Word: subcompacts
(lookup in dictionary)
(lookup stats)
Dates: during 1980-1989
Sort By: most recent first
(reverse)
...idea was a trademark Chrysler brainstorm. Since Japanese automakers were raising their prices in the U.S., why not fill the gap they were leaving with a domestic subcompact that would sell for less than $6,000? Practically overnight, the No. 3 automaker put together a bargain intended to give U.S. car buyers a pleasant form of sticker shock. The automaker slashed the price of its front-wheel-drive Plymouth Horizon and Dodge Omni by $710 and tossed in options worth $684 for free. Chrysler calculated that it could still make a profit, partly because it had long since paid...
...subsidiaries for supplies of everything from parts to design ideas. Ford encourages its allied companies to specialize, thus creating "centers of excellence" instead of duplicating the same skills in each location. For example, Ford has engaged Japan's Mazda to design the 1988 successor to the Mercury Lynx subcompact...
Ford has many strong products, however, that will help the company make a smooth transition to the next generation of vehicles. Ford hopes its Escort subcompact, the second-largestselling car in the U.S. after the Chevrolet Celebrity, will continue to haul in profits until the early 1990s. Moreover, Ford's truck sales, which represent 40% of the company's U.S. vehicle business, have jumped nearly 10% since last year because of the roaring popularity of pickup trucks and four-wheel-drive vehicles. For the next several years, at least, Ford's good times are likely to keep on truckin...
...opposite end of the price scale, South Korea's Hyundai Excel has made a dazzling debut. The $4,995 subcompact has sold more than 130,000 units so far in 1986, a record for an imported auto's first year. Much less ; successful was the invasion of Yugoslavia's Yugo, a remodeled Fiat that sells for $3,990 and is billed as the cheapest new car in the U.S. The monthly Consumer Reports urged its readers to buy a good used car instead. So far in 1986, fewer than 28,000 Yugos have been sold...
Less than a month after Hyundai Motor America introduced the $4,995 subcompact Excel, the first South Korean-made car to enter the U.S. market, company officials have discovered a problem that could result in complete brake failure. During routine predelivery checks, Hyundai inspectors found that a critical pin was improperly installed in the braking system of three cars. Though no accidents have been reported, the company took no chances. Moving fast, Hyundai executives last week voluntarily recalled all the 4,400 Excels sold in the U.S. Owners were promised free inspections and repairs by Hyundai dealers...