'. describe Volvo changing perceptions wi 850 model line ‘Automaker sheds conservative an, electric hybrid sta | OVERDRIVE ASK SOMEONE to in a few words, and hie or she will ‘probably’ say,.. ‘“Safe, stur- ay, square” the three “S” words. It’s great when people associate “a manufacturer’s car with words ’ like safety and sturdiness, but: the third “‘S’’ word, square, ‘isn’t ex- actly encouraging. “- With the new 850GLT sports sedan, however, Volvo is hoping to change ‘the word from “square’’to ‘‘sporty.”” Though the 850's -shape isn’t ground breaking by any stand- ards, its smooth, sharp lock and vibrant 2.5-litre five-cylinder engine will no doubt attract younger buyers who may not have considered a Volvo before. Volvo's . first front-wheel-drive car in North America, the agile _ and casy-to-drive 850 is expected to change — if not in a quantum . way — the somewhat conservative image of Volvo. oy It_was no surprise then, to see the Swedish carmaker bringing out a concept car based on the 830 sedan. Catled the Environmental Concept Car (or ECC for short), this electric “‘hybrid’’ vehicle has been generating a lot of interest in the international auto shows. The ECC. was created by Volva's Monitoring & Concept Centre in California. Very appropriate, since California is the leading state in the U.S. when it comes to emis- sion or environmentally related regulations. As a matter of fact, California has already passed a regulation that will require 2% of cars sold there to be zero emission vehicles. by 1988. Oniy car companies sel- ling more than 35,000 cars there have to meet this requirement. Despite the enormous amount of money and effort put into designing an advanced electric vehicle these days, automakers are still facing difficulties in making pure-electric cars more practical. Translation: if you can’t offer cars with reasonable operating ranges along with quick charge-up times, forget them. That’s why auto manufacturers are showing off more and more concept cars which utilize dua sources of energy, instead of just one. : In most cases, these so-called “thybrid’’ vehicles are designed to be powered by either a small engine, an electric motor, or both _ (this is termed the parallel system). ~ . In the ECC’s case, however, the two energy sources — a gas tur- bine and electric motor — are hooked up in a serial fashion, not paralltel. . This means that the ECC is ac- tually driven by only one power- train: the electric motor.. The diesel-powered gas turbine does not propel the vehicle, but is used to charge the batteries or to supp- ly current directly to the electric motor. In other words, the turbine generator functions somewhat like an extra tank of gasoline that’s hooked up to either directly feed the powertrain, or to supplement the existing ‘‘tank.”’ if zero emission is required — by law or otherwise — the driver can select the ‘‘electrical opera- tion’? mode. In this mode, the motor is powered by the nickel/ cadmium batteries only, allowing for a quiet ride not unlike your typical golf carts. The range in the battery-only’ mode varies from 85 km in stop- Sve Hybrid page 27 VOLVO'S ENVIRONMENTAL Concept Car tional auto shows. ¢ During the entire time Custom Lease has been advertising, we have never used any pricing or financing gimmick to draw customers into our showroom. 22? WHY 272 Only Custom Lease offers its customers the lowest possible price on every make and model, 365 days a year, ; 22? HOW 22? Custom Lease |s the industry leading specialist in the “Lease to Own" business. As a result of our relatively low overiead and our honest, straight forward approach we are able to supply you with any vehicle at a significantly lower cost. ALL MIONTHLY PAYMENTS BASED ON ZERO DOWN. 48 month open-ended lease, plus tax, vehclles may not be exactly as Illustrated, ea . ; (ECC) has been generating a lot of interest in the 9S — Photo submitted ‘93 FORD PROBE GT fa. 5 spd., tilt steering, premium sound system, a/c, dual power mirrors, power teats, air bag, 4 wheel discs, etc, CUSTOM LEASE PRICE $1 9,375 5 Speed, AM/FM cassette, airbag, power } steering anc much more. CUSTOM LEASE PRICE $15,945 “ai Acar for those with champagne taste and a premium ale budget. Infinit: G20 The Infiniti G20 is without doubt the best value in the luxury sports sedan segment. On the road,it isclearly the match of cars with far more famous reputations. And far more sizable price tags. Right now, the G20 is specially priced at $23,440. Which makes the need to see your Infiniti representative all the more pressing. Smart people always read the fine print. And they always wear ther seatbells MSRP fer Innit G20 asol September 25, 199? Price excludes freight and tares Norin Shore News interna-