38 - Friday, December 25, 1992 - North Shore News

OVERDRIVE

THE YEAR nineteen hun-
dred and ninety-two is
almost over, and within a
week we will be welcoming
the new year.

So what happened during 1992?

Here’s a brief summary of the
automotive industry news of the
year:

January is the favorite time of
the year for auto enthusiasts and
car’ buyers alike because of the
auto shows that appear in major
cities throughout North America.

Vancouver’s own Pacific Inter-
national Auto Show, which took
place from Jan. 17 to 26, enter-
tained .attendees with cars like
Ford’s Costour concept car,
Honda’s tiny yet cute Beat con-
vertible, and the flaming red
Dodge Viper.. .

Shows in. Los Angeles and
Detroit unveiled Chrysler’s much
acciaimed we-can-do-it-if-we-try
LH sedans, as well as such atten-
tion getters as Audi’s Quattro

Reflecting back on 1992’s auto milestones

Spyder concept car and Hyundai’s
HCD-1I concep! roadster.

About the same time, President
Bush's trip to Asia took central
focus in the news, as the Big
Three’s chairmen met with the
Japanese Big Five in Japan to
resolve trade imbalances.

Despite the promises made by
the Japanese, the Big Three exec-
ulives were disappointed with their
level of commitment on this issue.

In February, Daihatsu America
announced that it stopped selling
vehicles in the U.S., becoming the
third importer (after Peuseot and
Sterling) to puil out of the tough
U.S. market in the past six
months.

In Canada, General Motors an-
nounced an addition of a new
Nameplate to its already com-
prehensive lineup of cars: Asuna,

Asuna was introduced to mirror

the success of the Geo brand of
cars, offering import-oriented cars
and trucks.

Also in February at the Toronto
auto show, the Automobile Jour-
nalists Association of Canada
(AJAC) presented their ‘‘Car of
the Year’? awards to the reci-
pients.

In mid-March, Chrysler hand-
picked Robert Eaton t. be ine
successor to Lee Iacocca as
chairman and chief executive of-
ficer after lacocca retires at the
end of 92.

Eaton was the president of
General Motors Europe before
joining Chrysler, and although he

‘will probably never become the

kind of public figure Iacocca was,
Eaton’s impressive record will no
doubt help Chrysler achieve its
cha'!lenging objectives ahead.
GM’s major management
shake-up first started at the
beginning of April — a move that

St neck Wee word

NEWS photo Mike Wakelleld

VANCOUVER'S EAGERLY anticipated Pacific International Auto Show took place from dan. 17 to 26

in B.C. Place this year.

took away the position of presi-
dent from Lloyd Reuss and the
chief financial officer title from
Robert O’Connell.

John F. ‘‘Jack’’ Smith Jr. took
over as president of the world’s
largest automaker. GM _ board
member John Smale, ex-chairman
of Proctor & Gamble whe actually
pushed this revolt, gained more
power as well.

Along with other changes,
GM’s_ outside board members
basically gave a warning to the
executives that if they don’t

resolve GM's situation soon, there
will be even more changes.

Sign of the times: another U.S.
market withdraval announcement
— this tirne by Yugo America.

Again, citing stiff competition
and diminished demand for what
consumers at cne time considered
to be a ‘‘bargain’? car, Yugo
quietly filed for bankruptcy.

After months of speculation,
BMW made an official an-
nouncement on June 23 that it
will build a new, state-of-the-art
manufacturing plant in South

Carolina. Representing an invest-
ment of about $300 million (US),
the new plant will start production
in °95 and wil! most likely build a
3-series-based roadster.

The ‘‘fight’’ between the Japa-
nese and Americens didn’t get any
better in °92.

Although the Big Three lob-
byists were initially happy to hear
thas the new tariff bili amendment
— which would impose a duty of
25% on Japanese minivans and

See Changes page 39

On behalf of the residents of the North Shore, we'd like to welcome all the Sabies born in 1992.
As a special tribute, the North Shore News will publish a 1992 Baby Album. Proud parents,
* grandparents, aunts and uncles will want to make sure their newest farnily member is included.

Tne Baby Album may include a picture and wording ftom the original birth announcement, or
new wording and picture.

Publication date Wed. February 3
Ad deadline: Tues., January 26, noon

clip-out and send in along with your baby's photo to the North Shore News (address below)
please write your baby’s name on the back of the photo.

parents name:
address:
baby’s name:
date of birth:

Please make cheques payable to North Shore News or send credit card number:

a
® A we x A card type: __.

CALL 986-6222

1139 LONSDALE AVENUE,

Mort WOW 4 16 ORT AWD OH AY saree OE

SURDAT + WEDNESDAY + ooNDaS

.

COST: A. Photo plus 5 iines of copy .........$25

(1991 Album Participants) ............$20

-B. Announcement — (up to 5 lines of copy} $15

WIN A BABY PORTRAIT PACKAGE!

One baby's name will be randomly drawn from ail ads submitted. The winning farnily will receive one 8x10
and 2 5x7 colour photographs of their baby taken Dy a North Shore News photographer.

1992 Baby Album

phorie: —___

number:

+ please return photo in |
enciosed self -addressed

stamped snvelope
+ | wil' pick-up photo at

the North Shore New's
offices

expiry date:

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