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Show plnJe .SttBBfl Insist .On. liOairs raito Options- Though we will be driving mailer and lighter cars, . tore V-6 and four cylinder S'gines than V-8s and probacy proba-cy settle for less variety of phmeplates in the years lead, the market for op- Ional equipment will con-nue con-nue to be strong, "THE automobile can do a ational transportation job Lithout some of the extra cost llquipmem, but people will 'Jntinue to insist on 'creature mmforts'," says the Automo-j(ve Automo-j(ve Information Council. L Proof that comfort and convenience still sell is IJsflected in the just published Kgures on 1976 optional quipment purchases by Au-pmotive Au-pmotive News, the industry j-ade weekly. THREE of every four cars sold in 1976 came with factory installed air conditioning and another 800,000 units were installed in-stalled by owners after the cars were shipped to dealerships. No one can argue ' that air conditioning uses more fuel but a cool, comfortable comfor-table car also makes for a safer driver. Radios, another luxury option, op-tion, are expected to continue their popularity. More than 82 percent of the '76 cars were sold with sets and nearly 13 percent of the customers opted opt-ed for stereo tape units. A FOURTH of the cars carried their owners in bucket seats and nearly half were decorated with vinyl roofs. Over half the people wanted adjustable steering columns. Some of the items, extra cost options on certain makes, reduce gas consumption. Radial tires, for example, were on 76 percent of the cars and speed regulating devices came with a fourth of the new cars. THE SPEED controls automatically au-tomatically keep a gas saving "steady foot" on the accelerator, ac-celerator, also obviate the need to watch the speedometer to be sure that speed laws are not being violated. On the engine and power train list, more than 92 percent per-cent of the '76 buyers went for an automatic transmission. Another 70 percent ordered a V-8 engine. The proportions on those units is expected to drop dramatically as more four and six-cylinder power plants are introduced and manual transmission production produc-tion is stepped up. THERE are some things motorists just won't do without. They proved it in 1976, undoubtedly will in 1977. And they did it despite higher prices on new cars and options. |