IT’S HARD to find anyone
who disagrees with the con-
cept that ‘‘growth is good.’’

By Robyn Ailan
President and CEO

‘Most business experts, politi-
cians and citizens agree that being

AUTOMOTIVE
Everyone has a stake in ICBC’s viability

Making the system ‘more effective’

able to sell more products and
generate more income is desirable
for any enterprise. lt means more
economic activity, more jobs and
a@ greater sharing of wealth in
Society.

However, there’s one B.C.
company that has been uncom-
fortavle with the fact that it has
seen revenues grow by over 86%
in the last five years. This same

Mechanics are basic

From page 33

zie” the mechanics.

In the convertible version, the
Salsa is a real eye-catcher with a
_clean, wedge-shaped body flanked
by sharply angled headlights.

When the rear seat is folded

and the sliding rear carge ‘‘draw-
er” is pulled out, the Salsa
becomes a highly versatile two-
passenger. mini-pickup. Now pop
in the hatchback module and vio-
Ja, you have a practical, roomy
“coupe.

Fold down the rear seats and
the hatchback turas into a mini
two-passenger station wagon. If
you want a real truck with con-
ventional liftgate, swap the hat-
chback module with the panel
delivery moduie.

With. this module, the Salsa
turns into a utility truck that can
be dressed up to meet one’s per-

tricked-up hot-rods you often see
in California.

At the end of the day, you can
hose. out the interior without
damaging it because of the water-
proof: viny! seats and molded rub-
ber floor, all accented by ap-
propriate “‘hox"’ terra cotta and
dark brown colors.

Because the car’s appearance in
all three modes looks so natural,
you.can’t really tell that the car is
actually .three vehicles in one.
“Observers are completely sur-
prised when the car’s appearance
and functional features are so eas-
ily modified,’’ says Hentine.

Although there has not been an
official ‘‘green light’ given to the
project, the folks at Pontiac are
doing their best to make this con-
cept car a reality by the mid-’90s
or so. If successful, we can finally
say good-bye to multiple cars and
say hello to a muiti-functional

sonal tastes — like the lowered,

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company is the focal point of an
industry that directly and indirect-
ly employs thousands of people in
all areas of the province — an in-
dustry that has likely surpassed
mining in terms of dollars and

‘jobs in our provincial economy.

The company is ICBC, and the
product it sells is protection
against vehicle-related losses. Few
people see its growth as a positive
sign for British Columbians.

Over and above our 2,700
employees, thousands of people
work in the cffices of the in-
dependent insurance brokers who
seli Autoplan coverages. Thou-
sands more are in the auto repair
industry or are involved in the
medicai and legal systems to deal
with compensation claims for
damages and injuries.

<

AUTOTOPIC

All of these people, plus

-everyone who has purchased

Autoplan coverages, have a stake
in ICBC’s long-term viability.
That viability is being threatened
by ever-increasing demands on the
system which, if left unchecked,
vould lead to its collapse — clear-
ly, motorists’ ability to handle
premium increases such as we've
seen recently is limited.

As I mentioned last week, ICBC
has already committed to cutting
$13 million out of operating ex-
penses this year. We're determined
to improve the efficiency of our
operations.

Feaiuring:

Our next step will be to call on
all other stakeholders to make
their contribution. ;

In fact, we will be building our
partnerships with motorists, body
shops, dociors, lawyers, the gov-
ernment, the police and the
courts. Our goal is to forge
agreement on changes to make the
whole system more affordable
while delivering fair compensation
to those suffering losses.

Can it be done? Could you
drive 10% more carefully? Could
we repair vehicles 10% more effi-
ciently? Could our systems be at
least 10% better at getting injured
people recovered and back to-
normal?

A 10% cut in claims costs.
would mean no loss for the
Autoplan fund this year, and no
premium increase for claim-free
motorists next year. Believing it
can happen is the first step to
making it happen.”

© 4 cyl. overhead cam, fuel-injected

© 4 wheel independent suspension
¢ Full featured instrumentation

® Split flip down rear seats

@ Tinted glass, intermittent wipers
® Ventilated front disc brakes

e Rack and pinion steering

@ and much, much more!

e Pizzazz & performance — ail new sport car:

© Dramatic front end — the eyes of the Storm:-

* Multiport Fi overhead cam — heart of the Storm
# tots of storage — highback reclining buckets
« Storm warning — you'll be taken by Storm!

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