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About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 28, 1998)
M O M T M PUBUSHM One Million Car Rally CONTCNTS Winter 1998 Volume 3, Issue 4 Imagine that the 510,000 readers of this publication gath ered on the Mall in W ashing to n , D .C . a n d th a t th e y b ro u g h t th e ir fam ily and friends w ho also read African Americans On Wheels. T h a t’s about another 500,000, mak The new 1908 Lexus G S 4 0 0 /3 0 0 a n d 1.S400/SC400 ing the total assembled more are “wickedly "fast, as our test at Sum m it Point Raceway than one million strong. in West Virginia proved. W hat if they all brought their three cars? (According to our reader surveys, the average African-American house hold has at least that many). It would be more than a dem onstration, it would cause gridlock in Washington, Maryland and Virginia. Lets not call it a protest. Instead, lets declare it a showcase o f black buying power. Maybe w ed also invite the 1.4 million blacks who plan to buv a new vehicle in 1998. Perhaps, then our economic influence on the auto industry' would get some much needed attention. Speaking of 1998, this edition features full coverage on both im port and domestic vehicles for the new model year. I he editors of this user-friendlv guide have compiled a list o f vehicles, arranged according to the companies that make them or country o f origin, l or example. Ford M otor Com pany owns Jaguar and holds a stake in Mazda, so they are listed on the same page. European and Asian makes are also grouped together, unless owned by a domestic company. I he upscale or niche players are also grouped together. In addition to our standard line-up, we continue to add new sections in response to vour demands. I his winter we are pleased to offer a section on motorsports, wrirten bv our new Senior Editor Joe Elia, as well as a special travel segment. You may have noticed that we have rearranged o ur schedule to better serve vou. This issue is W inter 1998, instead o f Fall 1997. T he next A dO lC w ill be the Spring 1998 edition in which we II bring you highlights o f our Second Annual Golden Wheel Awards, held in January' in conjunction with the N orth American International A uto Show in Detroit. The ceremony will take place at the new Museum o f African American History. Awards will be handed out for Executive o f the Year, Com pany o f the Year, M inority Supplier o f the Year, and Vehicle of the Year. O ur independent panel o f judges is currently- selecting the finalists. As we close this year, A A O W reminds you o f the trem endous power you have as consumers. We also w ant to reiterate the well-known maxim that “inform ation and its application is power. W ith these thoughts, we promise to continue to arm you with the kind of information you need to fully wield your economic might. T he rest is up to you! 16 New or Used? by Paul A. Eisenstein 18 1998 New Vehicle Preview 30 Motorhome 101 by Warren Brown 34 Venturing South In A Chevy ¿y Jacqueline M itchell 35 Gasing Up Without Cash by Lolita Standifer Departments 8 Auto Briefs 10 411: C ar Care & Letters 14 First Impressions 33 Long Term Review 36 Around the Track Editor-In-Chief Randi Payton Senior Editors Warren Brown Winfred Cross Paul Eisenstein Joe Elia Blair Walker Managing Editor Jacqueline Mitchell E ditorial D irector Vivienne Samms A rt D irector Ed Towles Copy Editor Andrea Puchalsky Reporters Marc Battle Adam Dixon Genea Luck Lolita Standifer Cover Photo By Rogers Wm. Foster VW Beetle by Brenda Priddy Photographers Renee Bouchard Al Marcossi Eugene Moore 2 Web Site Development Web Visions Member of International Motor Press Association Advertising Representative Christine Anderson Motor City Media 22 Cambridge Pleasant Ridge, MI 48069 (248) 544-8762 Washington Automotive Press Association Public Relations Tia Gordon National Association of Black Journalists ABC Audit Pending Greater Detroit Chamber of Commerce A frica n A m ericans On Wheels. © 1 9 9 7 is p u b lis h e d q u a rte rly as a s u p p le m e n t to newspapers by On Wheels. Inc. AAOW is on the Internet at http:/'www.automag.com. Our e- mail address is AAOW@AOL.Com National Press Club By Lolita Standifer M obil O il is revolutionizing the way motorists pay for gas, so don’t be surprised if your next trip to the gas station is an “out o f this world experience.” W ith M obil’s latest innova tio n s -- th e G o C a rd an d Speedpass — trips to the pum p become safer and faster. To pay for gas. you simply slide your Go C ard or wave your Speedpass across a scanner on the gas pum p, allowing you to pay for gas w ithout leaving your car unattended or opening your wallet. Asking the attendant for “$5 on pum p 10” could become a thing o f the past. “ 1 his technology is a benefit to custom ers who don’t w ant to carry cash,” says J. D onald Turk, M obil’s public affairs spokes man. “It is also a useful budgeting tool for teenage drivers,” he adds. “This program has been extremely well accepted by our cus tomers who have dem onstrated a choice for convenience and speed o f paym ent...and ensures parents th at their teenagers are spending m oney on gas and n o t o th er things.” T he G o Card is a pre-paid rechargeable gas card available in am ounts o f S25, S50 and S I00. M uch like a debit card, the mag netic strip is read and the am ount o f money spent is automatically deducted from the to tal am ount on the card. Since activation does not require a password, losing the G o C ard is the same as losing cash. Convenience and safety are the primarv concerns most frequently expressed by con sumers when making gas purchases, says lurk. The Speedpass key ring, which Mobil started rolling o u t in May, utilizes a m inia ture transponder device that employs radio signals to com m unicate w ith an electronic system in the gas pum p. W hen the kev tag device is waved across the scanner, it acti vates the pum p and automatically charges Publisher Randi Payton African Americans On Wheels 2034 National Press Building Washington, DC 20045 Tel. (202) 588-9459 Fax (202) 588-5136 STAFF Mobil Leads the Safety at the noce Speedpass H 'R E the purchase to your credit card. Both devices are provided free-of-charge to the consumer. Turk says the Speedpass program is well over half way through its introduction phase. For now, Mobil is ahead of its competitors in new technological con sumer products. Amoco said it is still surveying consumer groups to determine if there is broad interest in the Speedpass or similar technology. “The G o C ard and Speedpass are just one area o f service that M obil is providing its custom ers, say's Howard Miller, Amoco’s senior public affairs advisor for marketing. According to Miller, a survey' o f Amoco’s Chicago market revealed that Amoco stations in urban areas reported low incidences o f crime due to brighter stations, abilitv to make gas payments with a credit card at the pump, better placem ent o f the m ini-m an and at tendant stations and adding video cameras for security surveillance. lu r k says M obil is also taking measures to improve locations and lighting, but is pursuing technology as well. A variation o f the Speedpass. due out in November, is called the Speedpass C ar Tag. It can be m ounted on the windshield o f a vehicle, so the cus tom er does not have to leave the vehicle ex cept to pum p the gas. A similar technology is used throughout Europe where cars can drive straight through toll booths w ithout stopping. A device located at the pum p scans the car tag microchip, accesses vour credit card account via satellites and activates the pum p. G o Card and Speedpass are available now. and can be obtained at participating M obil stations or by calling 1 -800-730-T O -G O . AFRICAN AMERICANS ON SX Hl EI S AERK A N A M ER K A N SO N WHEELS 35
