The new luxury car is a sport-utility vehicle [SUV] from a premium stable, and the big focus for all makers is on lifestyle amenities like radio controls on the steering wheel and armrest consoles between the front seats that are wired to accommodate computers or fax machines." Jacqueline Mitchell rattles off these automotive trends with the ease, confidence and passion that a mother might reserve for talking about her child. She's clearly in the car know.

The 36-year-old Detroit-born journalist began writing about crankshafts and pistons eight years ago as an automotive reporter in the Detroit office of the Wall Street Journal. She is currently managing editor of African-Americans on Wheels, a quarterly publication with a circulation of 500,000 distributed by 30 Black newspapers around the country. Here, Mitchell gives us the 411 on the innovations for 1998, and she spotlights the models that leading carmakers are most excited about as we move closer to the new millennium.
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leader of the pack

Without question, sport-utility vehicles are the "in" vehicles. Each year new competitors enter this growing market, and 1998 will welcome SUVs from luxury marques, including Lincoln's Navigator and Mercedes-Benz's M-Class vehicle.

the shape of things to come

Sleek vehicles that combine hard lines (sharp, crisp silhouettes) and soft ones (rounded edges) are prominent. There's something for everyone: Styling varies from the head-turning Plymouth Prowler to the sedate Toyota Camry. With new attention given to ergonomics, you'll drive in style and comfort. Seats now move in various directions, positioning you in just the perfect spot. And forget about reaching across the dashboard: Controls for cruising and for the radio are conveniently placed right on the steering wheel.

the name game

This year's American monikers evoke images of the great outdoors and grand adventures. Cases in point: the Toyota Sienna minivan, the Lincoln Navigator and Subaru Forester sport-utility vehicles, and the Oldsmobile intrigue midsize car. The Europeans, on the other hand, continue to identify their vehicles with combinations of letters and numbers.

true colors

Purple was a favorite of many of us as girls. But will grape-colored cars become as popular as black or white ones? Only time will tell, but expect the color purple to continue to make a fashion statement in several 1998 car lines. And speaking of fashion, those pastel colors currently popular in apparel have inspired a palette for cars that includes soft shades of rose, taupe and ice blue. On the other end of the spectrum, look for a navy blue so deep it's almost black. Most of the year's new shades are sealed with a slightly metallic finish.

safeguards

Virtually all new vehicles on the road will be equipped with dual air bags--one for the driver and one for the front-seat passenger. The new generation of air bags are "depowered" to deploy with about 20 to 30 percent less force than their predecessors. Auto companies have already started developing deactivation switches, which would allow owners to disengage the air bags at their discretion. Antilock brakes and headlights that run all day are also becoming more commonplace.

designing a car with marietta ellis

LEAD DESIGNER

Marietta Ellis's sketch pad was like an extra appendage when she was growing up--and it still is. Only now, the 37-year-old lead designer for Buick sketches not cartoons but her ideas for how a car should look and function. What's critical to her design thinking? Comfort, function, safety, looks, lifestyle and cost--the very things you should be checking out when deciding if a car's right for you.

Ellis says technologically advanced amenities are the name of the game. "Now that we've gotten comfortable with high-tech features because they're everywhere in our homes, we want them in our car. After all, for many people, the car is a second home. We want to eat in our cars, talk in our cars, do business in our cars, even take a comfortable catnap in our cars." If you're driving a car that was considered "loaded" when you purchased it five years ago, chances are those items are now standard. According to Ellis, almost all new cars come with a remote-control key fob, allowing you to unlock the doors, pop the trunk or send a panic alarm with the touch of a button. The newest premium options include navigational systems, advanced stereo systems (including CD players) and business consoles equipped with the space and auxiliary power units to accommodate laptops, fax machines, cellular phones, and writing pads and instruments