a combination of systems and sensors including ABS, traction control and electronic suspension.
•   An array of sensors continually monitor the driver's intended vehicle path, measuring steering angle, wheel speed, brake pressure, lateral acceleration, longitudinal acceleration and yaw rate. This information is provided to an electronic control module that continually monitors vehicle dynamics and is programmed for intervention thresholds.
•  The system intervenes when it senses one or more of the wheels slipping, loss of lateral traction (side slip), or detects under-steer (snow-plowing) or over-steer (fish-tailing). Automatically, the system adjusts engine torque or brake pressure at individual wheels to help to steer the vehicle in the intended path.

For 2002, GM offers stability enhancement systems on the following models:

•     Oldsmobile Intrigue (Precision Control System)
•     Pontiac Bonneville (StabiliTrak)
•     Oldsmobile Aurora (Precision Control System)
•     Buick LeSabre (StabiliTrak)     Buick Park Avenue (StabiliTrak)
•     Cadillac Eldorado (StabiliTrak)     Cadillac DeVille and Seville (StabiliTrak)
•     Cadillac Escalade and Escalade EXT (StabiliTrak)     Chevrolet Corvette (Active Handling

2002 Subaru Impreza WRX Sedan

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety recently conducted a series of frontal offset crash tests on three small car models including the 2002 Subaru Impreza, Mitsubishi Lancer and Volvo S40.

All three models earned "good" ratings and two of them, the Impreza and Lancer, earned the IIHS "Best Pick" designation.

2002 Mitsubishi Lancer

Vehicle ratings reflect performance in 40-mph frontal offset crash tests into a deformable barrier. Each vehicle is then assigned a rating from "poor" to "good" based on the results.

"The occupant compartment of the Subaru Impreza maintained its shape extremely well in the offset test, and the dummy's movement was well controlled. All measures recorded on the dummy indicated low risk of injury," said Institute President Brian O'Neill. "This was a very good performance."

The Mitsubishi Lancer's occupant compartment held up well and injury measures were low.

The Institute's frontal offset crash test is especially demanding of the vehicle's structure, as a relatively small area of the vehicle's front-end must manage the crash energy. This means intrusion into the occupant compartment is more likely to occur than in a full-width test.

DAIMLERCHRYSLER
2002 MODEL YEAR FLEET PURCHASE ALLOWANCES

2002 MY NATIONAL COMMERCIAL FLEET PROGRAM
FORD, MERCURY, LINCOLN

c/ A Commercial Fleet Credit (Order Code 56S) of $546 (WSD) is available in addition to the $600 National Fleet Incentive or Crown Victoria P72 commercial fleet units only.

d/ Ford authorized pool accounts cannot order vehicles with a fleet incentive. A Ford dealer must apply for the fleet incentive for eligible commercial applications after the pool account assigns the chassis to the Ford dealer. The dealer must report unit sold to a valid end-user FIN code.

e/ Excludes the F53 motor home strip chassis. The F53 is not eligible for a National Fleet Incentive.

f/ Complete vehicles purchased from certain body manufacturers (F650/F750) may not be eligible for fleet incentives.

g/ E-Series RV cutaway (47M) is not eligible for fleet incentives when sold/leased for a motor home application.

2001 MY National Commercial Program Details