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Show The Black Box Era In Autos Fuel economy may be the automotive order of these times but convenience features fea-tures still attract the new car customer, says the Automotive Automo-tive Information Council. THE companies can be counted on to produce their share of devices in the upcoming up-coming 1978 model year that add to driving pleasure. Some of these luxuries eventual! turn out to be motoring aids that pay off in a variety of ways - safety, fuel economy, savings. Automatic speed controls are one example. Steady speed does make the car more fuel efficient and in this day of the 55 mph limit, a driver doesn't have to take his eyes off the road to check the speedometer. IN THE coming months there will be announcements of the usual galaxy of fresh comfort and convenience items. Some '78 owners will be able to push an instrument panel button and see a number that tells them how many miles they can travel on the fuel that's left in the tank. Under 50 miles, the numbers will start appearing automatically and decrease as the fuel is consumed. The electronic device will even adjust for highway and city driving. A FEATURE that could be more important as a safety addition than a convenience item is a heated side view mirror. It gets its warmth from the same electrical source as the rear window defroster and even includes an outside temperature gauge. Strictly convenience is a built-in button on the driver's sun visor to open the garage door electrically. A minimal amount of wiring will be necessary on the garage door motor. In essence, it gives the owner a second frequency. The control that comes with the unit can be stored in the glove compartment. MOST companies are offering offer-ing electronic controls under the hood that provide more precise timing of fuel flow into the carburetor, firing of' the engine and more. The computer in automobiles au-tomobiles has been a little slow in arriving but there's a lot coming up in the next few years. In the words of Charles H. Norwood, marketing plans manager for Lincoln-Mercury Division of Ford Motor Company: Com-pany: THE ERA of the black box is here." |