The 2013 North American Truck/Utility of the Year award is distinctive and considered to be one of the most prestigious. This year the award has been bestowed to the new 2013 Ram 1500 by a panel of automotive experts.

In order to improve on previous versions, Ram engineers transformed every aspect of the truck including a freshly designed frame with larger grille and refashioned front fascia and bumper, new engines and transmissions as well as a new interior with the next-generation Uconnect® access system.

“The Ram 1500’s V8, 395-horsepower engine is absolutely fantastic,” said Jon Walter, New Car Sales Manager with Perkins Motor Company. In fact, the Ram 1500 is already known for some of the best power trains in the industry and with it’s choice of engines, including the legendary 5.7-liter HEMI® V-8 engine or the award-winning Pentastar V-6, it’s also able to offer substantial reliability

Although it’s been available in

other Chrysler models, the 3.6 liter Pentastar is making its first truck appearance giving the Ram 1500 an additional 90 horsepower (for a total of 305) in addition to 34 more lb-ft of

torque and providing greater efficiency. Furthermore, you can pair the V6 with four-wheel drive and you can get it with a Crew Cab, SLT trim or both.

Walter also pointed out that “The

fuel-saver technology in the new Ram 1500 is outstanding.” Ram engineers put a lot of thought into improved fuel economy and the 2013 Ram 1500 offers best-in-class fuel efficiency

SPRINGSWHEELS.COM • Director of Advertising: Brad Howard, 719.476.1645, brad.howard@gazette.com • Copyright 2012 The Gazette

2013 North AmericAN truck/utility of the yeAr2013 Ram 1500

BY LESLIE MASSEYSPRINgSWHEELS.CoMPHoToS CoURTESY oF CHRYSLER

sw

springswheels■com

Friday, January 18, 2013

More at SpringsWheels.com• Bikes share space with cars at Detroit auto show

• Ford, Chrysler join Mich. business program

CoNTINUED oN PAgE 2

Vehicle Specifications:FUEL ECONOMY (CTY/HWY):

14/25 mpg

CAR TYPE: Truck

TRANSMISSION: 8-speed Shiftable Automatic

BASIC WARRANTY: 3 Year/ 36,000 Mile

ENGINE TYPE: gas

CYLINDERS: V8

DRIVE TYPE: Rear wheel drive

BASE ENGINE SIZE: 5.7 L

VALVE TIMING: Variable

HORSEPOWER: 395

TORQUE: 407 lbs.-ft

BUILT: Warren, Mich.

(800) 374-3230www.PerkinsMotors.com

(800) 374-3230www.PerkinsMotors.com

(800) 374-3230www.PerkinsMotors.com

(800) 374-3230www.PerkinsMotors.com

(800) 374-3230www.PerkinsMotors.com

(800) 374-3230www.PerkinsMotors.comI-25, Exit 140 - Colorado Springsgs

Voted the 2013 North American Truck of the Yearand the 2013 Motor Trend Truck of the Year

2013 RAM 1500

Just Arrived

Voted the 2013 North American Truck of the Yearand the 2013 Motor Trend Truck of the Year

2013 RAM

Just ArrivedJust Arrived

at 25 miles per gallon. Part of this improvement comes from reducing weight throughout the truck while another component is an active grille shutter that will automatically open and close depending on the engine’s cooling needs and vehicle speed. Other techniques to improve fuel efficiency include electric power-steering assist, and a thermal management system that transfers coolant to rapidly warm the engine and transmission oils to reduce drag.

Ram’s optional air suspension system optimizes ride and aerodynamics as well as adding load-leveling. “The all new Air-Ride Suspension is the first ever in a truck,” said Walter. Air pressure increases until the vehicle has reached normal ride height, leveling the truck and improving the loaded ride.

There are five height settings that operate either automatically or with console or key fob controls: 1) Normal Ride Height (NRH) is the default load-leveled ride height at 8.7 inches of clearance 2) Aero lowers by 1.1 inches, is activated by speed and increases gas mileage by up to 1% 3) Off-road 1 and 2 lifts the vehicle 1.2 and two inches, respectively, in order to clear obstacles and finally 4) Park lowers the truck by two inches from NRH for easy entry/exit and cargo loading.

Interior improvements won’t disappoint buyers

and are also noteworthy and generous. Walter points out the 2013 Ram has “the best interior in its class and the ride quality and noticeable lack of cabin noise are unsurpassed.”

Ram’s design experts remodeled the dash and center stack and included higher-grade materials and switches. Further enhancements include a new gauge cluster in front of the driver and a screen between the tachometer and speedometer. The new center screen controls all media, climate controls and navigation and with no need for a center shifter, storage options and cupholders are greater in the armrest area.

The next-generation Uconnect® system manages connected services from the 8.4-inch touchscreen display, or via the web. The new Powernet electrical architecture allows new content, with better data speeds. The Uconnect Access system includes SiriusXM Satellite Radio channels and info, plus real-time weather and traffic.

At first glance most people will fail to see all of the improvements in the new 2013 Ram 1500. However lurking beneath the surface are significant changes that add up to an extensively more competitive pickup. Whether you want a truck with better mileage, a more plush and valuable interior or an innovative new suspension, this Ram offers more than you’ll expect from just looking at it. ■

CLICK & CLACK:BY TOM ANd RAY MAglIOzzI ■ kINg FeATUReS SYNdIcATe

Dear Tom and Ray:

I’ve always done the “bounce test” to check my shocks. I also go by the feel of the ride. My ’99 Taurus seems solid and rides great, but I’ve noticed that the rear end seems to be “squatting.” The front has about 3 inches between the tire and fender, but the rear end is about 3/4 inch! The trunk and back seat are empty. Seems like it would bounce if the shocks were bad, but it comes up and stops immediately. Is there something else I need to check? If the shocks are fine, along with everything else, is there a way to raise the ride height in the rear? It looks horrible! Is this unsafe?

– Robert

TOM: It’s moderately unsafe, and probably hugely uncomfortable.

RAY: You’re confusing the job the shocks do with the jobs the springs do. Bad shocks will affect your ride and handling, but they won’t change the ride height of the car.

TOM: So it sounds like you have worn-out springs in the back.

RAY: The springs are there to absorb bumps; that is, to allow the tires to bounce up without making the entire passenger compartment bounce up with them.

TOM: The shocks are there to damp those vibrations and keep the tires from continuing to bounce up and down for five minutes after you hit a bump.

RAY: Shocks wear out over time due to how much damping they have to do, whereas springs wear out from carrying a lot of weight over time.

TOM: So perhaps you’ve schlepped a lot of heavy cargo in the trunk throughout the years. Or driven around with a couple of mothers-in-law in the back seat on a regular basis? That kind of weight compresses the springs, and eventually they just stop bouncing back because there’s no “spring” in them anymore.

RAY: Springs can also break. So it’s possible that you have a couple of broken springs in the back from one particularly overloaded journey (when you moved in 2006 and decided to carry your iron-ore boulder collection yourself to make sure it arrived safely). But since the height is the same on both sides of the same end of the car, it’s more likely that they’ve both just worn out and need to be replaced. look into it, Robert. ■

Got a question about cars? Write to Click and Clack in care of this newspaper, or e-mail them by visiting the Car Talk Web site at www.cartalk.com.

swsw

cONTINUed FROM PAge 1

test drIve:

2013 Ram 1500 Springs can wear out and affect ride height

BY JeFF kAROUBASSOcIATed PReSS

DETROIT — Headlights, grilles and other doodads are stepping up and popping out on cars.

car bling is proliferating, from daytime running lights that go up the hood of the new cadillac ATS, to a wide, bold grille on the Ford Fusion, to engraving within the lamps of the new corvette and Ford Transit.

It is inexpensive but distinctive, providing automotive eye candy that can even boost gas mileage or improve safety. Bling isn’t new, but advancements in technology and design are allowing automakers to do more of it and move it from luxury cars into the mainstream.

“You’ve got form and function with the beauty,” says IHS Automotive analyst Rebecca lindland.

The adornments are on display at the North American International Auto Show in detroit, which opens to the public Jan. 19:

FETCHING ETCHINGMom never advised looking into

lights, but peering into the lamps of certain vehicles offers some aesthetic rewards: Tiny engravings are appearing inside, like figures inside a snow globe.

Headlights in the splashy new corvette feature the brand’s crossed-flag logo, and the utilitarian Ford Transit offers Ford’s Blue Oval logo contained in a seven-sided shape.

likewise, the new Jeep grand cherokee features a vintage miniature Jeep silhouette and the phrase, “Since 1941,” referring to the year Jeeps began rolling out.

IHS Automotive’s lindland says it’s intriguing that designers are “laying this kind of jewelry in just that small spot” — in the process attracting buyers and providing recognition on the road.

LINE OF SIGHTdistinctive lights abound, but a prime

example graces the front of the new cadillac ATS, a sport sedan.

The car’s daytime running lights go up the top of the fender along the hood line. They help contribute to an overall design that is angular and edgy.

Those lights are helping cadillac set itself apart from competitors, says consumer Reports lead car tester Jake Fisher.

Osram Automotive supplies lighting components for the ATS and other cadillacs. david Hulick, the company’s global marketing director of solid state lighting, says the ATS benefits from hidden leds, or light-emitting diodes, which offer an “intense, white appearance” that can’t be duplicated with traditional bulbs.

Hulick says getting more out of illumination was the impetus behind the first automotive use of leds in exterior lighting: a mid-1990s Ford Thunderbird. He says that model used “super-red leds with a neon look” — something that also “couldn’t be achieved with traditional technology.”

HOT OFF THE GRILLEFord is heating up its grilles,

particularly its Fusion model. The Fusion jettisoned the old, bulky shutters that go back years and embraced a wide, bold grille with numerous thin blades.

consumer Reports’ Fisher says the grille helps the midsize family sedan “evoke the looks of an Aston-Martin” — adding to the mystique and brand identity without adding to the bottom line.

Ford hopes to finally surpass Toyota camry’s sales with the new Fusion, helped by a more aggressive-looking trapezoidal grille.

There are other grilles providing artistic thrills: When the light hits it just right, the angular brushed-metal grille of Hyundai’s new luxury concept car shows off at least a dozen small inverted

triangles that appear behind horizontal bars. The wide-mouth grille has a bunch of tiny holes, and the angles reflect light. It’s just one of many new styling cues on the Hcd-14 genesis, which Hyundai says is the direction it will take the next generation of its luxury cars, the genesis and equus.

THE EYES HAVE ITThe tail lamps on the high-

performance version of the 2014 Jeep grand cherokee are tinted black, giving it an ominous look. Ralph gilles, a chrysler design leader, noted the lamps are “kind of like death.”

“They look like they’re really staring at you. If you look at them they’re all dark inside. You can’t even see the lens,” gilles says.

He says it’s the first time chrysler has done such headlamps. The vehicle, he added, “can pretty much be sinister if you want it to.”

He says designers wanted to create something unique that “owners will love.”

The headlights on land Rover’s small SUV — the Range Rover evoque — also give that vehicle “a bit more of the sinister look,” according to IHS Automotive analyst Rebecca lindland. The slim lamp also represents an advance in functionality.

“The great thing with lighting technology is that you can actually have a very narrow light and still have a tremendous amount of road

illumination,” she says.

CRYSTAL CLEARWhen it comes to headlights, there’s

bling, and then there’s the king of bling.The Acura RlX’s headlights look

like a crystal chandelier, courtesy of a horizontal collection of lenses and led light that has been split and directed in a beam pattern, according to Hulick of Osram Automotive.

He says Acura’s lights are a great example of a vehicle being simultaneously eye-catching and illuminating with the help of leds.

“lighting, in my opinion, has replaced chrome as the jewelry on the car.”

STEPPING UPThe 2014 chevrolet Silverado pickup

truck has a practical feature that breaks up the boring horizontal view of the bumper.

There are two steps that make it easy to climb into the bed to fetch tools or tie down a load. The steps are inset into the corner of the bumpers, and even have treads to stop work shoes from slipping.

The always-ready steps could give gM an advantage over other automakers in an increasingly competitive pickup market, especially with buyers who constantly are going in and out of the truck bed. ■

AP Auto Writer Tom Krisher and Associated Press writer David Runk contributed to this report.

Bling is the thing at Detroit auto show

A headlight on the 2014 Acura RLX is shown at media previews for the North American International Auto Show in Detroit, Tuesday, Jan. 15, 2013. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)

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AUTO 2 ❘ the gazette ❘ Friday, January 18, 2013

Friday, January 18, 2013 ❘ the gazette ❘ AUTO 3

From left, General Motors Vice President of Global Design, Ed Welburn, Chief Corvette engineer Tadge Juechter and President of General Motors North America, Mark Reuss stand next to the redesigned Corvette Stingray the night before press days at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit. When 1,000 GM engineers and designers started work on the next-generation Corvette, they began with the usual priority list for a muscle car. Killer looks. Big engine. Fast. But topping the list was something that belies the roar of the Chevrolet’s giant V-8: Gas mileage. (AP Photo/Carlos Osorio)

US auto industry exuberant heading into 2013DETROIT — Maybe it was the brand

new, bright red Chevrolet Corvette gleaming in one corner, or the elegant BMW coupe in the other. Maybe it was just the free-flowing espresso at nearly every stand. But car companies were positively giddy this week as the North American International Auto Show opened in Detroit.

They have reason to be. U.S. new car and truck sales reached a five-year high of 14.5 million in 2012, and many executives and analysts think they’ll climb to 15.5 million this year. Credit is easier to obtain, interest rates are low and many people who held on to old cars during the recession are ready to buy.

To catch those customers’ eyes at the Detroit show, car companies are unveiling 59 new cars and concepts. That’s up from just 41 in 2012, a sign that auto makers have more profits at their disposal and expect higher sales. Toyota, Nissan and Mercedes have larger, more elaborate displays. Ford is luring visitors with the oldest surviving Ford in the world, a 1903 Model A, and the newest, a chiseled pickup truck concept called Atlas that could become the next F-150. General Motors can just sit back and watch the crowds gather around the Corvette.

The Detroit show, one of the country’s biggest, opens to the public Saturday. Here are five trends visitors will see:

GETTInG mORE EffIcIEnTOne lesson from this year’s show:

There are plenty of ways to squeeze more efficiency from cars and trucks.

Volkswagen is showing a plug-in hybrid SUV prototype called the CrossBlue that mates a diesel engine with two electric motors. It can travel 14 miles in all-electric mode and gets an estimated 35 miles per gallon while running on both gas and electricity. The Jeep Grand Cherokee is also making a jump to diesel power with a new, optional 3-liter V-6 diesel that gets 30 miles per gallon on the highway, five better than the gas-powered V-6.

Automakers are trying other tricks to save fuel as they face higher fuel economy requirements, even in muscle cars. The eight-cylinder engine on the 2014 Corvette kicks down to four at highway speeds. The grille and wheels of Ford’s Atlas concept pickup have shutters that automatically close at high speeds to cut wind drag. Many carmakers are replacing steel with aluminum, carbon fiber and other materials to save weight.

Jeremy Anwyl, vice chairman of the Edmunds.com auto website, said many people have been surprised by the resurgence of internal combustion engines as new technology makes them more efficient.

“It is one reason why we’re not all

driving hybrids now, or EVs,” Anwyl said.

Even so, there are plenty of gas-electric hybrids and some new electric cars for customers to look at. Nissan, a late convert to the hybrid market, is showing the Resonance concept, a dramatically styled hybrid crossover. Acura has the NSX hybrid supercar. And Cadillac debuted the ELR, its version of the Chevrolet Volt plug-in, which will go around 35 miles in all-electric mode before a small gas engine kicks in. And Tesla is showing its all-electric Model X crossover, whose futuristic wing-like doors are among the handful of stop-and-stare features this year.

PIckuPs TakE OffWith new home construction back on

the rise, pickup truck sales are poised to grow in the coming year. And Detroit is ready.

General Motors is showing its new trucks for the first time at the Detroit show. The Chevy Silverado and GMC Sierra, which will go on sale this Spring, have mean-looking grilles, restyled interiors and new engines and transmissions that GM promises will be very efficient. The trucks even have steps inset into the rear bumper so people can jump into the bed to get tools or tie down cargo.

Chrysler’s just-refurbished Ram pickup — named the truck of the year by automotive journalists at the show — is also no slouch, boasting a segment-best 25 mpg on the highway.

But Ford, whose F-Series has been the top-selling truck for more than three decades, won’t cede that title without a fight. The company pulled off one of the show’s few surprises, lowering its Atlas pickup concept from

the ceiling amid a shower of sparks during media previews. Ford gave few details about the beefy, chiseled Atlas, other than to say that it hints at the look of the next F-Series, due to come out in 2014 or 2015.

“It sends a message that we hope to continue to strengthen our leadership in commercial vans and trucks,” Ford’s Chief Operating Officer Mark Fields said. “We know there’s a lot of people who want to take that away from us.”

The competition could mean good deals for buyers in a segment already known for big discounts. Chrysler sales chief Reid Bigland said Ram will stay competitive, but Chrysler also wants to make money.

“We’re not going to do anything crazy in the marketplace,” he said.

LuxuRy bOOmSupple leather seats, finely stitched

dashboards and sparkling chrome grilles are everywhere at this year’s auto show, a sign that car companies are clawing at each other for a piece of the growing and lucrative U.S. luxury market.

From a well-crafted new E-Class lineup from Mercedes to the plush, decked out luxury Cadenza sedan from once-lowly Kia, automakers are vying for customers who are ready to be pampered a little more.

Luxury sales grew almost 12 percent last year to over 1 million sales, and automakers are expecting further increases as people feel better about the economy and the Great Recession recedes into the rear-view mirror.

For the past few years, much of the U.S. auto sales growth has been in compact and midsize cars at the lower end of the price range, says Jeff Schuster, senior vice president

of forecasting for LMC Automotive, a Detroit-area industry forecasting firm. But recent trends show that buyers who want luxury items such as leather seats and touch screens are coming back into the market and are willing to pay a little more.

“The premium market took a couple of years off” during the recession, he said. “I think we’re going to see a comeback over the next couple of years.”

Lincoln continues the revamp of its lineup with the MKC concept, a small crossover that is the second of four new Lincolns coming by 2015. Bentley is showing a new convertible. Lexus is introducing a new version of the entry-level IS sedan. Maserati debuts its new Quattroporte sedan. Infiniti, Nissan’s luxury brand, introduced its new sports sedan using performers from Cirque du Soleil. And even mainstream companies like Hyundai and Honda are showing off luxurious concept vehicles.

bLuRRInG ThE LInEs:The unveiling of the BMW 320i

sedan, an entry-level 3-Series that starts at $33,445, renewed questions about whether luxury cars are starting to bump into mainstream models.

In the last couple of years, mass-market brands have started offering features once reserved for luxury brands. Ford offers a hands-free, automatic parallel parking systems and lane-departure warning signals on the midsize Fusion. Even the little Dodge Dart has a heated steering wheel.

Buyers will have to decide: Do they buy a loaded Fusion for nearly $37,000 or the new 320i?

And carmakers need to decide how to market their cars. The Chrysler 300, for example, competes with other

mainstream large cars at the low end, but it has two high-end versions — the 300c and 300 Luxury Series — that compete with BMW.

“It’s really like having two cars,” said Olivier Francois, Chrysler’s marketing chief. “What we probably need to do is amplify the gap, separate the two poles.”

Jim Lentz, who runs Toyota’s operations in the U.S., isn’t worried. In his own lineup, he says, the Toyota Avalon and Lexus ES sedans are very similar, but few shoppers consider both. “A Lexus buyer is buying the prestige. They’re buying the dealership experience,” he said. Avalon, he said, is the “accountant’s car,” not showy but with nice features.

Chrysler’s Bigland says he can’t worry too much about the battle between mainstream and premium cars because there’s such tough competition on other fronts.

“It’s just a great example of how brutally competitive this industry is,” said Bigland. “From the BMWs to the Mercedes to any of the other 18 manufacturers that we square off with every day. Every single one of them, if you don’t come and play your ‘A’ game, you’re going to get your head kicked in.”

cROssOvERs GET smaLLERWith explosive growth in crossover

vehicles in the past five years, automakers are looking at new ways to attract buyers of more efficient SUVs that are based on car underpinnings.

At the Detroit show, Honda opened a new front in the battle with a sharp-looking small utility. It’s based on a subcompact frame and will be smaller than Honda’s popular CR-V. It’s a new part of the market that’s attractive to automakers because there aren’t any well-established competitors to unseat.

“I think the industry as a whole believes there’s opportunity here,” Schuster says. “It’s up for grabs.”

Nissan already is in the market with its funky Juke, which hasn’t sold particularly well. General Motors’ Buick is just entering with an all-new Encore.

Honda Executive Vice President John Mendel says the new vehicle, called simply an “Urban SUV Concept,” is designed for city commuters who still want the cargo space, adventurous lifestyle and high sitting position of an SUV.

It’s aimed at people who no longer need a bigger SUV, yet don’t want to give up the utility. Mendel says technology has allowed it to create more space in a smaller vehicle, matching the interior volume of older compact SUVs.

“If you’ve got a 5- or 7-year-old car, you can move down a class and not give up anything including space,” he said. ■

The interior of the new Corvette Stingray is displayed after its unveiling in Detroit. (AP Photo/Carlos Osorio)

By DEE-ANN DURBIN AND TOM KRISHERASSOCIATED PRESS

DETROIT — Toyota is on a roll after two difficult years, when it was hit by a string of safety recalls and then by the earthquake in Japan.

The Japanese automaker’s U.S. sales rose 27 percent last year, thanks in part to strong sales of its recently expanded Prius lineup and its Camry sedan.

Now, Toyota’s U.S. chief Jim Lentz is turning his attention to the Corolla, Toyota’s dated small car. The company unveiled a concept version at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit this week that hints at a radical styling change for the Corolla. Lentz said the company must now decide how edgy it can go with the Corolla’s styling, to win over new customers, without losing longtime buyers.

“Styling is going to be a major focus of the company going forward,” Lentz told The Associated Press at the show. “We’ll do a lot of testing with that concept with the consumer, because it’s a little bit of a tricky segment. It’s a segment that is still driven by rational buying decisions. So you have to be careful that you don’t make compromises in styling that affect the overall packaging of the car.”

Lentz talked about the U.S. market with The Associated Press at the auto show. Here are excerpts:

Q. Sales of the Prius and its newer variants — the Prius C subcompact, Prius V wagon and Prius plug-in — were up 73 percent in 2012 even

though gas prices moderated. Do you expect them to continue to go up this year?

Lentz: “We had a plan of about 220,000 for the Prius family last year. We sold about 236,000. So it did exceed our expectations. The entire Prius lineup did very well. If you look at hybrids in total, our number was around 328,000, when you include Lexus and other products. Sixteen percent of our business last year came from hybrids, in an industry where total alternative fuels last year — which includes pure electric vehicles and hybrids — hit 500,000 for the first time. But it’s still 3.5 percent of the market. So we’re still about two-thirds of the market in hybrids.

It’s difficult to predict the price of fuel at any given time. But I can rest assured that between now and 2020, it will be up. I can’t tell you exactly when, but it will be up. And I can also probably predict, fairly well, that following the price of fuel in the U.S., it always tends to go down in the fourth quarter, it always tends to start its rise in the first quarter, so as summer driving season comes, as they change the fuel blend that they’re manufacturing, we always tend to see an increase. But it is interesting that Prius volumes still follow gas prices.”

Q. When you had to recall millions of vehicles in 2010 for the sudden acceleration issue, many people thought you would lose some customers forever. But your sales were way up in 2012. Are you back to where you were before the recalls?

Lentz: “I don’t think we’ve lost existing buyers.

I think we had a slowdown in conquests (from other brands). Very shortly after the recalls, our loyal buyers — partly because of the great treatment they received from our dealers through all this — very quickly came back to the brand because they understood there were not issues with the electronics in our cars. Those that didn’t have an experience with us, either with a product or our dealers, weren’t quite sure what to believe.

Last year, 40 percent of our sales were new products. This year we’re going to have another nine new or redesigned vehicles. I think that will continue to bring the conquest buyers back. Are we back to the level where we were prior to all the crises? Not yet. But we’re approaching that.”

Q. You led the U.S. industry in vehicle recalls in 2012, and you were recently fined by the government for the fourth time in two years for failing to report a recall in a timely manner. What’s going on?

Lentz: “Recalls aren’t a four-letter word. The reality is, the more commonality you have in parts, the greater the risk if you have a recall and the recall numbers are bigger. But part of it is, if we find that there’s a defect in the vehicle, we will sort it out as rapidly as we possibly can. Our antenna to the marketplace is much more robust than in the past.

The fact of the matter is, if you look at the overall recalls from all the manufacturers, the number of recalls and the volume of vehicles that they’re affecting is up. Part of it is complexity,

part of it’s shared components. But we’re not afraid of recalls. We’re going to continue to root out any issues in the marketplace and ensure that our customers are safe in our vehicles.

We’re confident now that we have the data gathering in place that we can identify things quicker than before. We have centers around the country now that really examine what’s going on in the marketplace. We have rapid-result teams. Any issue that we have with a customer where we feel that we may have a safety issue, we have a team that goes out within 24 hours to respond to that. So that’s all the upside to the crisis we’ve gone through. We have better processes to deal with customer issues than we ever have.” ■

Toyota winning back buyers with new modelsToyota unveils its Corolla Furia Concept car during the North American International Auto Show in Detroit. (AP Photo/Carlos Osorio)

Toyota Motor Corp. President Akio Toyoda smiles as he shows a remodeled Crown sedan in Tokyo. (AP Photo/Kyodo News)

BY DEE-ANN DURBINASSOCIATED PRESS

FORD: #967, 24 month lease, $2499 due at signing, $0 sec.dep. 10,500 mpy, $.20 in excess. Includes qualifying Military Appreciation/College Student and RCL Renewal rebates. #401, 24 month lease. $3612 due at signing. No security deposit required. #413, 39 month lease. $3437 due at signing. No security deposit required. Includes $1000 factory rebate; and qualifying $500 Military Appreciation/College Student rebate and $1000 RCL Renewal rebate. Plus tax. #497, 24 month lease. $2731 due at signing. No security deposit required. Includes qualifying $500 Military Appreciation/College Student rebate. Plus tax. #314, 39 month lease, $3437 due at signing, no security deposit required, Includes $1000 factory rebate; and qualifying $500 Military Appreciation/College Student rebate and $1000 RCL Renewal rebate. Plus tax. #659, $37,685 MSRP, $2000 Factory Rebate, $500 Ford Credit Retail Bonus Cash, $500 Military Appreciation/College Student, $1000 Ranger Owner Loyalty, $4000 Phil Long Discount. Plus tax. A,X, Z, and D Plan buyers are ineligible for advertised offers of double Ford factory rebates. CHEVY: All 36 mo. lease, 12k mpy, .20 mpy excess, 0 Security Deposit # 239 $6995 at signing, #074, #522 $4000 due at signing, #218 $5000 due at signing. HYUNDAI: B.O.G.O. details: Purchase any in stock 2013 Santa Fe 2.0T AWD at MSRP (dealer adds at retail) and lease an in-stock 2013 Accent GS for $1 a month. Santa Fe factory rebate and qualifying $750 loyalty, $500 Military and $400 College grad rebates to be retained by dealer. Accent lease terms are as follows: 36 month lease. 12,000 allowable miles per year with per mile penalty in excess. Includes $500 Hyundai lease cash and factory rebates to be retained by dealer and qualifying $500 Military rebate and $400 College Grad rebates. No security deposit

AUDI: All are 42 month lease with 10,000 miles per year, $.25 for every mile in excess. Must qualify for owner loyalty. #150, Orig MSRP = $39,460, $6,370.29 Due at Signing. #203, Orig MSRP = $49,360, $9,553.49 Due at Signing. #210, Orig MSRP = $45,570, $8,387.70 Due at Signing. #131, Orig MSRP = $54,010, $8,500.80 Due at Signing. KIA: #028 MSRP - $16565 - $3000 cash or trade equity - $500 military rebate – 2.9% x 69 months. Taxes & D&H not included. WAC.. The rest 39-mo. lease, 12k mpy, .20 mpy excess $500 college grad rebate $500 military rebate. #017 & #026, $2499 due at signing. #085, $2999 due at signing. #101, MSRP - $22469.00 - $3000.00 cash or trade equity - $500.00 military rebate, $1000.00 loyalty or competitive rebate, 2.9% x 69 months. Taxes and D&H not included. WAC Offers may not be combined. Phil Long Trade Assist ‘10 or newer. Dealer retains all factory and military rebates and incentives-must qualify. MPG based on EPA Highway estimates. 12 months paid not delayed. Offers may not be combined and doesn’t qualify for advertised units. See dealer for complete details. Photos for illustration purposes only. Plus tax. W.A.C. Offers expire 1/24/13. © 2013 Phil Long Dealerships. All rights reserved. 01.16

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AUTO 4 ❘ the gazette ❘ Friday, January 18, 2013 Friday, January 18, 2013 ❘ the gazette ❘ AUTO 5

Hot new cars at the Detroit auto show associated press

the North american international auto show begins this week in detroit with media and industry previews. it opens to the public Jan. 19.

Here are some of the new cars and experimental concept vehicles unveiled at the show:

CADILLAC ELR: General Motors is trying to take the chevrolet Volt’s electric technology upscale in a new cadillac. the eLr has the same battery and gas-powered generator as the Volt. the car has angular lights and fenders like other new cadillacs, but it also has a more sloped, forward-leaning aerodynamic look. it also has a plush new interior that differentiates it from the Volt and sets the tone for future cadillacs.

FORD ATLAS CONCEPT: Ford is trying to keep its rivals at bay with a concept that hints at the look of the next F-series pickup. the atlas has a chiseled design and a bigger, more elaborate grille. Ford is emphasizing fuel economy. the atlas has shutters on the grille and wheels that close automatically, improving aerodynamics. the new truck also will weigh several hundred pounds less than the current

model and have a more efficient engine. Ford won’t say when the new truck goes on sale, but it’s likely to be a 2015 model.

KIA CADENZA: Kia is moving into the North american premium sedan market with the 2014 cadenza, aiming for buyers looking in the gap between mainstream and luxury. Kia got its start

in the U.s. as an economy car maker, but has been moving upscale. the arm of south Korean automaker Kia Motors corp. describes the sedan as having elements of european design, which help define the higher-end market. it will be offered with Kia’s most powerful V-6 engine.

CHEVROLET CORVETTE: the 2014

model is the first all-new version of the iconic sports car in nine years. it has a dramatic styling that picks up cues from the 1963 sting ray and newer corvettes. GM promised it would perform better than the current model yet will get better gas mileage. the two-seater arrives at showrooms in the fall. a 6.2-liter small-block V-8 with 450 horsepower takes the car from

zero to 60 mph in under four seconds. JEEP GRAND CHEROKEE DIESEL:

the top-selling Grand cherokee is making the jump to diesel power. it marks the first major expansion into diesel in the U.s. by a mainstream sUV maker, showing the potential for boosting power and fuel economy. the sUV’s 3.0-liter, ecodiesel V-6 engine promises 240 horsepower and the ability to tow up to 7,400 pounds. it’s expected to get 21 mpg in the city and 30 mpg on the highway in 4x2 models, and 20 mpg city and 28 mpg highway for 4x4 models.

VOLKSWAGEN CROSSBLUE: Volkswagen may be getting into the midsize sUV market. it rolled out a concept sUV called the crossBlue at the show. it would be a first in the U.s. market: a plug-in hybrid sUV with a diesel engine and two electric motors. in electric mode, it would get the equivalent of 89 miles per gallon, a measurement reached by estimating the energy it uses. in hybrid mode, it would get an estimated 35 mpg. VW will decide whether to make the vehicle in the next few months, based partly on reaction of show visitors. ■

The Cadillac ELR is unveiled during the North American International Auto Show. (AP Photo/Carlos Osorio)

The 2014 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray is revealed at media previews for the North American International Auto Show. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)