Safety Upstages Styling

The changes in new models should be so novel and attractive as to create dissatisfaction with past models. Automobile design is not, of course, pure fashion, but the laws of Paris dressmakers have come to be a factor in the automobile industry. Woe to the company which ignores them.

--Alfred P. Sloan Jr.

Ever since 1928, when General Motors first introduced yearly style changes, Sloan's Law has been reaffirmed at every annual new model preview. But this year, the tradition of a new style every autumn is being ignored by both the biggest and the smallest of Detroit's automakers--G.M. and American Motors. They are postponing cosmetics to concentrate on Government demands for safety and engineering improvements, many of which are only in the design stage. Shock-absorbing bumpers, for example, will be required by law in 1973; passenger safety restraints that will work automatically in a collision are slated for 1974; and in 1975, emission-control systems will have to cut exhaust pollution almost to zero. This year G.M. cars will offer few visible changes. Says a company engineer: "Our styling and design departments are almost nonexistent. All the money is going for emission and safety research."

Rare Test. By contrast, Ford and Chrysler, who must meet the same Government requirements, decided that they had to have styling changes this year as well. The fate of the new models in the showrooms will thus provide a rare test of Sloan's Law. Chrysler Corp. is promoting style changes in such full-sized models as the Plymouth Fury, Dodge Polara and Monaco, and Chrysler Newport, New Yorker and Imperial. Newly sculpted body and roof lines, and new front and rear styling will be the big difference. Says Elwood P. Engel, Chrysler's vice president of styling: "Buying a car is like buying a suit. Nobody wants one with narrow lapels. People who buy Valiants and Darts may buy a car just for transportation, but a person who spends $4,000 to $5,000 for a car wants to be different." Apparently on the same theory, Ford Motor Co.'s 1972 Thunderbird is bigger than the 1971 model both inside and out, and its V-shaped nose has been slightly blunted. The Ford Torino will have a new oval-shaped grille, and the Continental Mark IV will be 4 in. longer. The Mercury Montego, which has not sold well in 1971, is being made to look like the better-selling Ford LTD.

The six A.M.C. cars unveiled last week were mirror images of their 1971 counterparts on the outside. Inside, though, the sporty Javelin will feature optional trim and upholstery by Fashion Designer Pierre Cardin of Paris; the Hornet wagon can be had with finishing touches by Aldo Gucci, Italy's famed designer of leather accessories. Instead of new body styling, or the wide variety of models offered by its competitors, A.M.C. is making its major move in the area of warranties. Starting with the 1972 models, the company will pay for the repair of all defects during the first twelve months or 12,000 miles of use--an improvement on the usual tightly restricted list of warranty-covered parts. A.M.C. even promises to lend its customers cars while their own autos are being worked on.

One change will be evident on all of Detroit's new cars: the price. That will rise, from a modest increase of $99 for the subcompact Chevrolet Vega to an increase of $584 for the Cadillac Fleetwood limousine. Industry spokesmen insist that the higher prices, which will probably come to an average of just under 5%, are the result of the inflationary pressures of increased labor costs and the posted price hikes in steel.

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