AUTO I
Doesn't Your European
Car Deserve The
FINEST?
For the last 15 years, The Auto Doctor has
specialized in fine European cars.
We guarantee that you will be satisfied with the workmanship
and personal service we provide. Call for FREE expert
advice and competitive quote. By appointment only.
BOSCH
SERVICE
Bosch
Authorized
Service
•
•
•
•
Gasoline Fuel Injection
Anti-Lock Brake Systems
Diesel Fuel Systems
Electrical Systems
• Hybrid Ignition
• Electronic Systems
• Accessories
The Auto Doctor
The Finest in European Auto Service in Metro Detroit
33181 Dequindre
(North of 14 Mile)
Troy, Michigan
585.1890
23151 Telegraph Road
(North of 9 Mile)
Southfield, Michigan
355-1505
A
DAVID ROSENMAN'S
A1J110
ANIL PIURCHASEIRS
NEW & USED CAR BROKER
(313) 851•CARS
(313) 851.2277
Right in Your
Own Driveway!
WINTER
VACATIONERS
/ THE
TUNE
, -UP
'1 MAN
Beat The Auto
Rental Rates!
Certified by the National
Automotive Institute of Excellence
Comes to your home or office
with the garage-on-wheels
Valet service that doesn't
cost one penny extra
• Expert diagnostic tune-up
• Electronic analyzer -
all engine systems
• Professionally trained
mechanics
• Perfect results assured
Ship YOUR Car To Florida!
A & YC AUTO TRANSPORT, INC.
46900 W. 12 MILE RD. • NOVI, MICH. 48050
CALL
348-4486
Expanded Services
Call Sanford Rosenberg
for your car problems
FOR FURTHER INFO
I
A-6
FRIDAY, JANUARY 5, 1990
ViS4. 1
ismoi
3 98- 3 6 0 5 -_t-c°.
Mini-Van Market
Continued from preceding page
Power and Associates, Califor-
nia marketing and research
firm. Analysts credited
carlike qualities, such as low
floor height that eases entry,
for the success of Chrysler's
minivans: the luxurious
Chrysler Town and Country,
Plymouth Voyager and Dodge
Caravan.
When Mazda introduced its
rear-drive MPV (multi-
purpose vehicle) in late 1988,
the firm stressed the vehicle's
carlike handling and ride. In-
stead of a van-like sliding
door for rear seat entry, Maz-
da designers gave the MPV a
conventional swing-out door
for easy-access. The MPV, too,
has been a sales success.
Nissan dropped its Stanza
station wagon last year when
it introduced Axxess, its
minivan intended for people
who need a station wagon-
type vehicle but don't want a
van that looks business-like.
Other new minivans will be
arriving soon. Toyota's new
model has a mid-mounted
engine for roominess and
walk-through capability. It's
called a Previa in Japan, and
should be here this month.
Most minivans now are
available with four-wheel-
drive.
UTILITIES
New utility vehicles are ar-
riving fast, as auto makers
compete for their share of this
popular market. They range
from the compact models with
two-wheel drive only, at
around $8,000, to the big lux-
ury Range Rover with four-
wheel-drive, at $40,000 tops.
(If you can get one, you can
also spend $126,000 for a
Lamborghini four-wheel-
drive sport utility.)
At the North American In-
ternational Auto Show in
Detroit, Ford unveiled its new
explorer, a "baby" sport util-
ity to compete with Chevro-
let's compact-size S-10 Blazer.
Explorer sports a 4.0-liter V-6
engine plus "shift-on-the-fly"
for changing from two-wheel
to four-wheel operation, nice
handling and a quiet, well-
insulated interior. It can be
equipped with the first-class
JBL Audio System, the first
ever for a Ford truck.
Also at the Detroit Auto
Show, GMC has an extended
wheelbase four-door sport
utility S-15 Jimmy for 1991.
Chevrolet will show its
counterpart, the four-door
S-10 Blazer.
Toyota is planning a
midyear introduction of a new
sport-utility Land Cruiser.
Last November, Aro of
North America introduced a
Romanian-built Aro Hunter
244 sport-utility vehicle. It's
a husky-looking four-wheel-
drive four-door model.
Suzuki brings out its
Samurai for 1990 with a soft
top only. Its more modern and
larger Sidekick introduces a
two-wheel-drive JS softtop
model for consumers who
want a sport-utility look
without four-wheel-drive. The
super-luxurious Range Rover
makes an anti-lock braking
system standard for 1990.
PICKUPS
Base pickup prices range
from just under $8,000 to
about $18,000 for an ex-
tended cab model.
As for what's new among
pickups, GMC will be in-
troducing a restyled version
of its compact S-15, to be
renamed the Sonoma.
Chevrolet's opposite entry,
the S-10, will also be restyled.
Toyota added anti-lock
braking systems for its two
and four-wheel-drive pickups
for 1990.
THE FUTURE
There may be some changes
in the car/truck competition if
the federal government
tightens up on standards for
fuel economy and safety. As of
now, vans and trucks do not
have to comply with passen-
ger car standards for side-
door and roof strength, head
restraints, passive restraints
The traditional
sedan and the
station wagon
can't handle all the
transportation jobs
for a 1990s family.
rl
(automatic safety belts or air
bags) and a third brake light.
Eventually, trucks may be re-
quired to comply with the
same standards mandated for
passenger cars. And that will
raise the price of trucks and
take away a few selling points
in the car/truck decision-
making process.
For the immediate future,
however, Americans are ex-
pected to keep on trucking.
John Rock general manager
of GMC Truck Division,
predicted recently that a
growing number of con-
sumers will continue to opt
for trucks over cars.
More auto makers are
entering their candidates in
the truck popularity contest.
As analyst William R.
Pochiluk, president of
Autofacts, Inc. predicts, trucks
are benefiting beause "the
competitive environment is
forcing vehicle manufacturers