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.

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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.”

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