15B
Auto/The Charlotte Post
Thursday November 20, 1997
A-Class may test Mercedes stafety claims
The Completely Reinvented 1998 Isuzu Rodeo
Continued from 16B
neering and the electronic sys
tem installation.
Of the 100,000 vehicles on
order, the company said about 1
percent to 2 percent have been
canceled. Losses could be greater,
however, if Mercedes can’t recov
er consumer confidence in the
Baby-Benz.
The Suzuki Motor Corp. saw
sales of its Samurai plummet
after a 1988 test alleged the mini
sport utility vehicle tended to tip
over on sharp turns. The
Samurai was sold until 1995.
Suzuki has a hbel suit pending
against Consumer Reports,
which ran the test.
Mercedes-Benz spent an esti
mated $588 milhon to develop
the A-Class, and another $632
milhon to set up the factory in
the southwestern city of Rastatt,
and $118 rmlhon in advertising.
But Klein, from Delbrueck and
Co., said that if Mercedes can
demonstrate its newly engi
neered A-Class is truly safe, it
could still meet its goal of selling
nearly 200,000 cars a year.
Despite the problems, the mass
circulation Bild am Sonntag
newspaper announced
Wednesday it was awarding the
compact but roomy Baby Benz
its Golden Steering Wheel
award.
It was the latest of several
European awards for iimovative
205hp V6, 5-link suspension, rack & pinion
steering, in-dash 6-disc CD, spacious
SEE
BANITO BROWN
Isuzu Certified Sales Professional
GRIFFIN MOTOR., INC. 2500 W. Roosevelt Blvd. (704)289-3135
PHOTO/MERCEDES-BENZ
1997 A-Class
technology, including having an
engine that shdes under the front
passenger compartment in the
event of crash as a safety feature.
The A-Class crisis comes as
Mercedes tries to expemd its mar
ket in two directions. The luxury
carmaker recently unveiled a
super-luxury car, the Mercedes-
Benz Maybach. In developing the
A-Class, it went downmarket to
compete with Volkswagen and
Audi.
Mercedes said the Smart car, an
even smaller model in production
together with Swiss watchmaker
Swatch, would go on sale next
spring as scheduled. The tiny-two
seater shares a relatively high
center of gravity with the A-Class.
"We’re on full alert,” company
spokesman Wolfgang Riecke said
of the Smart car. "So far our tests
have confirmed the car is perfect.”
With images of the tipping
model showing up on the covers of
major magazines and prominent
ly in aU the top dafiies, driving the
un-retrofitted models is some
thing of a badge of courage.
One Stutt^art-area buyer, who
did not give his name, said he’s
been congratulated several times
in recent days for bravery for dri
ving the Baby-Benz.
Even car-proud Germans are
now making jokes about their
beloved automaker.
GM plant closes due to cost cutting
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
DETROIT - General Motors
Corp. plans to close a number of
its manufacturing plants in the
coming months as part of an
effort
GM said that it will take a $2
billion to $3 billion charge
against its earnings either in
its fourth quarter or the first
quarter of 1998 to cover
expenses for the closings and
declining asset values.
The charge, if it falls entirely
in a single quarter, could be
among the biggest GM has ever
taken.
GM disclosed its plan Monday
in a filing with the U.S.
Securities and Exchange
Commission. But the automak
er did not say how many plants
it would close or where they
would be.
The SEC filing refers to the
possible sale of Delphi parts
businesses that make seats,
coil springs and exterior lamps.
The automaker announced the
possible sale of that division in
September.
GM has an assembly plant in
Shreveport and a Delphi parts
plant in Monroe.
GM also said in the filing that
it wants to lower costs in
Opel Belgium, possibly by
reducing the workforce there
by 1,900 people.
“Clearly there’s a frontal
assault on structural costs,”
said Scott F. Merlis, presi
dent of Merlis Automotive
International Inc. “They’re
trying to leave no stone
unturned.”
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