AUTO

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From economy cars to luxury sedans,
the buyer has many choices at all
price ranges.

PETER D. DU PRE

Special to The Jewish News

lthough auto manu-
facturers have been
geneially complain-
ing about poor sales
figures for the past
few months, you wouldn't
know the industry was in a
slump by examining the
burgeoning sports and luxury
categories.
Auto manufacturers have
been concentrating on these
two segments of the market of
late in an attempt to develop
new market niches and
bolster generally flat sales.
Additionally, though each of
these two market segments
are relatively small, each
niche offers high-profit
potential.
Here's an overview of what
to expect in these categories
for the coming model year.

A

ACURA

Introduced this past March,
the all-new 1992 Vigor fills a
niche between Acura's In-
tegra and Legend models, fur-
ther enhancing Honda's up-
scale division as a manufac-
turer of performance luxury
cars.
Bearing a family resem-
blance to its stablemates,
Vigor is a four-door sports
sedan that features a high
level of standard equipment.
Included in the approximate-
ly $23,000 (plus) purchase
price are 176-horsepower,
2.5-liter, five-cylinder engine,
five-speed manual or four-
speed automatic trans-
mission, independent
double-wishbone suspension,

A14

FRIDAY, JANUARY 3, 1992

anti-lock brakes, driver's side
air bag, leather seats, wood
trim and high-end stereo
sound system.

AUDI

Still on the comeback trail,

Cadillac Eldorado

dynamic body style and im-
proved performance and
handling. Although its lines
now tend to mimic the larger
5 and 7 series BMWs, the new
325i retains its compact
dimensions, light weight, and

BMW .325

Audi has made great strides
in the past couple of years by
introducing a series of superb
sports coupes and sedans.
Most recent is the new Audi
100, a nicely curved sedan
powered by a 2.8-liter V-6
engine and available in both
front- and four-wheel-drive
models.
The car, already on the
market in Europe, has a firm,
smooth ride and solid perfor-
mance. Priced between
$29,000 and $36,000, the new
100 offers a high level of
finish and competes well
against similar vehicles.

BMW

The popular 3-series gets a
complete remake this year
that results in a more aero-

sporty landing, as well as its
relatively low-priced position
in the lineup.
Features on the new car in-
clude a new power plant —
24-valve, 2.5-liter in-line six-
cylinder engine, new five-
speed manual or four-speed
electronically controlled
automatic transmission, four-
wheel disc brakes with anti-
lock system, and four-wheel
independent suspension.

that is aimed to bring the
Detroit luxury marque back
to the forefront of quality and
away from the banality that
has plagued the automaker
since the early 1980s.
The new car, while retain-
ing a slight resemblance to
the model it replaces, is 14 in-
ches longer than the '91
model, has strong, smooth
lines, wide stance and grace-
ful appearance. Power is sup-
plied by a transversely
mounted front-wheel drive,
4.9-liter V-8 that produces
200 horsepower.
The aluminum engine is
mated to a four-speed elec-
trically controlled automatic
transmission and will
smoothly push the
3,800-pound Caddy from zero
to 60 mph in less than nine
seconds. Inside are a
redesigned dashboard and
roomy seating for five. Stan-
dard equipment includes
wood trim, separate heating.
A/C controls for front/rear
passengers, digital speed-
ometer, ABS brakes, passive
theft-deterrent system and
high-end sound system.

DODGE

Having been around as a
concept car for a couple of

CADILLAC

The big news from General
Motor's luxury division for
1992 is the introduction of the
all-new Seville, a luxury
sedan priced in the mid-30s.
Seville is the first in a new
series of cars from Cadillac

Mazda MX-3

years, and successfully pacing
the Indy 500, the 1992 Dodge
Viper is perhaps the most
radical production sports car
currently on the market.
Built with an aluminum body
and featuring a V-10 cylinder
engine that produces 400
horsepower, the Viper is an
open two-seater with a top
speed of more than 150 mph.
Not for the fainthearted, this
limited production sports car
didn't need any mechanical or
power train modifications to
pace the Indy.

INFINITI

Expanding its upscale lux-
ury line, Nissan's luxury divi-
sion will most likely in-
troduce its new NY sedan
sometime late in 1992.
Powered by a five-cylinder,
202 horsepower, V-6, the NY
will most probably fill in at
the mid-price range of In-
finiti's cars.

LEXUS

This has been a busy year
for Toyota's luxury marque.
Early in the year it introduc-
ed the SC400 luxury coupe
that uses engine and suspen-
sion components from the
LS400 sedan — 250 horse-