Autos Plus

Autos plus

SUNDAY APRIL 13 2013

SECTION

S E A R C H B U Y S E L L L E A S E T R A D E CUMBERLINK.COM/AUTOS

g n i r Sp

Open HHOuse

New 2014 Chevrolet

New 2014 Chevrolet

Malibu lS #14065 • MSRP $22,980

Equinox lS aWD #74155 • MSRP $27,065

36 months. 36,000 miles. $1,913 due at signing.

1st payment & security deposit waived. With approved credit.

36 months. 36,000 miles. $5,328 due at signing.

Security deposit waived. With approved credit.

227/mo.

179/mo.

Lease $ for

New 2014 Chevrolet

SilvEraDolTCrEWCab4x4 All Star Edition, 5.3L V8 • #74022 $42,605 MSRP GM Supplier Price $39,678 GM Rebate -$1,750 Purchase Bonus Cash -$750 Package Rebate -$1,000

36,178 Save $6,427

Nowy $ onl

Lease $ for

New 2014 Chevrolet

SilvEraDolTDoublECab4x4 All Star Edition, 4.3L V6 • #74150 MSRP GM Supplier Price GM Rebate Purchase Bonus Cash Package Rebate

$40,420 $37,713 -$1,750 -$1,750 -$1,000

33,213 Save $7,207

Nowy $ onl

New 2014 Chevrolet

CruzE lS #14028 • MSRP $19,305

17,925

New 2014 Chevrolet

SilvEraDolT2500HDCrEWCab4x4 Duramax Diesel • #74098

MSRP GM Supplier Price GM Rebate Trade In Bonus

#64012 Luxury Package • MSRP $73,295

#64013 • MSRP $35,805

NOW ONLY

65,795 Save 7,500 $

$56,825 $52,420 -$3,500 -$750

48,170 Save $8,655

Nowy $ onl

New 2014 Cadillac

$

CaMaro lT #14045 • MSRP $28,660

Nowy $ onl

New 2014 Cadillac

Escalade AWD

New 2014 Chevrolet

25,824

Nowy $ onl

New 2014 Chevrolet

TaHoElTz714x4

Sunroof, DVD, Nav, Leather, Luxury Package • #74105

MSRP GM Supplier Price GM Rebate Value Certificates

$59,385 $55,053 -$1,500 -$1,000

52,553 Save $6,832

Nowy $ onl

ATS

NOW ONLY

32,444

$

Save $3,361

Prices include all applicable rebates. Tax & tags extra. See dealer for complete details.

730 East King strEEt shippEnsburg

Serving our community

532-2121 toll free 1-888-532-2121

Since 1932

View All Our Inventory at *All prices includes GM rebates and bonus cash offers. Tax & Tags Extra

hhchev.com

Autos plus

SUNDAY APRIL 13 2013

SECTION

S E A R C H B U Y S E L L L E A S E T R A D E CUMBERLINK.COM/AUTOS

g n i r Sp

Open HHOuse

New 2014 Chevrolet

New 2014 Chevrolet

Malibu lS #14065 • MSRP $22,980

Equinox lS aWD #74155 • MSRP $27,065

36 months. 36,000 miles. $1,913 due at signing.

1st payment & security deposit waived. With approved credit.

36 months. 36,000 miles. $5,328 due at signing.

Security deposit waived. With approved credit.

227/mo.

179/mo.

Lease $ for

New 2014 Chevrolet

SilvEraDolTCrEWCab4x4 All Star Edition, 5.3L V8 • #74022 $42,605 MSRP GM Supplier Price $39,678 GM Rebate -$1,750 Purchase Bonus Cash -$750 Package Rebate -$1,000

36,178 Save $6,427

Nowy $ onl

Lease $ for

New 2014 Chevrolet

SilvEraDolTDoublECab4x4 All Star Edition, 4.3L V6 • #74150 MSRP GM Supplier Price GM Rebate Purchase Bonus Cash Package Rebate

$40,420 $37,713 -$1,750 -$1,750 -$1,000

33,213 Save $7,207

Nowy $ onl

New 2014 Chevrolet

CruzE lS #14028 • MSRP $19,305

17,925

New 2014 Chevrolet

SilvEraDolT2500HDCrEWCab4x4 Duramax Diesel • #74098

MSRP GM Supplier Price GM Rebate Trade In Bonus

#64012 Luxury Package • MSRP $73,295

#64013 • MSRP $35,805

NOW ONLY

65,795 Save 7,500 $

$56,825 $52,420 -$3,500 -$750

48,170 Save $8,655

Nowy $ onl

New 2014 Cadillac

$

CaMaro lT #14045 • MSRP $28,660

Nowy $ onl

New 2014 Cadillac

Escalade AWD

New 2014 Chevrolet

25,824

Nowy $ onl

New 2014 Chevrolet

TaHoElTz714x4

Sunroof, DVD, Nav, Leather, Luxury Package • #74105

MSRP GM Supplier Price GM Rebate Value Certificates

$59,385 $55,053 -$1,500 -$1,000

52,553 Save $6,832

Nowy $ onl

ATS

NOW ONLY

32,444

$

Save $3,361

Prices include all applicable rebates. Tax & tags extra. See dealer for complete details.

730 East King strEEt shippEnsburg

Serving our community

532-2121 toll free 1-888-532-2121

Since 1932

View All Our Inventory at *All prices includes GM rebates and bonus cash offers. Tax & Tags Extra

hhchev.com

Autos Plus

E2 • The Sentinel

Sunday, April 13, 2014

2014 Mazda3 i Sedan: Re-designed for sportiness and efficiency When the Mazda3 entered the Japanese automaker’s lineup for the 2004 model year, replacing the Familia/323/Protégé, it made an immediate impact and soon became Mazda’s top-selling vehicle worldwide. To date, more than 3.5 million Mazda3 vehicles have been sold.

Not content with the second generation Mazda3, the all-new third-gen icon is at the dealerships and on the streets for 2014 with a lighter, more efficient body, a full suite of SKYACTIV technologies and it is packed with advanced electronics.

Additionally, Mazda3 gets more powerful, more fuelefficient engines for performance, economy and drivers’ smiles to replace the “smiling” front grillework that adorned the previous The third generation Mazda 3i Sedan is lighter and more efficient. generation’s face.

Engineering philosophy is engaged

SKYACTIV TECHNOLO GY, M a z d a ’s b re a k through engineering and manufacturing philosophy helps structure Mazda3 to a 41mpg EPA highway estimate. For 2014, Mazda3 receives the full suite of SKYACTIV technologies and a complete KODO “Soul of Motion” philosophy of architecture, all-new active safety technologies with iACTIVSENSE and an allnew “heads-up” HMI/infotainment system known as MAZDA CONNECT. With 11 trims and variations from base to Sport, Touring and Grand Touring in four-door and 5-door (hatchback) models, Mazda3 has a price and a capability for a wide variety of carbuyers. And Mazda has chosen to pack its vehicles, both the sedan and hatchback, with enough amenities to minimize options needed, thus keeping the fi-

nal sticker lower.

The MAZDA3 i SV 4door, as was the one I tested, was outfitted with 16inch wheels with full covers, gloss black dual folding power side mirrors, clearlens halogen headlights, daytime running lights, push button start, air conditioning with pollen filter, power door locks with 2-stage unlocking feature, power windows with driver’s-one-touch up/down, AM/FM audio system with digital clock and 4 speakers, auxiliary audio input jack and single USB audio input, dual 12V power outlets, cloth-trimmed sport seats, tilt and telescopic steering column, steeringwheel-mounted audio controls, analog speedometer and digital tachometer, trip computer, 3-point seat belts for all seating positions, advanced front air bags, front side-impact air bags and side-impact air curtains, tire pressure monitoring

system, Dynamic Stability Control and Traction Control System.

Lower, leaner and more stable, the 2014 Mazda3 sits on a wheelbase of 106.3 inches, which is 2.4 inches longer than the previous generation, yet the sedan is 0.6 inches shorter in overall length at 180.3 inches. Width is 70.7 inches‑ about 1.6 inches wider than the previous generation, and height measures a more steady 57.3 inches‑a half-inch shorter than Gen. 2. Curb weight is 2,848 lbs. for the automatic version, down about 60 pounds from last year.

Economical engine answers the call Powered by a 2.0-li ter 4-cylinder engine that produces 155 horsepower and 150 lbs.-ft. of torque, my automatic was rated at 30mpg in the city, 41mpg n the highway and 34mpg overall. My week of tests

By Mike Blake came in at 35.1mpg. An optional, more powerful 2.5liter engine is rated at 38 mpg on the highway.

Built for economy, rather than speed, my 2.0-liter took 8.2 seconds to sprint from zero to 60mph and ate up 16.5 seconds to travel a quarter-mile, but midrange torque was enough to answer my call for passing. I found the 2.0 to invade the cabin with engine noise, but handling was responsive, rack-and-pinion steering with electric power assist was auto-cross effective and an independent MacPherson front suspension and an independent multi-link rear leveled most

Submitted photo

early spring road irregularities.

Interior offers improved ambience Mazda3’s sporty cabin has improved its ambience and use of quality materials. Intuitively created with a free-flowing design and touchscreen and electronics interface, Mazda’s new meter cluster features a centrally-positioned analog gauge flanked by a pair of wing-shaped digital displays. The dial face for the center gauge is characterized by three-dimensional metallic numerals while its red-ringed border pulses in brightness when the driver’s door is opened.

Headroom is still a bit tight at 37.6 inches up front (with a moonroof) and 37.7 inches in row two. Legroom comes in at 42.2 inches in the first seats and 35.8 in the rear, and shoulder room

comes in at 57.2 and 54.4 – more roomy than Gen. 2.

From a safety perspective, the 2014 Mazda3 introduces several all-new safety systems under the umbrella known as i-ACTIVSENSE. These technologies use sensing devices such as milliwave radars and cameras to support the driver in recognizing hazards, avoiding collisions and minimizing damage, should accidents occur. These systems include High Beam Control, Blind Spot Monitoring, Lane Departure Warning System, Forward Obstruction Warning, Smart City Brake Support, Mazda Radar Cruise Control and Adaptive Front-lighting System.

2014 Mazda3 i SV 4door starts at $16,945 and the Sport model bases at $18,445. In Touring trim $19,595 will start you off and Grand Touring begins at $22,745. The top of the line, the 3 s Grand Touring starts at $25,995. My test base SV added automatic transmission for $1050. With Titanium Flash Mica paint outside and a black cloth interior at no charge, the vehicle was upgraded with a rear lip spoiler for $395, rear parking sensors for $450, compass auto-dimming mirror for $175, all-weather floor mats for $100 and rear bumper guards for $100. Adding the destination fee of $795, my test Mazda3 i SV stickered for $19,990.

V i s i t w w w. C a r lisleEvents.com for more on the automotive hobby.

Mike Blake, former editor of KIT CAR magazine, joined Carlisle Events as senior automotive journalist in 2004.

He’s been a “car guy” since the 1960s and has been writing professionally for about 30 years.

2014 Chevrolet Equinox: Small Crossover is quiet, comfortable and capable Chevrolet’s initial foray into the crossover genre was the Equinox, first introduced for the 2005 model year. Marketed as a compact SUV, the vehicle has evolved, market-wise, as a mid-size crossover, and its upscale look and feel have translated into strong sales since its second generation began in 2010.

Remaining in its Gen. 2 form, sales continue enthusiastically and continue to build for the utility vehicle that is built on GM’s “Theta” platform.

With a premium look and feel inside and out, vigorous engine choices, a quiet cabin, smooth ride and accommodating space and features, Equinox remains a solid performer despite being left essentially unchanged from 2013.

New features for 2014 include chrome-clad wheels Submitted photos on LTZ models and a pair The 2014 Chevrolet Equinox includes new features of exterior colors: Red Rock including chrome-clad wheels and the interior has Metallic and Silver Topaz perforated leather heated seats.

Metallic.

Connectivity and safety um roofline, wraparound dles, exterior mirrors, roof headlamps and dual round rack side rail inserts, a powEquinox seats five and is taillamps. Projector-style er-programmable liftgate available in LS, 1LT and 2LT headlamps are standard on and 18-inch chrome-clad trims, and LTZ models, with aluminum wheels to accenavailable all-wheel drive. the LTZ trim I tested.

The architecture turns tuate the exterior. Inside, the A top safety pick by several sources, Equinox employs heads with a multi-dimen- LTZ gets perforated leatheradvanced safety features, sional hood, wraparound appointed seats heated front including Forward Collision rear side glass and a wheels- seats, 8-way power-adjustAlert and Lane Departure at-the-corners stance. able front passenger seat, Warning as part of a com- Equinox adds function to memory settings for driver prehensive package of pas- style by improving aerody- seat and exterior mirrors, senger protection features. namic performance through enhanced interior lighting, Equinox delivers connec- a number of carefully de- Rear Park Assist and Unitivity and entertainment signed exterior features. versal Home Remote, while Equinox is either a mid- a sport-tuned suspension options with Chevrolet MyLink (available on LT and size or compact SUV based beefs up the LTZ ride feel.

LTZ), as well as an available on its dimensions: 187.8 rear-seat, dual-player DVD inches long; 72.5 inches wide Engine produces 301hp entertainment system with and 66.3 inches high on a Standard Equinox powdual displays in the front 187.8-inch wheelbase. The er comes from the Ecotec seat backs. crossover is good for ground 2.4-liter I-4 coupled with a clearance of 6.9 inches and 6T45 Hydra-Matic 6-speed The face of chevy has a curbweight of 3,922 lbs, automatic transmission The sporty-looking Equi- for the 3.6-liter I tested. for 182 hp and 172 lbs-ft of nox features Chevy’s signaFrom exterior to cabin, torque to deliver an EPA esture global face – a two-tier standard items abound as timate of 22 mpg in the city, grille and prominent gold my test Equinox in LTZ trim 32mpg on the highway and bowtie insignia that com- was outfitted with body- a 26mpg average for FWD bines with strong fender color bumpers with bright and 20/29/23 for AWD. My shapes, distinctive premi- lowers, chrome door han- Equinox LTZ test ride was

By Mike Blake

outfitted with the brawny 3.6-liter V-6 that produces 301hp and 272 lbs-ft of torque. The FWD version has been EPA estimated at 17/24/20 and the AWD, which I drove, comes in at 16/23/20. A week of mixeduse testing in wintry conditions yielded an average of 18.8 mpg.

On the track, Equinox was quicker than I expected, dashing from zero to 60mph in 7.2 seconds and finishing off a quarter-mile in 15.5. In road tests, the suspension favored comfort over precise handling and the hydraulic power rack-and-pinion steering was vague at times, but the cabin is very quiet and acceleration when called upon was unflinching.

Accommodating cabin Inside, Chevrolet has added an upgraded look, though it is not exactly a premium cabin.

Roomy, with seating for five, the interior accommodates 40.9 inches of headroom up front and 39.2 inches in row two; legroom measures 41.2 inches in the row one and 39.9 in the rear, while shoulder room is 55.8 inches up front and 55.3 behind.

The stylish cabin is designed for comfort, convenience and versatility, and features a striking dual-cowl design. Interior amenities include Chevrolet MyLink radio with navigation, air conditioning with automatic climate control, adap-

tive remote start that also activates the front and rear defrosters, heated seats and outside heated mirrors when the temperature is 45 degrees or colder, ice-blue ambient lighting, color touch-screen radio with SiriusXM with MP3 capability, and an ergonomic “floating” center stack that houses numerous controls.

The 2014 Chevrolet Equinox starts at $25,315 including destination and freight ($875) for the front-wheeldrive LS trim and goes to $26,960 for the frontwheel-drive 1LT; bases at $28,830 for the 2LT and starts at $32,525 (including destination and freight) for the line-topping LTZ trim in FWD with the smaller 2.4liter engine. My test LTZ was in All-wheel-drive (which I nearly always recommend) and based at $34,275. My ride was upgraded to the 3.6-liter V-6 for an additional $1500. The Protection Package added $300 for all-weather floor mats and front and rear molded splash guards; the power sunroof added $995; rear seat entertainment was $1295; Chevrolet MyLink with Navigation was another $795; roof racks and cross rails added $170; a cargo net was $55 and heated rear seats added $560 for a sticker-as-tested of $39,945.

Visit www.CarlisleEvents. com for more on the automotive hobby.

Mike Blake, former editor of KIT CAR magazine, joined Carlisle Events as senior automotive journalist in 2004.

He’s been a “car guy” since the 1960s and has been writing professionally for about 30 years.

Autos Plus

E2 • The Sentinel

Sunday, April 13, 2014

2014 Mazda3 i Sedan: Re-designed for sportiness and efficiency When the Mazda3 entered the Japanese automaker’s lineup for the 2004 model year, replacing the Familia/323/Protégé, it made an immediate impact and soon became Mazda’s top-selling vehicle worldwide. To date, more than 3.5 million Mazda3 vehicles have been sold.

Not content with the second generation Mazda3, the all-new third-gen icon is at the dealerships and on the streets for 2014 with a lighter, more efficient body, a full suite of SKYACTIV technologies and it is packed with advanced electronics.

Additionally, Mazda3 gets more powerful, more fuelefficient engines for performance, economy and drivers’ smiles to replace the “smiling” front grillework that adorned the previous The third generation Mazda 3i Sedan is lighter and more efficient. generation’s face.

Engineering philosophy is engaged

SKYACTIV TECHNOLO GY, M a z d a ’s b re a k through engineering and manufacturing philosophy helps structure Mazda3 to a 41mpg EPA highway estimate. For 2014, Mazda3 receives the full suite of SKYACTIV technologies and a complete KODO “Soul of Motion” philosophy of architecture, all-new active safety technologies with iACTIVSENSE and an allnew “heads-up” HMI/infotainment system known as MAZDA CONNECT. With 11 trims and variations from base to Sport, Touring and Grand Touring in four-door and 5-door (hatchback) models, Mazda3 has a price and a capability for a wide variety of carbuyers. And Mazda has chosen to pack its vehicles, both the sedan and hatchback, with enough amenities to minimize options needed, thus keeping the fi-

nal sticker lower.

The MAZDA3 i SV 4door, as was the one I tested, was outfitted with 16inch wheels with full covers, gloss black dual folding power side mirrors, clearlens halogen headlights, daytime running lights, push button start, air conditioning with pollen filter, power door locks with 2-stage unlocking feature, power windows with driver’s-one-touch up/down, AM/FM audio system with digital clock and 4 speakers, auxiliary audio input jack and single USB audio input, dual 12V power outlets, cloth-trimmed sport seats, tilt and telescopic steering column, steeringwheel-mounted audio controls, analog speedometer and digital tachometer, trip computer, 3-point seat belts for all seating positions, advanced front air bags, front side-impact air bags and side-impact air curtains, tire pressure monitoring

system, Dynamic Stability Control and Traction Control System.

Lower, leaner and more stable, the 2014 Mazda3 sits on a wheelbase of 106.3 inches, which is 2.4 inches longer than the previous generation, yet the sedan is 0.6 inches shorter in overall length at 180.3 inches. Width is 70.7 inches‑ about 1.6 inches wider than the previous generation, and height measures a more steady 57.3 inches‑a half-inch shorter than Gen. 2. Curb weight is 2,848 lbs. for the automatic version, down about 60 pounds from last year.

Economical engine answers the call Powered by a 2.0-li ter 4-cylinder engine that produces 155 horsepower and 150 lbs.-ft. of torque, my automatic was rated at 30mpg in the city, 41mpg n the highway and 34mpg overall. My week of tests

By Mike Blake came in at 35.1mpg. An optional, more powerful 2.5liter engine is rated at 38 mpg on the highway.

Built for economy, rather than speed, my 2.0-liter took 8.2 seconds to sprint from zero to 60mph and ate up 16.5 seconds to travel a quarter-mile, but midrange torque was enough to answer my call for passing. I found the 2.0 to invade the cabin with engine noise, but handling was responsive, rack-and-pinion steering with electric power assist was auto-cross effective and an independent MacPherson front suspension and an independent multi-link rear leveled most

Submitted photo

early spring road irregularities.

Interior offers improved ambience Mazda3’s sporty cabin has improved its ambience and use of quality materials. Intuitively created with a free-flowing design and touchscreen and electronics interface, Mazda’s new meter cluster features a centrally-positioned analog gauge flanked by a pair of wing-shaped digital displays. The dial face for the center gauge is characterized by three-dimensional metallic numerals while its red-ringed border pulses in brightness when the driver’s door is opened.

Headroom is still a bit tight at 37.6 inches up front (with a moonroof) and 37.7 inches in row two. Legroom comes in at 42.2 inches in the first seats and 35.8 in the rear, and shoulder room

comes in at 57.2 and 54.4 – more roomy than Gen. 2.

From a safety perspective, the 2014 Mazda3 introduces several all-new safety systems under the umbrella known as i-ACTIVSENSE. These technologies use sensing devices such as milliwave radars and cameras to support the driver in recognizing hazards, avoiding collisions and minimizing damage, should accidents occur. These systems include High Beam Control, Blind Spot Monitoring, Lane Departure Warning System, Forward Obstruction Warning, Smart City Brake Support, Mazda Radar Cruise Control and Adaptive Front-lighting System.

2014 Mazda3 i SV 4door starts at $16,945 and the Sport model bases at $18,445. In Touring trim $19,595 will start you off and Grand Touring begins at $22,745. The top of the line, the 3 s Grand Touring starts at $25,995. My test base SV added automatic transmission for $1050. With Titanium Flash Mica paint outside and a black cloth interior at no charge, the vehicle was upgraded with a rear lip spoiler for $395, rear parking sensors for $450, compass auto-dimming mirror for $175, all-weather floor mats for $100 and rear bumper guards for $100. Adding the destination fee of $795, my test Mazda3 i SV stickered for $19,990.

V i s i t w w w. C a r lisleEvents.com for more on the automotive hobby.

Mike Blake, former editor of KIT CAR magazine, joined Carlisle Events as senior automotive journalist in 2004.

He’s been a “car guy” since the 1960s and has been writing professionally for about 30 years.

2014 Chevrolet Equinox: Small Crossover is quiet, comfortable and capable Chevrolet’s initial foray into the crossover genre was the Equinox, first introduced for the 2005 model year. Marketed as a compact SUV, the vehicle has evolved, market-wise, as a mid-size crossover, and its upscale look and feel have translated into strong sales since its second generation began in 2010.

Remaining in its Gen. 2 form, sales continue enthusiastically and continue to build for the utility vehicle that is built on GM’s “Theta” platform.

With a premium look and feel inside and out, vigorous engine choices, a quiet cabin, smooth ride and accommodating space and features, Equinox remains a solid performer despite being left essentially unchanged from 2013.

New features for 2014 include chrome-clad wheels Submitted photos on LTZ models and a pair The 2014 Chevrolet Equinox includes new features of exterior colors: Red Rock including chrome-clad wheels and the interior has Metallic and Silver Topaz perforated leather heated seats.

Metallic.

Connectivity and safety um roofline, wraparound dles, exterior mirrors, roof headlamps and dual round rack side rail inserts, a powEquinox seats five and is taillamps. Projector-style er-programmable liftgate available in LS, 1LT and 2LT headlamps are standard on and 18-inch chrome-clad trims, and LTZ models, with aluminum wheels to accenavailable all-wheel drive. the LTZ trim I tested.

The architecture turns tuate the exterior. Inside, the A top safety pick by several sources, Equinox employs heads with a multi-dimen- LTZ gets perforated leatheradvanced safety features, sional hood, wraparound appointed seats heated front including Forward Collision rear side glass and a wheels- seats, 8-way power-adjustAlert and Lane Departure at-the-corners stance. able front passenger seat, Warning as part of a com- Equinox adds function to memory settings for driver prehensive package of pas- style by improving aerody- seat and exterior mirrors, senger protection features. namic performance through enhanced interior lighting, Equinox delivers connec- a number of carefully de- Rear Park Assist and Unitivity and entertainment signed exterior features. versal Home Remote, while Equinox is either a mid- a sport-tuned suspension options with Chevrolet MyLink (available on LT and size or compact SUV based beefs up the LTZ ride feel.

LTZ), as well as an available on its dimensions: 187.8 rear-seat, dual-player DVD inches long; 72.5 inches wide Engine produces 301hp entertainment system with and 66.3 inches high on a Standard Equinox powdual displays in the front 187.8-inch wheelbase. The er comes from the Ecotec seat backs. crossover is good for ground 2.4-liter I-4 coupled with a clearance of 6.9 inches and 6T45 Hydra-Matic 6-speed The face of chevy has a curbweight of 3,922 lbs, automatic transmission The sporty-looking Equi- for the 3.6-liter I tested. for 182 hp and 172 lbs-ft of nox features Chevy’s signaFrom exterior to cabin, torque to deliver an EPA esture global face – a two-tier standard items abound as timate of 22 mpg in the city, grille and prominent gold my test Equinox in LTZ trim 32mpg on the highway and bowtie insignia that com- was outfitted with body- a 26mpg average for FWD bines with strong fender color bumpers with bright and 20/29/23 for AWD. My shapes, distinctive premi- lowers, chrome door han- Equinox LTZ test ride was

By Mike Blake

outfitted with the brawny 3.6-liter V-6 that produces 301hp and 272 lbs-ft of torque. The FWD version has been EPA estimated at 17/24/20 and the AWD, which I drove, comes in at 16/23/20. A week of mixeduse testing in wintry conditions yielded an average of 18.8 mpg.

On the track, Equinox was quicker than I expected, dashing from zero to 60mph in 7.2 seconds and finishing off a quarter-mile in 15.5. In road tests, the suspension favored comfort over precise handling and the hydraulic power rack-and-pinion steering was vague at times, but the cabin is very quiet and acceleration when called upon was unflinching.

Accommodating cabin Inside, Chevrolet has added an upgraded look, though it is not exactly a premium cabin.

Roomy, with seating for five, the interior accommodates 40.9 inches of headroom up front and 39.2 inches in row two; legroom measures 41.2 inches in the row one and 39.9 in the rear, while shoulder room is 55.8 inches up front and 55.3 behind.

The stylish cabin is designed for comfort, convenience and versatility, and features a striking dual-cowl design. Interior amenities include Chevrolet MyLink radio with navigation, air conditioning with automatic climate control, adap-

tive remote start that also activates the front and rear defrosters, heated seats and outside heated mirrors when the temperature is 45 degrees or colder, ice-blue ambient lighting, color touch-screen radio with SiriusXM with MP3 capability, and an ergonomic “floating” center stack that houses numerous controls.

The 2014 Chevrolet Equinox starts at $25,315 including destination and freight ($875) for the front-wheeldrive LS trim and goes to $26,960 for the frontwheel-drive 1LT; bases at $28,830 for the 2LT and starts at $32,525 (including destination and freight) for the line-topping LTZ trim in FWD with the smaller 2.4liter engine. My test LTZ was in All-wheel-drive (which I nearly always recommend) and based at $34,275. My ride was upgraded to the 3.6-liter V-6 for an additional $1500. The Protection Package added $300 for all-weather floor mats and front and rear molded splash guards; the power sunroof added $995; rear seat entertainment was $1295; Chevrolet MyLink with Navigation was another $795; roof racks and cross rails added $170; a cargo net was $55 and heated rear seats added $560 for a sticker-as-tested of $39,945.

Visit www.CarlisleEvents. com for more on the automotive hobby.

Mike Blake, former editor of KIT CAR magazine, joined Carlisle Events as senior automotive journalist in 2004.

He’s been a “car guy” since the 1960s and has been writing professionally for about 30 years.

Autos Plus

Sunday, April 13, 2014

The Sentinel • E3

When cars ruled the World’s Fair

By Phil Patton New York Times NEW YORK — From its humble origins as a New York City garbage dump — inspiration for the valley of ashes in “The Great Gatsby” — Flushing Meadows Corona Park emerged as the site of two world’s fairs, in 1939-40 and 1964-65.

The first fair laid out a glorious vision for the automobile: General Motors’ Futurama exhibition, designed by Norman Bel Geddes, depicted the multilane highways of the future. The second fair arrived with that vision mostly realized — and the automobile near the pinnacle of its power and prestige.

Fifty years ago, Lee A. Iacocca unveiled the Mustang even before the fair’s opening day, with a news conference on April 13, 1964.

But there were many other auto-centered displays throughout the fair’s run.

Chrysler showed cars with turbine engines; GM offered concept cars shaped like jet planes.

But in retrospect, the second fair can be seen as the last un-self-conscious public celebration of automotive culture before concerns about safety and fuel economy changed it forever. Ralph Nader’s “Unsafe at Any Speed” would be published the month after the fair closed; waiting in the wings were the OPEC fuel crises and the mass invasion of economical, reliable cars and trucks from Japan.

As in 1939, the transportation area where the auto pavilions were situated was across the Grand Central Parkway, south of the main part of the fair and reached by pedestrian overpasses.

While American Motors was not represented, Detroit’s Big Three competed in their presentations. Ford claimed its pavilion was the largest at the fair: “A journey of imagination across time and space” that extended “nearly three foot-

ball fields!” But the facade of GM’s pavilion towered high above it.

GM showed a colony on the moon. It included vehicles, of course, called lunar crawlers. But Chrysler had real moon rockets.

At the Ford pavilion, some of the new Mustang convertibles, along with models like Falcons and Galaxies — were pressed into service on the moving belt of the Magic Skyway ride, designed by Walt Disney. Visitors sat in the cars as they rolled past displays of mechanically animated dinosaurs, mammoths and a Neanderthal man.

GM decided to repeat its successful strategy from 1939 with the Futurama II display. It included dioramas suggesting how the world would continue to be developed. In the year that the Beatles arrived and Bob Dylan went mainstream, GM showcased a particularly myopic vision of the future.

Its pavilion showed gigantic machines for conquering the oceans, the deserts and the Arctic.

What was then jungle — rain forest, in today’s parlance — would be conquered by an atomic-powered 300-foot-long machine that would cut trees with lasers, spread herbicide and extrude behind it a four-lane freeway at a rate of a mile an hour.

GM did show more practical technology, such as a fuel cell and a turbine engine. And in addition to its dream cars, GM displayed future products of its other divisions, including five dream kitchens.

Chrysler, however, may have offered the most popular display of the domestic automakers. Among the attractions on five islands, linked by bridges in a 6acre artificial lake, were a puppet show and an airborne ride over a simulated assembly line on Production Island. There was a building-size automobile model that children could scramble through.

automotive BRIEF BMW extends recall worldwide to half-million cars BERLIN — German automaker BMW is issuing a worldwide recall of many models of cars with certain six-cylinder gas motors after identifying a problem with a bolt used in the engine.

The company said Friday that a recall started in China last week has now been extended worldwide, affecting 489,000 vehicles, including 156,000 in the U.S.

BMW says in rare cases one of four bolts holding the cover on the engine’s variable camshaft timing system breaks, which can then cause other bolts to fail. That means oil begins leaking from the unit, causing the timing system to become sluggish. It can eventually lead to complete engine failure.

The company says customers will be notified if their models are affected and that the repair takes a few hours at most.

Associated Press

Associated Press

Audi shows the 2014 Audi RS 7 automobile.

Audi’s RS 7 is answer to Porsche, Mercedes

By Ann M. Job Associated Press The 2014 Audi RS 7 checks all the boxes and then some for wealthy car buyers who want a stylish, luxury sedan that looks like a coupe, delivers 500-plus turbocharged V-8 horsepower and comes with a high-brow German pedigree.

With a starting retail price of $105,795, the RS 7 adds impressive bragging rights and tasteful subtlety, too.

New for 2014, the fivedoor, four-passenger RS 7 is the most powerful RSbranded Audi available in the United States today with a full 560 horses and 516 footpounds of torque that comes on as low as 1,750 rpm.

RS models are engineered and built by Audi’s high performance unit, quattro GmbH. In fact, the RS 7’s speedy, 0-to-60-miles-per-hour time of 3.7 seconds per the manufacturer matches that of Audi’s top sports car, the sexy RS 8 V-10 coupe.

But the RS 7 looks much more subtle, with few exterior clues advertising its performance prowess. And for all its power and capable handling, the RS 7 can be comfortably composed for everyday driving, even in congested city traffic.

Plus, the RS 7 can include all manner of plush and unique amenities like well-bolstered seats where the leather has honeycomb stitching for a quilt-like look and a stellar, 15-speaker Bang & Olufsen sound system where tweeters “appear” at the top of the dashboard.

Given its name, the RS 7

obviously is based on Audi’s mid-size, coupe-look, five door, the A7, and serves as the pinnacle of the A7 line.

But the RS 7, which includes as standard equipm e n t A u d i ’s q u a t t r o all-wheel drive system, eight-speed T iptronic transmission, paddle shifters, sunroof, power tailgate, four-zone automatic climate control, navigation system, handwriting-recognition technology, 12way, power front seats and full light-emitting diode headlamps, also is Audi’s answer to some heady fourand five-door luxury-sport competition from Germany.

As an example, the 2014 Porsche Panamera Turbo, which comes with a 520horsepower V-8, all-wheel drive and seven-speed automatic transmission, carries a starting retail price of $142,295.

Another competitor, the 2014 Mercedes-Benz CLS63 AMG, has a starting MSRP, including destination charge, of $100,425 with 550-horsepower, biturbo V8, seven-speed automatic and all-wheel drive.

Admittedly, appearances are subjective. But the Panamera has been polarizing to some Porsche purists, while the Mercedes CLS63 AMG looks sinister to some critics.

In contrast, Audi officials stuck to the handsome, trademark Audi styling of the A7 when making the RS 7 and resisted the temptation to turn it into a cheapy, boy racer, customized A7.

Yes, the RS 7 has specialdesign wheels that can be as large as 21 inches in diameter, and there are ap-

propriate black carbon fiber trim pieces here and there.

But the word “stealth” kept coming to mind during the drive of the test RS 7 with $125,095 price tag that included $19,300 worth of optional equipment.

The optional power, softclose doors were shaped carefully into the sides so as not to chop up the flowing coupe-look lines. And there’s still a decent 36.6 inches of rear-seat headroom and 37 inches of rearseat legroom.

The 4,400-plus-pound car with quiet interior had a solid and stable feel but didn’t seem heavy or ponderous.

Certainly, the turbocharged, 4-liter, 90-degree V-8 gave swift but measured response to any pressure on the gas pedal. But oh, how dramatic the RS 7 could be when the gas pedal went down hard all the way.

The car seemed to get up on its back tires, point the grille to the sky and launch, pinning the backs of passengers into their seatbacks.

Breathless, more than one passenger remarked how his heart raced. The RS 7 surely can race, too.

The power delivery is to all four wheels, but with Audi’s quattro tuned for a 40 percent front and 60 percent rear bias to mimic sportpreferred rear-wheel drive.

There’s torque vectoring to the sides of the car, too, to ensure steady handling.

Shod with summer tires and a standard sports rear differential, the test RS 7 bit down into the asphalt without a squeal or hesitation and just took off.

But guess what? The pow-

erful RS 7 also has a standard fuel-saving system called cylinder on demand that helps this car escape the federal gas guzzler tax.

Basically, electronics monitor when the RS 7 is running leisure say, when torque demand is between 25 percent to 40 percent of maximum and can automatically deactivate four of the eight engine cylinders.

The deactivation is done so smoothly that the test car never gave a hint when it was going on or when all eight cylinders were engaging again.

The result, though, is a noteworthy for a 560horsepower V-8 fuel economy rating by the federal government of 16 miles per gallon in city driving and 27 mpg on the highway. This is better than the 15/24 mpg of the 2014 Panamera Turbo and the 16/25 mpg of the 2014 Mercedes CLS63 AMG. In the tester, which was driven hard much of the time, fuel mileage averaged 18 mpg in combined city and highway travel. So, travel range on a single 19.8-gallon tank was 356 miles.

The 7-inch, brightly colored display that protruded from the top center of the RS 7 dashboard seemed more like a television than an information display and caught the attention of nearby drivers at night.

The trunk opening was sizable for a coupe-look car.

With rear seatbacks split 60/40 and foldable downward, maximum cargo capacity is 24.5 cubic feet. This is akin to the trunk in a large sedan.

GM stock drops 4 percent, hits 10-month low

By Tom Krisher Associated Press

DETROIT — Shares of General Motors Co. sank to a 10-month low Friday amid continuing fallout from a mishandled recall of 2.6 million small cars.

Standard & Poor’s raised doubts that GM’s credit rating would be restored to investment grade status this year after the automaker boosted its estimated for costs related to a series of recalls announced since February. And documents released by a House subcommittee raised further questions about GM’s handling of safety issues.

The stock fell $1.37, or 4.1 percent, to close at $31.93, with most of the decline in the middle of the afternoon.

It’s the first time the shares have dropped below GM’s 2010 initial public offering price of $33 since June of last year.

Late in the trading day, an email released by a U.S. House subcommittee showed that CEO Mary Barra, then the head of product development, was told in 2011 that the Saturn Ion could be included in an ongoing recall of small cars

Associated Press

Family members whose loved ones died behind the wheel of defective General Motors vehicles listen to testimony of General Motors CEO Mary Barra on Capitol Hill in Washington. for a power-steering problem. GM was resisting an expansion of the recall. The Ion wasn’t recalled for the steering problem until last week.

At the time, GM’s safety and recall operations reported to Barra, spokesman Kevin Kelly confirmed Friday. The power steering recall, which included the

Chevrolet Cobalt, is separate from the recall of 2.6 million small cars for an ignition switch problem that GM says is linked to 13 deaths.

Barra has repeatedly stated that she first learned of the ignition switch problem last December, just after being named CEO. The email released Friday doesn’t in-

dicate that Barra had prior knowledge of the switch defect. But it does show that she at least was aware of a separate safety problem more than two years before GM issued a recall.

GM began recall cars including the Cobalt for the ignition switch problem on Feb. 13. The switch can unexpectedly slip out of the

“run” position and shut down the cars’ engines, which cuts off power steering and stops air bags from deploying.

On Thursday, GM announced that the recalled small cars need to have another part repaired, boosted the estimated cost of recalls announced in the past two months to $1.3 billion from an initial $300 million. In addition to the small cars, the company has recalled 3.7 million other vehicles for various problems.

The company said that despite the recall charge, it expects to report “solid core operating performance” in the first quarter. If it reports a quarterly net loss, it would be GM’s first since 2009.

S&P said an upgrade of GM’s credit to an investment grade rating is less likely this year, and more likely in 2015. GM’s debt has below investment grade, or at “junk” status, since 2005.

The company has acknowledged that it knew about the ignition switch problem for at least a decade. Yet it didn’t recall the cars until this year. The admission has brought investigations from two congressional committees, the

Justice Department and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the government’s road safety agency.

On Thursday, GM announced that it had placed two engineers on paid suspension for their roles in the mishandling of the ignition switch issue.

S&P did keep its positive outlook on GM, but said it’s assuming a 0.5 percent drop in the company’s North American market share this year. Last September, Moody’s Investors Service upgraded GM’s credit rating to investment grade, but S&P kept its rating one notch below that at BBplus.

S&P also said it would consider “a negative rating action” if “recall-related developments become worse than we expect.”

The ratings agency said it expects to see several billion dollars of cash outflows from recall-related costs, fines and settlements during the next several years, but notes that GM has a $28 billion cash stockpile to withstand that.

GM wouldn’t comment on the S&P note.

Autos Plus

Sunday, April 13, 2014

The Sentinel • E3

When cars ruled the World’s Fair

By Phil Patton New York Times NEW YORK — From its humble origins as a New York City garbage dump — inspiration for the valley of ashes in “The Great Gatsby” — Flushing Meadows Corona Park emerged as the site of two world’s fairs, in 1939-40 and 1964-65.

The first fair laid out a glorious vision for the automobile: General Motors’ Futurama exhibition, designed by Norman Bel Geddes, depicted the multilane highways of the future. The second fair arrived with that vision mostly realized — and the automobile near the pinnacle of its power and prestige.

Fifty years ago, Lee A. Iacocca unveiled the Mustang even before the fair’s opening day, with a news conference on April 13, 1964.

But there were many other auto-centered displays throughout the fair’s run.

Chrysler showed cars with turbine engines; GM offered concept cars shaped like jet planes.

But in retrospect, the second fair can be seen as the last un-self-conscious public celebration of automotive culture before concerns about safety and fuel economy changed it forever. Ralph Nader’s “Unsafe at Any Speed” would be published the month after the fair closed; waiting in the wings were the OPEC fuel crises and the mass invasion of economical, reliable cars and trucks from Japan.

As in 1939, the transportation area where the auto pavilions were situated was across the Grand Central Parkway, south of the main part of the fair and reached by pedestrian overpasses.

While American Motors was not represented, Detroit’s Big Three competed in their presentations. Ford claimed its pavilion was the largest at the fair: “A journey of imagination across time and space” that extended “nearly three foot-

ball fields!” But the facade of GM’s pavilion towered high above it.

GM showed a colony on the moon. It included vehicles, of course, called lunar crawlers. But Chrysler had real moon rockets.

At the Ford pavilion, some of the new Mustang convertibles, along with models like Falcons and Galaxies — were pressed into service on the moving belt of the Magic Skyway ride, designed by Walt Disney. Visitors sat in the cars as they rolled past displays of mechanically animated dinosaurs, mammoths and a Neanderthal man.

GM decided to repeat its successful strategy from 1939 with the Futurama II display. It included dioramas suggesting how the world would continue to be developed. In the year that the Beatles arrived and Bob Dylan went mainstream, GM showcased a particularly myopic vision of the future.

Its pavilion showed gigantic machines for conquering the oceans, the deserts and the Arctic.

What was then jungle — rain forest, in today’s parlance — would be conquered by an atomic-powered 300-foot-long machine that would cut trees with lasers, spread herbicide and extrude behind it a four-lane freeway at a rate of a mile an hour.

GM did show more practical technology, such as a fuel cell and a turbine engine. And in addition to its dream cars, GM displayed future products of its other divisions, including five dream kitchens.

Chrysler, however, may have offered the most popular display of the domestic automakers. Among the attractions on five islands, linked by bridges in a 6acre artificial lake, were a puppet show and an airborne ride over a simulated assembly line on Production Island. There was a building-size automobile model that children could scramble through.

automotive BRIEF BMW extends recall worldwide to half-million cars BERLIN — German automaker BMW is issuing a worldwide recall of many models of cars with certain six-cylinder gas motors after identifying a problem with a bolt used in the engine.

The company said Friday that a recall started in China last week has now been extended worldwide, affecting 489,000 vehicles, including 156,000 in the U.S.

BMW says in rare cases one of four bolts holding the cover on the engine’s variable camshaft timing system breaks, which can then cause other bolts to fail. That means oil begins leaking from the unit, causing the timing system to become sluggish. It can eventually lead to complete engine failure.

The company says customers will be notified if their models are affected and that the repair takes a few hours at most.

Associated Press

Associated Press

Audi shows the 2014 Audi RS 7 automobile.

Audi’s RS 7 is answer to Porsche, Mercedes

By Ann M. Job Associated Press The 2014 Audi RS 7 checks all the boxes and then some for wealthy car buyers who want a stylish, luxury sedan that looks like a coupe, delivers 500-plus turbocharged V-8 horsepower and comes with a high-brow German pedigree.

With a starting retail price of $105,795, the RS 7 adds impressive bragging rights and tasteful subtlety, too.

New for 2014, the fivedoor, four-passenger RS 7 is the most powerful RSbranded Audi available in the United States today with a full 560 horses and 516 footpounds of torque that comes on as low as 1,750 rpm.

RS models are engineered and built by Audi’s high performance unit, quattro GmbH. In fact, the RS 7’s speedy, 0-to-60-miles-per-hour time of 3.7 seconds per the manufacturer matches that of Audi’s top sports car, the sexy RS 8 V-10 coupe.

But the RS 7 looks much more subtle, with few exterior clues advertising its performance prowess. And for all its power and capable handling, the RS 7 can be comfortably composed for everyday driving, even in congested city traffic.

Plus, the RS 7 can include all manner of plush and unique amenities like well-bolstered seats where the leather has honeycomb stitching for a quilt-like look and a stellar, 15-speaker Bang & Olufsen sound system where tweeters “appear” at the top of the dashboard.

Given its name, the RS 7

obviously is based on Audi’s mid-size, coupe-look, five door, the A7, and serves as the pinnacle of the A7 line.

But the RS 7, which includes as standard equipm e n t A u d i ’s q u a t t r o all-wheel drive system, eight-speed T iptronic transmission, paddle shifters, sunroof, power tailgate, four-zone automatic climate control, navigation system, handwriting-recognition technology, 12way, power front seats and full light-emitting diode headlamps, also is Audi’s answer to some heady fourand five-door luxury-sport competition from Germany.

As an example, the 2014 Porsche Panamera Turbo, which comes with a 520horsepower V-8, all-wheel drive and seven-speed automatic transmission, carries a starting retail price of $142,295.

Another competitor, the 2014 Mercedes-Benz CLS63 AMG, has a starting MSRP, including destination charge, of $100,425 with 550-horsepower, biturbo V8, seven-speed automatic and all-wheel drive.

Admittedly, appearances are subjective. But the Panamera has been polarizing to some Porsche purists, while the Mercedes CLS63 AMG looks sinister to some critics.

In contrast, Audi officials stuck to the handsome, trademark Audi styling of the A7 when making the RS 7 and resisted the temptation to turn it into a cheapy, boy racer, customized A7.

Yes, the RS 7 has specialdesign wheels that can be as large as 21 inches in diameter, and there are ap-

propriate black carbon fiber trim pieces here and there.

But the word “stealth” kept coming to mind during the drive of the test RS 7 with $125,095 price tag that included $19,300 worth of optional equipment.

The optional power, softclose doors were shaped carefully into the sides so as not to chop up the flowing coupe-look lines. And there’s still a decent 36.6 inches of rear-seat headroom and 37 inches of rearseat legroom.

The 4,400-plus-pound car with quiet interior had a solid and stable feel but didn’t seem heavy or ponderous.

Certainly, the turbocharged, 4-liter, 90-degree V-8 gave swift but measured response to any pressure on the gas pedal. But oh, how dramatic the RS 7 could be when the gas pedal went down hard all the way.

The car seemed to get up on its back tires, point the grille to the sky and launch, pinning the backs of passengers into their seatbacks.

Breathless, more than one passenger remarked how his heart raced. The RS 7 surely can race, too.

The power delivery is to all four wheels, but with Audi’s quattro tuned for a 40 percent front and 60 percent rear bias to mimic sportpreferred rear-wheel drive.

There’s torque vectoring to the sides of the car, too, to ensure steady handling.

Shod with summer tires and a standard sports rear differential, the test RS 7 bit down into the asphalt without a squeal or hesitation and just took off.

But guess what? The pow-

erful RS 7 also has a standard fuel-saving system called cylinder on demand that helps this car escape the federal gas guzzler tax.

Basically, electronics monitor when the RS 7 is running leisure say, when torque demand is between 25 percent to 40 percent of maximum and can automatically deactivate four of the eight engine cylinders.

The deactivation is done so smoothly that the test car never gave a hint when it was going on or when all eight cylinders were engaging again.

The result, though, is a noteworthy for a 560horsepower V-8 fuel economy rating by the federal government of 16 miles per gallon in city driving and 27 mpg on the highway. This is better than the 15/24 mpg of the 2014 Panamera Turbo and the 16/25 mpg of the 2014 Mercedes CLS63 AMG. In the tester, which was driven hard much of the time, fuel mileage averaged 18 mpg in combined city and highway travel. So, travel range on a single 19.8-gallon tank was 356 miles.

The 7-inch, brightly colored display that protruded from the top center of the RS 7 dashboard seemed more like a television than an information display and caught the attention of nearby drivers at night.

The trunk opening was sizable for a coupe-look car.

With rear seatbacks split 60/40 and foldable downward, maximum cargo capacity is 24.5 cubic feet. This is akin to the trunk in a large sedan.

GM stock drops 4 percent, hits 10-month low

By Tom Krisher Associated Press

DETROIT — Shares of General Motors Co. sank to a 10-month low Friday amid continuing fallout from a mishandled recall of 2.6 million small cars.

Standard & Poor’s raised doubts that GM’s credit rating would be restored to investment grade status this year after the automaker boosted its estimated for costs related to a series of recalls announced since February. And documents released by a House subcommittee raised further questions about GM’s handling of safety issues.

The stock fell $1.37, or 4.1 percent, to close at $31.93, with most of the decline in the middle of the afternoon.

It’s the first time the shares have dropped below GM’s 2010 initial public offering price of $33 since June of last year.

Late in the trading day, an email released by a U.S. House subcommittee showed that CEO Mary Barra, then the head of product development, was told in 2011 that the Saturn Ion could be included in an ongoing recall of small cars

Associated Press

Family members whose loved ones died behind the wheel of defective General Motors vehicles listen to testimony of General Motors CEO Mary Barra on Capitol Hill in Washington. for a power-steering problem. GM was resisting an expansion of the recall. The Ion wasn’t recalled for the steering problem until last week.

At the time, GM’s safety and recall operations reported to Barra, spokesman Kevin Kelly confirmed Friday. The power steering recall, which included the

Chevrolet Cobalt, is separate from the recall of 2.6 million small cars for an ignition switch problem that GM says is linked to 13 deaths.

Barra has repeatedly stated that she first learned of the ignition switch problem last December, just after being named CEO. The email released Friday doesn’t in-

dicate that Barra had prior knowledge of the switch defect. But it does show that she at least was aware of a separate safety problem more than two years before GM issued a recall.

GM began recall cars including the Cobalt for the ignition switch problem on Feb. 13. The switch can unexpectedly slip out of the

“run” position and shut down the cars’ engines, which cuts off power steering and stops air bags from deploying.

On Thursday, GM announced that the recalled small cars need to have another part repaired, boosted the estimated cost of recalls announced in the past two months to $1.3 billion from an initial $300 million. In addition to the small cars, the company has recalled 3.7 million other vehicles for various problems.

The company said that despite the recall charge, it expects to report “solid core operating performance” in the first quarter. If it reports a quarterly net loss, it would be GM’s first since 2009.

S&P said an upgrade of GM’s credit to an investment grade rating is less likely this year, and more likely in 2015. GM’s debt has below investment grade, or at “junk” status, since 2005.

The company has acknowledged that it knew about the ignition switch problem for at least a decade. Yet it didn’t recall the cars until this year. The admission has brought investigations from two congressional committees, the

Justice Department and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the government’s road safety agency.

On Thursday, GM announced that it had placed two engineers on paid suspension for their roles in the mishandling of the ignition switch issue.

S&P did keep its positive outlook on GM, but said it’s assuming a 0.5 percent drop in the company’s North American market share this year. Last September, Moody’s Investors Service upgraded GM’s credit rating to investment grade, but S&P kept its rating one notch below that at BBplus.

S&P also said it would consider “a negative rating action” if “recall-related developments become worse than we expect.”

The ratings agency said it expects to see several billion dollars of cash outflows from recall-related costs, fines and settlements during the next several years, but notes that GM has a $28 billion cash stockpile to withstand that.

GM wouldn’t comment on the S&P note.

Autos Plus

Sunday, April 13, 2014

The Sentinel • E3

When cars ruled the World’s Fair

By Phil Patton New York Times NEW YORK — From its humble origins as a New York City garbage dump — inspiration for the valley of ashes in “The Great Gatsby” — Flushing Meadows Corona Park emerged as the site of two world’s fairs, in 1939-40 and 1964-65.

The first fair laid out a glorious vision for the automobile: General Motors’ Futurama exhibition, designed by Norman Bel Geddes, depicted the multilane highways of the future. The second fair arrived with that vision mostly realized — and the automobile near the pinnacle of its power and prestige.

Fifty years ago, Lee A. Iacocca unveiled the Mustang even before the fair’s opening day, with a news conference on April 13, 1964.

But there were many other auto-centered displays throughout the fair’s run.

Chrysler showed cars with turbine engines; GM offered concept cars shaped like jet planes.

But in retrospect, the second fair can be seen as the last un-self-conscious public celebration of automotive culture before concerns about safety and fuel economy changed it forever. Ralph Nader’s “Unsafe at Any Speed” would be published the month after the fair closed; waiting in the wings were the OPEC fuel crises and the mass invasion of economical, reliable cars and trucks from Japan.

As in 1939, the transportation area where the auto pavilions were situated was across the Grand Central Parkway, south of the main part of the fair and reached by pedestrian overpasses.

While American Motors was not represented, Detroit’s Big Three competed in their presentations. Ford claimed its pavilion was the largest at the fair: “A journey of imagination across time and space” that extended “nearly three foot-

ball fields!” But the facade of GM’s pavilion towered high above it.

GM showed a colony on the moon. It included vehicles, of course, called lunar crawlers. But Chrysler had real moon rockets.

At the Ford pavilion, some of the new Mustang convertibles, along with models like Falcons and Galaxies — were pressed into service on the moving belt of the Magic Skyway ride, designed by Walt Disney. Visitors sat in the cars as they rolled past displays of mechanically animated dinosaurs, mammoths and a Neanderthal man.

GM decided to repeat its successful strategy from 1939 with the Futurama II display. It included dioramas suggesting how the world would continue to be developed. In the year that the Beatles arrived and Bob Dylan went mainstream, GM showcased a particularly myopic vision of the future.

Its pavilion showed gigantic machines for conquering the oceans, the deserts and the Arctic.

What was then jungle — rain forest, in today’s parlance — would be conquered by an atomic-powered 300-foot-long machine that would cut trees with lasers, spread herbicide and extrude behind it a four-lane freeway at a rate of a mile an hour.

GM did show more practical technology, such as a fuel cell and a turbine engine. And in addition to its dream cars, GM displayed future products of its other divisions, including five dream kitchens.

Chrysler, however, may have offered the most popular display of the domestic automakers. Among the attractions on five islands, linked by bridges in a 6acre artificial lake, were a puppet show and an airborne ride over a simulated assembly line on Production Island. There was a building-size automobile model that children could scramble through.

automotive BRIEF BMW extends recall worldwide to half-million cars BERLIN — German automaker BMW is issuing a worldwide recall of many models of cars with certain six-cylinder gas motors after identifying a problem with a bolt used in the engine.

The company said Friday that a recall started in China last week has now been extended worldwide, affecting 489,000 vehicles, including 156,000 in the U.S.

BMW says in rare cases one of four bolts holding the cover on the engine’s variable camshaft timing system breaks, which can then cause other bolts to fail. That means oil begins leaking from the unit, causing the timing system to become sluggish. It can eventually lead to complete engine failure.

The company says customers will be notified if their models are affected and that the repair takes a few hours at most.

Associated Press

Associated Press

Audi shows the 2014 Audi RS 7 automobile.

Audi’s RS 7 is answer to Porsche, Mercedes

By Ann M. Job Associated Press The 2014 Audi RS 7 checks all the boxes and then some for wealthy car buyers who want a stylish, luxury sedan that looks like a coupe, delivers 500-plus turbocharged V-8 horsepower and comes with a high-brow German pedigree.

With a starting retail price of $105,795, the RS 7 adds impressive bragging rights and tasteful subtlety, too.

New for 2014, the fivedoor, four-passenger RS 7 is the most powerful RSbranded Audi available in the United States today with a full 560 horses and 516 footpounds of torque that comes on as low as 1,750 rpm.

RS models are engineered and built by Audi’s high performance unit, quattro GmbH. In fact, the RS 7’s speedy, 0-to-60-miles-per-hour time of 3.7 seconds per the manufacturer matches that of Audi’s top sports car, the sexy RS 8 V-10 coupe.

But the RS 7 looks much more subtle, with few exterior clues advertising its performance prowess. And for all its power and capable handling, the RS 7 can be comfortably composed for everyday driving, even in congested city traffic.

Plus, the RS 7 can include all manner of plush and unique amenities like well-bolstered seats where the leather has honeycomb stitching for a quilt-like look and a stellar, 15-speaker Bang & Olufsen sound system where tweeters “appear” at the top of the dashboard.

Given its name, the RS 7

obviously is based on Audi’s mid-size, coupe-look, five door, the A7, and serves as the pinnacle of the A7 line.

But the RS 7, which includes as standard equipm e n t A u d i ’s q u a t t r o all-wheel drive system, eight-speed T iptronic transmission, paddle shifters, sunroof, power tailgate, four-zone automatic climate control, navigation system, handwriting-recognition technology, 12way, power front seats and full light-emitting diode headlamps, also is Audi’s answer to some heady fourand five-door luxury-sport competition from Germany.

As an example, the 2014 Porsche Panamera Turbo, which comes with a 520horsepower V-8, all-wheel drive and seven-speed automatic transmission, carries a starting retail price of $142,295.

Another competitor, the 2014 Mercedes-Benz CLS63 AMG, has a starting MSRP, including destination charge, of $100,425 with 550-horsepower, biturbo V8, seven-speed automatic and all-wheel drive.

Admittedly, appearances are subjective. But the Panamera has been polarizing to some Porsche purists, while the Mercedes CLS63 AMG looks sinister to some critics.

In contrast, Audi officials stuck to the handsome, trademark Audi styling of the A7 when making the RS 7 and resisted the temptation to turn it into a cheapy, boy racer, customized A7.

Yes, the RS 7 has specialdesign wheels that can be as large as 21 inches in diameter, and there are ap-

propriate black carbon fiber trim pieces here and there.

But the word “stealth” kept coming to mind during the drive of the test RS 7 with $125,095 price tag that included $19,300 worth of optional equipment.

The optional power, softclose doors were shaped carefully into the sides so as not to chop up the flowing coupe-look lines. And there’s still a decent 36.6 inches of rear-seat headroom and 37 inches of rearseat legroom.

The 4,400-plus-pound car with quiet interior had a solid and stable feel but didn’t seem heavy or ponderous.

Certainly, the turbocharged, 4-liter, 90-degree V-8 gave swift but measured response to any pressure on the gas pedal. But oh, how dramatic the RS 7 could be when the gas pedal went down hard all the way.

The car seemed to get up on its back tires, point the grille to the sky and launch, pinning the backs of passengers into their seatbacks.

Breathless, more than one passenger remarked how his heart raced. The RS 7 surely can race, too.

The power delivery is to all four wheels, but with Audi’s quattro tuned for a 40 percent front and 60 percent rear bias to mimic sportpreferred rear-wheel drive.

There’s torque vectoring to the sides of the car, too, to ensure steady handling.

Shod with summer tires and a standard sports rear differential, the test RS 7 bit down into the asphalt without a squeal or hesitation and just took off.

But guess what? The pow-

erful RS 7 also has a standard fuel-saving system called cylinder on demand that helps this car escape the federal gas guzzler tax.

Basically, electronics monitor when the RS 7 is running leisure say, when torque demand is between 25 percent to 40 percent of maximum and can automatically deactivate four of the eight engine cylinders.

The deactivation is done so smoothly that the test car never gave a hint when it was going on or when all eight cylinders were engaging again.

The result, though, is a noteworthy for a 560horsepower V-8 fuel economy rating by the federal government of 16 miles per gallon in city driving and 27 mpg on the highway. This is better than the 15/24 mpg of the 2014 Panamera Turbo and the 16/25 mpg of the 2014 Mercedes CLS63 AMG. In the tester, which was driven hard much of the time, fuel mileage averaged 18 mpg in combined city and highway travel. So, travel range on a single 19.8-gallon tank was 356 miles.

The 7-inch, brightly colored display that protruded from the top center of the RS 7 dashboard seemed more like a television than an information display and caught the attention of nearby drivers at night.

The trunk opening was sizable for a coupe-look car.

With rear seatbacks split 60/40 and foldable downward, maximum cargo capacity is 24.5 cubic feet. This is akin to the trunk in a large sedan.

GM stock drops 4 percent, hits 10-month low

By Tom Krisher Associated Press

DETROIT — Shares of General Motors Co. sank to a 10-month low Friday amid continuing fallout from a mishandled recall of 2.6 million small cars.

Standard & Poor’s raised doubts that GM’s credit rating would be restored to investment grade status this year after the automaker boosted its estimated for costs related to a series of recalls announced since February. And documents released by a House subcommittee raised further questions about GM’s handling of safety issues.

The stock fell $1.37, or 4.1 percent, to close at $31.93, with most of the decline in the middle of the afternoon.

It’s the first time the shares have dropped below GM’s 2010 initial public offering price of $33 since June of last year.

Late in the trading day, an email released by a U.S. House subcommittee showed that CEO Mary Barra, then the head of product development, was told in 2011 that the Saturn Ion could be included in an ongoing recall of small cars

Associated Press

Family members whose loved ones died behind the wheel of defective General Motors vehicles listen to testimony of General Motors CEO Mary Barra on Capitol Hill in Washington. for a power-steering problem. GM was resisting an expansion of the recall. The Ion wasn’t recalled for the steering problem until last week.

At the time, GM’s safety and recall operations reported to Barra, spokesman Kevin Kelly confirmed Friday. The power steering recall, which included the

Chevrolet Cobalt, is separate from the recall of 2.6 million small cars for an ignition switch problem that GM says is linked to 13 deaths.

Barra has repeatedly stated that she first learned of the ignition switch problem last December, just after being named CEO. The email released Friday doesn’t in-

dicate that Barra had prior knowledge of the switch defect. But it does show that she at least was aware of a separate safety problem more than two years before GM issued a recall.

GM began recall cars including the Cobalt for the ignition switch problem on Feb. 13. The switch can unexpectedly slip out of the

“run” position and shut down the cars’ engines, which cuts off power steering and stops air bags from deploying.

On Thursday, GM announced that the recalled small cars need to have another part repaired, boosted the estimated cost of recalls announced in the past two months to $1.3 billion from an initial $300 million. In addition to the small cars, the company has recalled 3.7 million other vehicles for various problems.

The company said that despite the recall charge, it expects to report “solid core operating performance” in the first quarter. If it reports a quarterly net loss, it would be GM’s first since 2009.

S&P said an upgrade of GM’s credit to an investment grade rating is less likely this year, and more likely in 2015. GM’s debt has below investment grade, or at “junk” status, since 2005.

The company has acknowledged that it knew about the ignition switch problem for at least a decade. Yet it didn’t recall the cars until this year. The admission has brought investigations from two congressional committees, the

Justice Department and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the government’s road safety agency.

On Thursday, GM announced that it had placed two engineers on paid suspension for their roles in the mishandling of the ignition switch issue.

S&P did keep its positive outlook on GM, but said it’s assuming a 0.5 percent drop in the company’s North American market share this year. Last September, Moody’s Investors Service upgraded GM’s credit rating to investment grade, but S&P kept its rating one notch below that at BBplus.

S&P also said it would consider “a negative rating action” if “recall-related developments become worse than we expect.”

The ratings agency said it expects to see several billion dollars of cash outflows from recall-related costs, fines and settlements during the next several years, but notes that GM has a $28 billion cash stockpile to withstand that.

GM wouldn’t comment on the S&P note.

Autos Plus

Sunday, April 13, 2014

The Sentinel • E3

When cars ruled the World’s Fair

By Phil Patton New York Times NEW YORK — From its humble origins as a New York City garbage dump — inspiration for the valley of ashes in “The Great Gatsby” — Flushing Meadows Corona Park emerged as the site of two world’s fairs, in 1939-40 and 1964-65.

The first fair laid out a glorious vision for the automobile: General Motors’ Futurama exhibition, designed by Norman Bel Geddes, depicted the multilane highways of the future. The second fair arrived with that vision mostly realized — and the automobile near the pinnacle of its power and prestige.

Fifty years ago, Lee A. Iacocca unveiled the Mustang even before the fair’s opening day, with a news conference on April 13, 1964.

But there were many other auto-centered displays throughout the fair’s run.

Chrysler showed cars with turbine engines; GM offered concept cars shaped like jet planes.

But in retrospect, the second fair can be seen as the last un-self-conscious public celebration of automotive culture before concerns about safety and fuel economy changed it forever. Ralph Nader’s “Unsafe at Any Speed” would be published the month after the fair closed; waiting in the wings were the OPEC fuel crises and the mass invasion of economical, reliable cars and trucks from Japan.

As in 1939, the transportation area where the auto pavilions were situated was across the Grand Central Parkway, south of the main part of the fair and reached by pedestrian overpasses.

While American Motors was not represented, Detroit’s Big Three competed in their presentations. Ford claimed its pavilion was the largest at the fair: “A journey of imagination across time and space” that extended “nearly three foot-

ball fields!” But the facade of GM’s pavilion towered high above it.

GM showed a colony on the moon. It included vehicles, of course, called lunar crawlers. But Chrysler had real moon rockets.

At the Ford pavilion, some of the new Mustang convertibles, along with models like Falcons and Galaxies — were pressed into service on the moving belt of the Magic Skyway ride, designed by Walt Disney. Visitors sat in the cars as they rolled past displays of mechanically animated dinosaurs, mammoths and a Neanderthal man.

GM decided to repeat its successful strategy from 1939 with the Futurama II display. It included dioramas suggesting how the world would continue to be developed. In the year that the Beatles arrived and Bob Dylan went mainstream, GM showcased a particularly myopic vision of the future.

Its pavilion showed gigantic machines for conquering the oceans, the deserts and the Arctic.

What was then jungle — rain forest, in today’s parlance — would be conquered by an atomic-powered 300-foot-long machine that would cut trees with lasers, spread herbicide and extrude behind it a four-lane freeway at a rate of a mile an hour.

GM did show more practical technology, such as a fuel cell and a turbine engine. And in addition to its dream cars, GM displayed future products of its other divisions, including five dream kitchens.

Chrysler, however, may have offered the most popular display of the domestic automakers. Among the attractions on five islands, linked by bridges in a 6acre artificial lake, were a puppet show and an airborne ride over a simulated assembly line on Production Island. There was a building-size automobile model that children could scramble through.

automotive BRIEF BMW extends recall worldwide to half-million cars BERLIN — German automaker BMW is issuing a worldwide recall of many models of cars with certain six-cylinder gas motors after identifying a problem with a bolt used in the engine.

The company said Friday that a recall started in China last week has now been extended worldwide, affecting 489,000 vehicles, including 156,000 in the U.S.

BMW says in rare cases one of four bolts holding the cover on the engine’s variable camshaft timing system breaks, which can then cause other bolts to fail. That means oil begins leaking from the unit, causing the timing system to become sluggish. It can eventually lead to complete engine failure.

The company says customers will be notified if their models are affected and that the repair takes a few hours at most.

Associated Press

Associated Press

Audi shows the 2014 Audi RS 7 automobile.

Audi’s RS 7 is answer to Porsche, Mercedes

By Ann M. Job Associated Press The 2014 Audi RS 7 checks all the boxes and then some for wealthy car buyers who want a stylish, luxury sedan that looks like a coupe, delivers 500-plus turbocharged V-8 horsepower and comes with a high-brow German pedigree.

With a starting retail price of $105,795, the RS 7 adds impressive bragging rights and tasteful subtlety, too.

New for 2014, the fivedoor, four-passenger RS 7 is the most powerful RSbranded Audi available in the United States today with a full 560 horses and 516 footpounds of torque that comes on as low as 1,750 rpm.

RS models are engineered and built by Audi’s high performance unit, quattro GmbH. In fact, the RS 7’s speedy, 0-to-60-miles-per-hour time of 3.7 seconds per the manufacturer matches that of Audi’s top sports car, the sexy RS 8 V-10 coupe.

But the RS 7 looks much more subtle, with few exterior clues advertising its performance prowess. And for all its power and capable handling, the RS 7 can be comfortably composed for everyday driving, even in congested city traffic.

Plus, the RS 7 can include all manner of plush and unique amenities like well-bolstered seats where the leather has honeycomb stitching for a quilt-like look and a stellar, 15-speaker Bang & Olufsen sound system where tweeters “appear” at the top of the dashboard.

Given its name, the RS 7

obviously is based on Audi’s mid-size, coupe-look, five door, the A7, and serves as the pinnacle of the A7 line.

But the RS 7, which includes as standard equipm e n t A u d i ’s q u a t t r o all-wheel drive system, eight-speed T iptronic transmission, paddle shifters, sunroof, power tailgate, four-zone automatic climate control, navigation system, handwriting-recognition technology, 12way, power front seats and full light-emitting diode headlamps, also is Audi’s answer to some heady fourand five-door luxury-sport competition from Germany.

As an example, the 2014 Porsche Panamera Turbo, which comes with a 520horsepower V-8, all-wheel drive and seven-speed automatic transmission, carries a starting retail price of $142,295.

Another competitor, the 2014 Mercedes-Benz CLS63 AMG, has a starting MSRP, including destination charge, of $100,425 with 550-horsepower, biturbo V8, seven-speed automatic and all-wheel drive.

Admittedly, appearances are subjective. But the Panamera has been polarizing to some Porsche purists, while the Mercedes CLS63 AMG looks sinister to some critics.

In contrast, Audi officials stuck to the handsome, trademark Audi styling of the A7 when making the RS 7 and resisted the temptation to turn it into a cheapy, boy racer, customized A7.

Yes, the RS 7 has specialdesign wheels that can be as large as 21 inches in diameter, and there are ap-

propriate black carbon fiber trim pieces here and there.

But the word “stealth” kept coming to mind during the drive of the test RS 7 with $125,095 price tag that included $19,300 worth of optional equipment.

The optional power, softclose doors were shaped carefully into the sides so as not to chop up the flowing coupe-look lines. And there’s still a decent 36.6 inches of rear-seat headroom and 37 inches of rearseat legroom.

The 4,400-plus-pound car with quiet interior had a solid and stable feel but didn’t seem heavy or ponderous.

Certainly, the turbocharged, 4-liter, 90-degree V-8 gave swift but measured response to any pressure on the gas pedal. But oh, how dramatic the RS 7 could be when the gas pedal went down hard all the way.

The car seemed to get up on its back tires, point the grille to the sky and launch, pinning the backs of passengers into their seatbacks.

Breathless, more than one passenger remarked how his heart raced. The RS 7 surely can race, too.

The power delivery is to all four wheels, but with Audi’s quattro tuned for a 40 percent front and 60 percent rear bias to mimic sportpreferred rear-wheel drive.

There’s torque vectoring to the sides of the car, too, to ensure steady handling.

Shod with summer tires and a standard sports rear differential, the test RS 7 bit down into the asphalt without a squeal or hesitation and just took off.

But guess what? The pow-

erful RS 7 also has a standard fuel-saving system called cylinder on demand that helps this car escape the federal gas guzzler tax.

Basically, electronics monitor when the RS 7 is running leisure say, when torque demand is between 25 percent to 40 percent of maximum and can automatically deactivate four of the eight engine cylinders.

The deactivation is done so smoothly that the test car never gave a hint when it was going on or when all eight cylinders were engaging again.

The result, though, is a noteworthy for a 560horsepower V-8 fuel economy rating by the federal government of 16 miles per gallon in city driving and 27 mpg on the highway. This is better than the 15/24 mpg of the 2014 Panamera Turbo and the 16/25 mpg of the 2014 Mercedes CLS63 AMG. In the tester, which was driven hard much of the time, fuel mileage averaged 18 mpg in combined city and highway travel. So, travel range on a single 19.8-gallon tank was 356 miles.

The 7-inch, brightly colored display that protruded from the top center of the RS 7 dashboard seemed more like a television than an information display and caught the attention of nearby drivers at night.

The trunk opening was sizable for a coupe-look car.

With rear seatbacks split 60/40 and foldable downward, maximum cargo capacity is 24.5 cubic feet. This is akin to the trunk in a large sedan.

GM stock drops 4 percent, hits 10-month low

By Tom Krisher Associated Press

DETROIT — Shares of General Motors Co. sank to a 10-month low Friday amid continuing fallout from a mishandled recall of 2.6 million small cars.

Standard & Poor’s raised doubts that GM’s credit rating would be restored to investment grade status this year after the automaker boosted its estimated for costs related to a series of recalls announced since February. And documents released by a House subcommittee raised further questions about GM’s handling of safety issues.

The stock fell $1.37, or 4.1 percent, to close at $31.93, with most of the decline in the middle of the afternoon.

It’s the first time the shares have dropped below GM’s 2010 initial public offering price of $33 since June of last year.

Late in the trading day, an email released by a U.S. House subcommittee showed that CEO Mary Barra, then the head of product development, was told in 2011 that the Saturn Ion could be included in an ongoing recall of small cars

Associated Press

Family members whose loved ones died behind the wheel of defective General Motors vehicles listen to testimony of General Motors CEO Mary Barra on Capitol Hill in Washington. for a power-steering problem. GM was resisting an expansion of the recall. The Ion wasn’t recalled for the steering problem until last week.

At the time, GM’s safety and recall operations reported to Barra, spokesman Kevin Kelly confirmed Friday. The power steering recall, which included the

Chevrolet Cobalt, is separate from the recall of 2.6 million small cars for an ignition switch problem that GM says is linked to 13 deaths.

Barra has repeatedly stated that she first learned of the ignition switch problem last December, just after being named CEO. The email released Friday doesn’t in-

dicate that Barra had prior knowledge of the switch defect. But it does show that she at least was aware of a separate safety problem more than two years before GM issued a recall.

GM began recall cars including the Cobalt for the ignition switch problem on Feb. 13. The switch can unexpectedly slip out of the

“run” position and shut down the cars’ engines, which cuts off power steering and stops air bags from deploying.

On Thursday, GM announced that the recalled small cars need to have another part repaired, boosted the estimated cost of recalls announced in the past two months to $1.3 billion from an initial $300 million. In addition to the small cars, the company has recalled 3.7 million other vehicles for various problems.

The company said that despite the recall charge, it expects to report “solid core operating performance” in the first quarter. If it reports a quarterly net loss, it would be GM’s first since 2009.

S&P said an upgrade of GM’s credit to an investment grade rating is less likely this year, and more likely in 2015. GM’s debt has below investment grade, or at “junk” status, since 2005.

The company has acknowledged that it knew about the ignition switch problem for at least a decade. Yet it didn’t recall the cars until this year. The admission has brought investigations from two congressional committees, the

Justice Department and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the government’s road safety agency.

On Thursday, GM announced that it had placed two engineers on paid suspension for their roles in the mishandling of the ignition switch issue.

S&P did keep its positive outlook on GM, but said it’s assuming a 0.5 percent drop in the company’s North American market share this year. Last September, Moody’s Investors Service upgraded GM’s credit rating to investment grade, but S&P kept its rating one notch below that at BBplus.

S&P also said it would consider “a negative rating action” if “recall-related developments become worse than we expect.”

The ratings agency said it expects to see several billion dollars of cash outflows from recall-related costs, fines and settlements during the next several years, but notes that GM has a $28 billion cash stockpile to withstand that.

GM wouldn’t comment on the S&P note.

Autos Plus

E4 • The Sentinel

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Autos

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Autos Plus

E4 • The Sentinel

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Stock #LXP974A $14,988

1-800-778-0850 www.bobbyrahallexus.com

JEEP, 1961 Willys Wagon Red/black, 352k miles.

Stock #LX18724 $11,988

880

Autos

880

TOYOTA, 1994 4-Runner. New water pump, 183k mi., needs work. $650/obo. Call 717-385-3317

880

LEXUS, 2007 ES350

Gold/tan, 37k miles.

Stock #LX18548 $18,488

1-800-778-0850 www.bobbyrahallexus.com LEXUS, 2009 RX350

White/Tan, 70k miles.

Stock #LXP949A $21,988

Call Kevin, 24/7, 717-226-0135

1-800-778-0850 www.bobbyrahallexus.com

CADILLAC, 2011 SRX

1-800-778-0850 www.bobbyrahallexus.com

880

Autos

During Our OPEN HOUSE* Supplier Prices to EVERYONE!

MERCEDES BENZ, 2003 C230 Kompressor Sport Sedan. Clean, new tires, just serviced for regular maintenance & ready to go.

Excellent condition! $9,000. Call 717-580-3480, Carlisle.

880

STK# 140522

239

$

Autos

“Cleanest Cars in Town” Established 1953!

Veteran Owned and Operated

www.martysinc.com

If you are DOLLAR WISE see DODIE WISE, first, last and always for a good used VEHICLE!

09 Honda Civic, EX,CP,SR,Auto,33k .......................$13,595 07 Hyundai Accent Cpe., AT,1Owner,4cyl..........$5,995 07 Saturn Ion 2 AT,4cyl........................................$7,995 06 Chevy HHR LS,Auto .................................... $6,595 04 Ford Focus ZTS autoleatherSR,4cyl..........................$6,495 04 Ford Freestar SEL.........................................$5,995 03 Ford Focus SE AT,4cyl....................................$5,995 03 Hyundai Elantra AT4cyl................................$5,595 03 Toyota Matrix,XR,Auto,33k,1Owner...............$6,995 02 Ford Focus ZTS, SR,AT,1Owner,4Cyl.............$5,595 02 Chevy Tracker auto,4wd,1owner,...................$5,995 02 Honda Civic AT,4cyl.......................................$5,995 01 Hyundai Elantra AT,4cyl..................................$4,995

Financing Available

471 E. NORTH STREET, CARLISLE

249-5418

Must be bona-fide written offer on in stock vehicles.

STK# 140191

All New ’14 Silverado –2933 *

1-800-778-0850 www.bobbyrahallexus.com

We’ll BEAT any other Chevy Dealer’s written offer by $250!

FWD STK# 140277

LEASE FOR ONLY

Red/black, 70k miles.

Stock #LX18544 $8,788

Gray/black, 29k miles.

Stock #LXP952A $27,988

1-800-778-0850 www.bobbyrahallexus.com

Autos

TOYOTA, 2000 MR2

INFINITI, 2009 FX45

PAYING TOP DOLLAR

White/tan, 40k miles.

Stock #LX18724 $31,488

880

HYUNDAI, 2006 Tiburon SE. V6, 6 speed, sunroof, cruise, heated mirrors, power windows & locks, A/C, CD/MP3, 14k mi. Best offer over $10,000. Call 717-486-8109.

Autos

$250-$1,500 for most Vehicles, Equipment, or Any Scrap Metal, Etc. We Come - We Pay - We Take It Away. We Aso Do Clean-Outs or Can Haul/Tow You Cheap.

Autos

HONDA, 2013 Hybrid. Brand New! 230 mi., 5 year extended warranty, beautiful steel gray, 42-48 mpg.

Must see! $18,800. 717-671-8171.

1-800-778-0850 www.bobbyrahallexus.com

YAMAHA TT-R125, 1 owner, nice, $750. GO-KART, 10hp, electric start, 1 owner, nice, $500. Call 717-776-3995.

Autos

Sunday, April 13, 2014

’14 Equinox LS

Double Cab LT 4x4

Save Over

EW ALL20N15

8000!

$

$43,010 MSRP Lawrence Discount –1750 Rebate –1750 Bonus Cash –1000 Incremental Cash –750 Options pkg Discount 46 54

’14 Cruze LT

=$34,826

159

$

*

Cor2014

Just Arrived & In Stock NOW!

e Taho

LEASE FOR ONLY

S vet Contingrayte vert ible

*$1,999 due at signing / 36 month lease / 12K mi/yr *For Well Qualified Leasees - Sales Tax not Included. *Open House exludes Corvette, Express Van, & SS

’13 Chevy Silverado 1500 #665334 $35,328

’06 Chrysler Town & Country #140441 $8,568

Let Us Show You How a Business Elite Dealer Can Benefit You and Your Business!

’13 Chevy Impala LTZ #665398 $18,868

’10 Hyundai Accent #1400322 $8,999

’13 Chevy Malibu Eco #665373 $21,539

’12 Chevy Captiva Sport #665321 $19,015

’10 Chevy Traverse LT #665379 $19,616

’13 Chevy Tahoe LTZ #665380 $49,158

’12 Chevy Silverado 1500 #6653751 $30,038

’10 Nissan Altima 2.5 #1402681 $13,248

New ‘14 3500 Silverado Dump Truck Trade in your 1999 or newer vehicle for a new dump truck!

’13 Chevy Sonic LT #665412 $16,999

’13 Chevy Camaro SS #6653375 $36,999

* Rebates are subject to change without prior notice.

Not all customers will qualify for all applicable rebates and incentives.

’11 Kia Soul #1402761 $10,998

’11 Chevy Cruze LT #665435 $16,999

See Our Entire Inventory at:

6445 Carlisle Pike Mechanicsburg

Ready to make the move?

Find the new home of your dreams in The Sentinel Classifieds.

’09 Nissan Sentra #1401751 $9,818

MSRP: $46,573 #140634, Sale Price

37,654

$

* Taxes, Tags and Transfer Fees additional. You may choose Rebates OR new car financing as low as 0% up to 72 mos. on select models with financing approval.

766-0284 800-427-4505