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Buyer cross over to spur '89 sales Model year '89 will be another banner year in the U.S. light-truck market as more buyers than ever before - over 1 million, according to some analysts-switch from cars to trucks as a primary or secondary vehicle.

Overall truck sales, including the big medium- and heavy-duty rigs, are forecast in the 5.0- to 5.2-million range for 1989, following retail delivery of nearly that number in '88.

Ford Motor CO. Vice President and Ford Div. General Manager Thomas J. Wagner says for the first time that '89 car and truck sales will tie at 1.6-million units each. General Motors Corp. Vice President and Chevrolet Motor Div. General Manager Robert D. Burger also sees trucks eventually outselling cars at his dealerships.

The surge in cross buyers has been most acutely felt in the compact market, particularly passenger vans and sport/ utility vehicles (SUVs), where most manufacturers, domestic and foreign, are directing massive new model programs.

Mazda Motor Corp. for '89 is the first Japanese manufacturer to offer a car-like van and Chevy will launch its plastic-body front-drive Lumina APV (also destined for Pontiac) in June 1989. Ford and Nissan Motor Corp. will commence joint output of a small front-drive passenger van in the United States in 1991. Toyota Motor Corp. and other offshore producers also are developing carlike minivans for U.S. introduction by the carly 1990s, and GM-Suzuki Motors Corp. next April begins production of a hot new mini SUV at a j oint-venture plant in Canada.

With all the action in light trucks producing a wide variety of new models, here's how Ward's Auto World scores the newest of the '89s: CHEVROLET/GMC

While Chevy dealers await arrival of the new Lumina APV next June, and a short-bed version of the full-size stretchcab C/K pickup in January, they'lllikely have to fight off hordes of customers anxious to buy one of a limited 9,000 to 10,000 new Geo Trackers that Chevy is making available in select markets until production at a new Canadian plant gets rolling next year,

The all-new mini sport/utility vehicle, along with twin Suzuki Sidekick imported from Japan's Suzuki Motor Co. Ltd., wins WA W's Crowd Pleaser award.

Tracker/ Sidekick, with a wheelbase of 86.6 ins. (220 cm) and overall length of 142.5 ins. (366 cm), is positioned in the market between the much-maligned Suzuki Samurai, with a 79.9-in. (203-cm) wheelbase and 135-in. (343-cm) overall length, and Chevy's popular S-10 Blazer at 100.5 ins. (255 cm) and 170.3 ins. (433 cm), respectively. A 4-in. (10-cm) increase in tread width, coupled with a near 200-lb. (91-kg) weight increase over Samurai, sharply improve Tracker's ride and driveability. An ultra-lightweight 1.6L engine powers Tracker and upscale Sidekicks, although base Suzuki models retain the 1.3L job. GM's influence, said to be considerable in Tracker/Sidekick engineering, is most visible in luxury options such as power steering, power locks and windows, and tilt steering column.

Although Suzuki offers four versions of the Sidekick - base and up-level convertible and hardtop models, Tracker is available only in standard, LSi hardtop trim or as a single convertible model.

Chevy initially plans to sell Tracker only on the east and west coasts where import truck penetration is high, and in selected Midwest "snowbelt" states.

Domestically, GM tops rival Ford by extending the rear-wheel antilock brake system (ABS) to Chevy Astro/GMC Safari compact passenger vans and cargo models destined for aftermarket conversion. Compact S-series pickups and Blazer/Jimmy models also acquire standard rear ABS along with a new electronic speedometer and power brakes as part of the ABS package. An electronic gauge cluster is optional.

Astro/Safari offers a smoother ride, thanks to a revised rear suspension featuring new front-spring hangers with a onepiece, mold-bonded bushing that, in conjunction with revised upper and lower hangers, eliminates sharp josts that result from the suspension bottoming out.

Venerable R/V-series full-size Blazer/Jimmy, Suburban and Crew Cab pickups get updated new grilles and trim to match the look of the high-tech C/K pickups, but retain archaic underpinnings and lack ABS, as do the full-size G-vans.

GM earns praise for answering a former WA W criticism: C/K pickups have a redesigned instrument cluster that dramatically improves readability under all light conditions. C/K 2500-series now has a "heavy-duty" model with GVW over 8,500-lbs. (3,856 kg). The last remaining carbureted 5.7L V-8, over 8,500-lbs. GVW, has been dropped.

CHRYSLER

Dodge Div. cops a gold medal for excitement with its '89 1/2 Dakota convertible - the first factory-originated ragtop pickup since Ford's Model A of the early 1930s. Actual conversion of 4 x 2 and 4 x 4 models, however, will be done by ASC Inc. at a rate of about 2,000 units in model year '89 and 4,000 to 5,000 in '90. Based on Dakota Sport, the ragtop comes standard with this year's more-powerful 3.9L V-6 mated to a new 5-speed manual (also available on conventional Dakotas) instead of a mandatory automatic box as in the past. The manual operating top can be folded back or removed completely, but allows full use of the pickup box in either configuration.

# posted by Medical Information : 2:10 AM