– Ford has priced the 2003 Ford Expedition from $31,295 for the XLT Value series to $41,935 for the Eddie Bauer series. Prices include $740 for freight. Expedition features fold-flat-into-the-floor second- and third-row seats; the Safety Canopy side air curtain system with rollover sensors; AdvanceTrac electronic stability enhancement system that automatically enhances stability while cornering on slippery surfaces; and a maximum tow rating of 8,900 pounds. It will begin arriving in dealerships in late spring.
– Ward’s Automotive Reports, a trade publication, says as part of a cost-cutting strategy, Chrysler Group has scrapped plans to produce a plastic-body car in which the exterior color would be injected into the molding machine when the panels were produced, thus eliminating a paint shop in the assembly plant. Chrysler has tried the technology on concept cars dating back to the CCV in 1997 and including the Pronto and Pronto Spyder.
– BMW engineers are test driving disguised versions of a new Rolls-Royce at secret locations across the world. BMW acquires the right to sell cars branded Rolls-Royce in January and hopes to upstage its peers in a sector of the car market so out of reach for most people that it appears to be booming in a stagnant economy. The new Rolls will replace the Silver Seraph.
– Ford Motor Co. says it will build “tens of thousands” of the gasoline/electric version of its Escape sport-utility vehicle, and American Honda Motor Corp. will produce approximately 24,000 gas/electric Civic sedans annually. Toyota Motor Corp., which sells the hybrid Prius passenger car in the U.S., says it also is looking to produce a hybrid SUV for this market. The Chrysler Group plans to sell a hybrid electric version of its Dodge Ram pickup, which also can be used as a generator for tools, for the 2005 model year, and General Motors Corp. plans to produce a hybrid full-size trucks by 2004.
