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THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 6, 1997
HlBAUTO SHOWCASE
-♦I
Air bags
no longer
priority,
some say
By Brian S. Akre
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
E S T
I V E
1997 Ford Expedition, Eddie Bauer edition
PHOTO BY MARK PENDERGRASS
ATLANTA - With more peo
ple worried about news
reports of air bags’ danger,
fewer are focusing on those
and other safety devices when
shopping for cars.
In an annual survey, 57 per
cent of the respondents said
air bags were an important
factor in their decision to buy
a car in the past year, down
from 82 percent in last year’s
survey, said market research
firm The Dohring Co.
The firm said Sunday that
88 percent of respondents said
they were somewhat con
cerned about reports that air
bags can harm children and
short adults in some acci
dents. But the survey showed
some consumers have major
misconceptions about the
extent of the threat.
“They’re talking about
decapitation, suffocation ... it’s
just unbelievable,” said
Dohring vice president Rik
Kinney.
The number of respondents
who said air bags were not
important at all increased to
24 percent from 6 percent a
year ago.
Air bags, which inflate at
speeds up to 200 mph, have
been blamed for the deaths of
35 children and 20 adults in
low-speed accidents they oth
erwise would have survived.
They also are estimated to
have saved 1,700 lives in high
er-speed crashes.
Most of the victims were not
wearing seat belts. Air bags
are intended to save lives in
conjunction with seat belts.
Most of the adult victims were
smaller women, and about
one-third were elderly.
Of those surveyed, 96 per
cent said they had heard news
reports about air bags’ poten
tial threat and 92 percent said
they were concerned about air
bags. Harm to children was
the concern cited most, at 45
percent.
Kinney said news reports
about safety issues strongly
affect the choice of which vehi
cle consumers buy -88 percent
said they were at least some
what influenced by such
reports.
It was the first time since the
survey began in 1993 that the
importance of safety equip
ment declined in consumers’
minds, Kinney said. And it
was not just air bags that were
affected - the importance of
anti-lock brakes and traction
control also was ranked lower
this year, though the drop was
less dramatic.
The telephone survey of
1,253 randomly selected
adults intending to buy a new
or used car from a new car
dealership was conducted in
January. It has a margin of
error of plus or minus 2.8 per
centage points.
The results were released
during the National
Automobile Dealers
Association’s annual conven
tion in Atlanta.
Ford’s Expedition jumps to head of the class
Winfred
B.
Cross
Good things come to those
who wait, or so the cliche goes.
I waited a long time to drive
Ford’s impressive new Tahoe-
fighter, the Expedition. I even
flew to Atlanta for the second
introduction (the first was in
Alaska, to which I was not
invited), only to be stuck in a
Explorer the whole time. I did
n’t feel I was slumming
because I do like Explorers,
but I traveled to drive the
Expedition.
Recently, I got my chance to
drive the big sport ute for
about a week and a half. I’ve
used impressive already,
haven’t I? Well, I’ll just have to
think of more worthy adjec
tives to describe Ford’s new
home run.
Let’s start with the looks.
Ford has based the Expedition
on the new-for-’97 F-150 pick
up, the world’s best-selling
vehicle for a number of years.
All of the refinements used in
the F-150 have been passed to
the Expedition. The grill is
much like the up level F-150 -
a wire mess looking thing
instead of the base truck’s egg-
crate look.
Viewed from the rear, the
Expedition looks much like an
Explorer. You don’t notice how
much bigger the latter is from
the former until they sit side
by side.
The Expedition sits on a 119-
inch wheelbase. It’s 204.6
inches long and 78.6 inches
wide. Its curb weight is mas
sive, tipping the scales at
4,850 pounds.
And yes, it will fit into most
garages.
The vehicle is of body-on-
frame construction, is rear
wheel driven and has 2.5 mph
bumpers, which is typical for a
truck.
What isn’t typical is the inte
rior. 'There are passenger cars
that do not possess this kind of
ergonomic superiority. Ford
has set the standard for
American car ergonomics and
its passed that on to its truck
department. Everything in the
Expedition is easy to read and
reach. The dash looks much
like an Explorer’s, only much
bigger. 'The gauges are huge
and plentiful. Warning lights
abound, but are unobtrusive.
There are plenty of gadgets,
but not gimmicks.
The seats are big and com
fortable. My test vehicle was
an Eddie Bauer Edition, so
power seats were standard.
The optional leather was
exceptionally comfortable as
well. The seating arrangement
was seven passengers, but it
can be configured for five, six
or nine. Nine-passenger seat
ing requires bench seats all
around. I’ve never been big on
three-abreast seating so the
seven passenger arrangement
would be my pick. If you need
luggage space, forget the extra
seats in the back, which are
primarily for kids anyway.
Luckily, my vehicle had a
handy roof rack. I didn’t need
to use it, but I appreciated the
convenience.
Notwithstanding, the rear
most seats, everyone else will
find the Expedition very com
fortable. Hip, head and leg
room is generous. Five people
wouldn’t complain on a long
trip. Kids would appreciate
the rear-most seats, but adults
would demand frequent stops
to stretch.
You won’t get many com
plaints about the engine,
either. The optional 5.4-liter
Triton V8 is a true workhorse.
It churns out 230 horsepower
with 325 pounds-feet of torque
at a very low 3,000 rpm.
Equipped as such, it can tow
8,000 pounds in two-wheel
See EXPEDITION Page 14B
Toyota to dealers: learn how to
deal with smart consumers
By Brian S. Akre
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
ATLANTA - Traditional auto dealers can prosper adongside the
new megadealers if they change quickly to meet the demands of
increasingly sophisticated consumers, a senior Toyota executive
told dealers Saturday.
Much of the talk about a revolution in automotive retailing, dri
ven by the growth in used-car superstores and publicly traded
megadealers, has been overstated, said Yale Gieszl, vice president
of Toyota Motor Sales USA Inc.
“'These changes are evolutionary and present a tremendous
opportunity for traditional dealers,” Gieszl told the opening session
of the National Automobile Dealers Association’s annual conven
tion. “However, evolution could become revolution unless automak
ers and dealers work together to meet rising and changing cus
tomer expectations.”
The threat posed by the growing chains of used-car superstores,
such as CarMax and AutoNation USA, was a big topic at last year’s
NADA convention. This year, dealers see the threat as personified
by H. Wayne Huizenga, the Blockbuster video entrepreneur behind
AutoNation’s tremendous growth.
In the past year, Huizenga has been on a $2 billion buying binge.
He bought Alamo Rent A Car and National Car Rental to provide a
steady stream of late-model used cars to his big AutoNation used-
car lots. He has also been buying new-car dealerships to give him
better access to late-model cars coming off lease.
To lure customers, Huizenga uses low-pressure sales techniques,
no-haggle prices, and large selections that potential buyers can
scan at computer kiosks in big, clean showrooms. It’s a significant
departure from the back lots dedicated to used cars at many tradi
tional dealerships.
“An industry that has been slow to change is now being bom
barded from all sides with new technology, new ideas, new chan
nels and new players,” Gieszl said. “Some are saying the retail sys
tem automakers and dealers have built over the last eight or nine
decades has become a dinosaur.”
Traditional dealers have many advantages that compensate for
the size and capital of the new players, Gieszl said. They include a
long relationship with their customers, a full range of after-sale
services, an intimate knowledge of local markets and good loca
tions.
To compete with the megadealers, traditional dealers will have to
work harder, starting with better-trained and motivated sales
staffs who are more attuned to customers’ needs, he said.
“A growing number of consumers are arriving in your showrooms
better prepared than ever. Quite often, they know more than your
sales staff about the product they want.”
Today’s consumers also value their time and want the buying
process to be simple and stress-free, Gieszl said.
“Consumers are driving the changes in automotive retailing,” he
said. “’They are seeking ways to manage their scarcest resource
time. And they appreciate companies that help them by offering
See DEALERS Page 14B
Chrysler says latch didn’t fail in crash
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
SANTA ROSA, N.M. - Chrysler attorneys
deny a faulty latch on one its minivans caused
a death and injuries in a rollover crash in
which nine victims seek $100 million in dam
ages from the automaker.
David Abercrombie of Dallas and eight oth
ers were involved in the July 1995 crash on
Interstate 40 in Milagro, N.M. Dao Nguyen,
70, was killed and five other people were
injured.
The group was traveling from Dallas to
Anaheim, Calif., for a visit to Disneyland.
Abercrombie’s attorney said Van Nguyen, 38,
lost her arm after the rear door popped open
during the crash and her shoulder was
crushed against a guardrail.
“It was like a war zone out there on the high
way with bodies flung everywhere and blood
and ambulances and helicopters,”
Abercrombie’s attorney. Art Solon, said during
opening arguments this week.
But the automaker denies its latches are
defective and contends the van’s occupants
were thrown out of side windows.
Chrysler attorney David 'Tyrrell said the com
pany cares about those who drive its vehicles,
including its own employees and their families,
“Their children ride as passengers in those
vehicles,” he said.
In 1995, Chrysler asked more than 4 million
owners of the vans to bring them in for free
installation of a stronger liftgate latch. Tyrrell
denied allegations that the automaker could
have had a full recall and inexpensively
replaced the latches for 25 to 50 cents each.
“I will tell you that Chrysler spends 26 to 50
cents to make improvements on its vehicles -
not just minivans, but on all of its vehicles -
very, very frequently,” he said, “And it would not
hold back 25 to 50 cents to not make an
improvement on a vehicle that it thought would
be a safety improvement.”
At least 37 people have died in accidents in
which they were ejected when liftgates opened
on Chrysler Town and Country, Dodge Caravan
or Plymouth Voyager minivans sold from 1984
through 1995, according to the National
Highway Traffic Safety Administration.