4WD Justy for ski season

Press, 4 July 1985, Page 27

4WD Justy for ski season

The Subaru assembler and distributor, Motor Holdings (Wholesale), Ltd, has timed the launch of the IOOOcu cm four wheel drive Justy to coincide with the opening of the South Island ski season. Christchurch has proved to be the most attractive' market for the larger four wheel drive Subaru Leone models and, no doubt, the Auckland-based company hopes that its much smaller hatchback will meet with a similar response. Powered by a three-cylin-der 997 cu cm overhead camshaft engine, the Justy develops 47kW at 6000 r.p.m. and maximum torque of 84Nm at 3600 r.p.m. It features a five speed all synchromesh manual gearbox. Single range four wheel drive is available on demand.

A brief drive in the 4WD Justy in Northland towards the end of last year was sufficient to show that, in spite of its smaller engine, it is extremely willing. The four driven wheels endow the little hatchback with excellent traction, which should prove advantageous when negotiating alpine roads. Some owners might however, wish for a greater minimum ground clearance than 185 mm. The 4WD Justy comes with alloy wheels and a radio cassette player. For an outlay of $15,995, it also has the attraction of a claimed 17.7 km per litre of petrol. ♦ ♦ ♦ The United States Department of Commerce has warned that during the next

four years the imported cars market could increase from 23.5 per cent to 35 per cent, jeopardising about 100,000 jobs in the domestic automobile industry. New cars sales at less than 10.5 million last year could rise to more than 11 million in 1988, but the department has forecast that sales by General Motors, Ford, Chrysler, and American Motors could fall from 1984’s 7.8 million to 6.4 million by 1988. The increasing number of Japanese cars being built in the United States could make further inroads. Last year 133,000 Japanese cars were made in the United States, but by 1988 the could reach 775,000. So far, only Toyota and Honda have United States car manufacturing plants. The department’s break-

down for 1988 is 3.1 million imports from Japan, 610,000 from Europe and 340,000 from South Korea, which is now rapidly expanding its motor industry. With the liberalisation of car imports in the Government’s motor industry plan announced last December, the numbers of new cars imported from Europe in the first third of this year make interesting reading. Fiat headed the list with 141 cars, Renault was next with 133 and BMW was third with 117. Then followed Audi (71), Mercedes-Benz (62), Volvo (46), Alfa Romeo (40), Porsche (28), Jaguar (25), Saab (24), Citroen (19), Peugeot (16)’ Lancia (15), Volks-

wagen (5) and Rolls-Royce (1). Other European cars that came in from overseas, not necessarily new, were, in the same order: Fiat (9), Renault (13), BMW (101), Audi (9), Mercedes-Benz (236), Volvo (17), Alfa Romeo (8), Porsche (28), Jaguar (59), Saab (2), Citroen (6), Peugeot (6), Lancia (4), Volkswagen (13), Rolls-Royce (31) and Daimler (26). x