For 1998, Chrysler has blended luxury, performance and value into a single model -- the Chrylser Cirrus LXi.
Standard features on the one-price-class Cirrus LXi include air conditioning, leather-trimmed interior with power driver's seat, anti-lock brakes, AM/FM radio with cassette player, tilt steering column, electronic speed control, power windows, locks and mirrors.
Chrysler says creating a single Cirrus model for 1998 means that consumers can enjoy a high level of standard equipment at a great value. The Cirrus is the most affordable Chrysler product.
The following colors are new for 1998: Deep Cranberry, Champagne, Deep Slate, Bright Platinum and Alpine Green. Also, there is a new Vista Cloth, Wanderer Leather and a new Agate interior trim.
The Cirrus is powered by a 2.5-liter, V-6 engine that delivers 168 horsepower, mated to a fully adaptive electronic four-speed automatic transmission. Rail-through construction, combined with a modified double wishbone suspension and speed sensitive steering, provide smooth ride and handling characteristics.
Other LXi features include a standard full-folding rear seat with a lockable pass-through and remote decklid release, and one of the largest trunks (15.7) in its class.
Safety features for 1998 include next generation driver and front passenger air bags, side-guard door beams, adjustable height front shoulder belts, anti-lock brakes, speed sensitive power door locks and an optional personal security package.
The Dodge Stratus and Plymouth Breeze are built off of the same chassis as the Cirrus but offer different standard equipment. For complete price information check ARI's CAPS (Computer Aided Pricing System), which is only available to ARI's Customers.
For complete specifications go to ARI's FleetNet site at http://www.arifleet.net. You can also connect to FleetNet directly from ARI's Home Page (http://www.arifleet.com).
Overall Length 186.0 in. Overall Width 71.0 in. Wheelbase 108.0 in. Luggage Capacity 15.7 cu. ft. Fuel Tank Capacity 16.0 gal. Curb Weight 3,174 lbs.
1998 Price announcements by Acura and Mazda in the last week of October continued the spirit of restraint that has marked the 1998-model introductions.
Acura Integra prices rose 1.4 percent; Mazda prices rose 1 percent. Mazda also held the line on 11 of its 13 cars and minivans.
Ford plans to offer a fourth door on its compact and full-size pickup trucks next year. The four-door configuration will first be available on extended-cab versions of the new Super Duty F-Series commercial trucks that Ford will start producing early next year at its Kentucky Truck Plant.
Chrysler began selling the Dodge Quad-Cab this fall, a four-door version of its Ram full-size pickup truck.
General Motors is not expected to have a four-door full-size pickup truck before the 2000 model year.
The base package for the 1998 Chevrolet Malibu, called the 1SA package, will not be available as a factory option for 2 to 3 months. The problem has nothing to do with the quality of the product. It is a matter of what to do to increase production for the other three packages called 1SB, 1SC, and 1SD.
Dealers were advised on November 5th that the temporary cut-off for orders with the 1SA package was November 7, 1997. This would allow for production to stop approximately the first week of December.
Orders for the base package (1SA) will again be eligible for submission to the plant in early February for March production.
Ford is developing a new electronic nose called the "Aroma Sensing and Analysis Device." It was on display the first week of November at the National Equipment Convention in Birmingham, Alabama.
The electronic nose is an analytical instrument capable of recognizing a particular aroma. It has the capacity to distinguish, for example, between an apple and an orange and will be used to identify unpleasant odors in the components of new car interiors.
Ford wants to be able to place the device inside the car and use it to locate unpleasant aromas.
Petersen's 4Wheel & Off-Road magazine named the new Jeep Grand Cherokee 5.9 limited "4x4 Of The Year."
"This is the sixth time a Jeep vehicle wins our comprehensive four-wheel drive vehicle evaluation since we started sixteen years ago," said Cole Quinnell, 4Wheel & Off-Road editor. "The new Grand Cherokee 5.9 Limited stood out in an extremely tough competition with its superb power which complements the off-road capability of every Jeep vehicle.This vehicle is proof that you can have a true off-road vehicle without giving up on-road performance, luxury amenities and comfort."
Visteon Automotive Systems is putting safety first with breakthrough technology that lets drivers avoid the distractions of dialing car phones or mapping route locations - by using simple voice commands.
With Visteon's Voice Activated Control System, drivers can talk to their cars to set key controls without having to turn their attention from the road.
Visteon is introducing this first-of-its kind technology simultaneously at the Tokyo Motor Show and the World Congress on Intelligent Transport Systems in Berlin.
This breakthrough voice technology can be used in conjunction with a vehicle's on-board navigation system for finding the best route to a specified destination. Future applications include an in-vehicle Web browser through which drivers can request weather and road conditions or stock reports, for example, and receive the information just as they asked for it - verbally.
"Our voice-activation technology allows drivers to do what they're supposed to do - drive," says Charlie Szuluk, President of Visteon. "They can keep their hands on the wheel and their eyes on the road while using their voice to control virtually anything in the interior of the car."
No more fumbling with complicated manual controls or going through the cumbersome process of pre-programming, which is necessary in today's available voice-activated systems. With the Visteon system, drivers simply press one button - conveniently located on the steering wheel - to get the vehicle's "ear" and start talking.
"Phone dial 1234567." And it does.
"CD play disk 3, track 7." And it does.
"Climate Control, set temperature 72 degrees." And it does.
The voice system is "speaker independent," meaning it performs over a range of voices and languages, with the ability to adapt to language dialects. It also understands continuous and natural patterns of speech without the need to be trained to one voice.
Visteon's Voice Activated Control System anticipates the growing concern over the use of car phones due to the rising number of traffic mishaps caused by distracted drivers.
"Our engineers understand the danger in having too many controls spread across the instrument panel, which require drivers to look over and reach down," Szuluk says. "With this technology, Visteon can become the driver's co-pilot."
The technology uses a unique signal processing system to filter out unrelated sounds in case of a noisy environment.
Furthermore, the multifunction display confirms verbal commands for key controls, including the navigation system, by talking back to the driver.
Should a driver become nostalgic for the feel of his or her hand on the radio's tuner knob, the system allows the option of controlling functions manually.
Visteon's Electronic Systems Division is among the leaders in the automotive industry in the development of voice-activation technology. In 1992, the first Visteon application of the technology was introduced: voice-activated cellular phones trained by the driver to assign a "name" tag to a phone number.
Since then, a team of Visteon engineers has continued to advance the system in preparation for its next production application.
Visteon's new voice activation system is scheduled to appear in a production vehicle in 1999.
Production starts on February 2, 1998, for the 1999 models. GM will stop building 1998 models on January 30, 1998, so there will be no down-time due to the change from 1998 to 1999 models. Dealers can begin now placing orders for 1999 models.
Fleet orders are still not available on these models, as the supply has not yet caught up with the demand.
Freightliner Corp., which purchased Ford's heavy-duty truck line in June, recently announced that it would call the new company Sterling Truck Corp. The headquarters of this new company will be in Willoughby, Ohio, a suburb of Cleveland.
Freightliner, a unit of Germany's Daimler-Benz AG, said the name is intended to associate the brand with "first-rate quality" and "full value."
Ford's redesigned Ford AeroMax and Louisville trucks, introduced in late 1995, were the key elements of the Ford-Freightliner deal. The Class 8 AeroMax was designed as a long-haul tractor; the Louisville, built in Class 7-8 configurations, was aimed at vocational applications.
By selling its heavy-duty truck business, Ford freed up capacity for a planned expansion of its light-and medium-duty line.
The all-new 1998 Chevrolet Corvette convertible will be leading the pack at next year's Indianapolis 500. This is the 11th time a Chevy has been selected for this honor. Driving the pace car will be none other than golfing's Greg "The Shark" Norman.
The 82nd running of the Indy 500 will mark the fourth appearance for Corvette as an Indy 500 Pace Car.
The pace car will be essentially factory-stock. Minor modifications include the addition of a steel roll bar and strobe lights behind each seat. It will use the "street version" of the Corvette's all-aluminum 5.7-liter LSI small block V-8 that produces 345 horsepower. The exterior features vivid yellow Indy 500 graphics over a special Radar Blue paint job. The yellow wheels are unique to the pace car and tie in with the yellow interior accents.
Chevrolet plans to produce a total of 1,158 limited edition replicas of the pace car, and will be available through selected Chevrolet dealerships, at a price of $47, 790 retail.
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