28 ~ Friday, February 26, 1993 ~- North Shore News New generation of luxury cars strive for best North American designs compete with imports for changing tastes AT THE height of the American luxury-car era in the late *50s, it would have been difficult to imagine a German luxury sedan being in the same league as a Cadillac or a Lincoln, or a Japanese luxury car capturing worldwide quality and customer satisfaction awards. Luxury. cars weren’t even a glimmer in the mind’s eye of Jap- anese engineers at the time. British luxury cars were prestigious, but they weren’t as big, bold and sty- lish as American luxury cruisers. * When downsizing became a re- ality in the 1980s and the buzz- word was ‘‘quality,’? German makes such as Mercedes-Benz and BMW became the acknowledged benchmarks of luxury. - Less than a decade later, Japa- nese luxury makes such as Acura, Lexus and Infiniti made immense strides in build quality, reliability, value-for-money and after-sales service. Today, the luxury car market is crowded with many players from Germany, Japan and North America, all vying for a part of the small-but profitable 3% mar- ket share that luxury cars have in Canada. Though Japanese cars have - been capturing much of the media attention lately, there has been a sudden resurgence in the quality of American-made luxury cars, notably the redesigned Cadillac Seville and Eldorado Coupe, the new Lincoln Mark VII, the Chrysler New Yorker/LHS, and the upcoming Oldsmobile Aurora. All of these cars take a non-. traditional approach to North American luxury --- a combination of . European/Japanese/American looks, comfort and performance. The days of the soft, floating suspension, one-finger power- steering, sofa-like pleated velour bench seats and excess of chrome and superfluous gadgets are almost over. The new generation of Ameri- can luxury cars strives for a European-derived combination of a strong, rigid chassis; good hand- ling combined with a luxury ride; a powerful sophisticated engine; impeccable — fit-and finish; in- telligent space utilization; superior crash safety, and a full comple- ment of luxury features, from trip computers to orthopedically designed seats. The 1991 Cadillac Seville was probably the first American fux- ury car to break the mold set by almost al) its American predecessors. A crisp, uncluttered design combined with a roomy, Euro- pean-like interior, excellent hand- ling in a front-wheel-drive car, and superior value-for-money put this car right to the top ol its class in its first year. The addition this year of an all-aluminum 295-horsepower 32-valve Northstar V8 has given the four-door Seville and two- door Eldorado class-leading punch. Following closely on its heels is the new Lincoln Mark VIII. Its ‘‘cornerless,’? sweeping design is impressive and unique, though still very large. Like the Seville STS, the Mark VIIE has a technologically con- temporary dual-overhead cam, 32-valve 4.6-litre V8 engine which delivers 280 horsepower, replacing the Mark VII's traditional overhead-valve V8. Wiison AUTOMOTION The Mark VHI is front engine/ rear-wheel drive — the preferred arrangement for most big luxury cars — and has a fully indepen- dent air-spring suspension. Variable power-assisted rack and pinion steering, vented front and rear disc brakes, and a silky smooth, electronically controlled four-speed automatic transmission are some of. the other contem- porary engineering features of the Mark VIE. Perhaps the most dramatic night-and-day transformation in an American juxury car is the change in the Chrysler New Yorker. The 1992 New Yorker is an upright, soft-riding, traditional Chrysler luxury car that thumbs its nose at the conservative Euro- pean approach to luxury. The 1993 New Yorker, on the other hand, is a modern, stylish, tasteful design with performance to match. See Radical page 32 —MOST WITH WARRANTY _. —TOP DOL. LAR FOR YOUR TRADE THE FOLLOWING are the scheduled road closures and detours for the coming week in North Vancouver District, City, West Vancouver District and along area highways. @ North Vancouver District: Glencanyon Drive: Montroyal Boulevard south: Water main teplacemeni. Local traffic only. East 29th Street: Lonsdale Avenue to St. Georges Avenue (wesi- bound): Sidewalk installation. Traffic control in effect. ® North Vancouver City: scheduled road closures or detours. © West Vancouver District: No scheduled road closures or detours. @ Ministry of Highways: : Load Restriction Notice: The Ministry of Highways warns that no person shall operate any vehi- cle on all roads on Bowen Island with a weight in excess of 70% of the fJegal axle weight, not- withstanding the applicable per- centage of tolerances provided under Section 7.06 (2) of the Commercial Transport Act. All term overload permits will be in- valid for the duration of this restriction. Violators of the regu- lations and restrictions will be prosecuted, Squamish Highway: No scheduled road closurcs or detours but motorists are reminded that good winter tires are required. Spring is the time for your customers to see how their vehicles weathered the winter. And what a winter its been! Let thern know your out there, and what you have to offer. The spring car care guide provides you an excellent means of reaching thousands of potential customers with your products and services. Get your share of the $307,397 that is spent everyday on automotive products and services in North and West Vancouver. Editorial content will focus on practical advice from local dealers and. retailers plus a contest! DON’T MISS YOUR OPPORTUNITY! AD COPY /BOOKING DEADLINE MARCH L2th ISSUE DATE FRIDAY MARCH 26th 7 MNCL OF onrTH AND WEST WAURCOUVE MARC ROVNER 986-6222 KIRK MICHAEL 980-0511 "—GM REBATES HONORED - at —ON-THE-SPOT FINANCING \rri 1983 PONTIAC SUNBIRD SE 1930 NISSAN STANZA GXE - 1991 BUICK PARK AVENUE Loaded won . with options mort a1 $21,995 1993 PONTIAC ° SUNBIRD LE Come in and find out why CARTER is #1 in Canada! SALE WOURS: MON-THUR, 9am-9pm FAIL & SAT. gam-6pm SUNDAY ttam-Spm 7563 GMC JIMPY SLE 4x4 Totally loaded, 4 auto, 2 power & abenfort options. 10 to choose from, $24 exceltent e peformance & Price ns nz: prs rebate, 788) eT