Carmakers Slug It Out With Bold New '99s

More competition marks the 1999 model year following the giant Daimler-Chrysler merger.

That merger has set automakers on edge as they race to dodge or capitalize on other rumored buyouts.

It brings home the point that independent automakers - even big, profitable ones - face a tough road ahead.

The American economy is tightening. Global deflation is looming. And Web-surfing buyers are armed with more bargaining knowledge than ever, driving prices - and profits - down.

* General Motors has eliminated several slow-selling models, and more are on the chopping block. It is also expanding its pickup truck lineup and has introduced the best revision yet of its full-size trucks.

* Ford's Lincoln-Mercury division is gunning for younger buyers.

* Toyota wants a bigger piece of the US full-size pickup truck market.

* And Volkswagen, along with its Audi division, is developing more and more creative products for different market segments built from just a few manufacturing platforms.

SPORTS CARS

BMW M-coupe

A perhaps bizarre-looking variant of James Bond's convertible BMW Z3, the $42,000 M-coupe has just two seats slung behind BMW's monster, 241-horsepower six-cylinder engine. The car's one purpose: Go fast.

Honda S2000

A high-powered front-wheel-drive two-seat roadster takes on the Mazda Miata mano mano for 2000.

Mazda Miata

Mazda's playful sports car grows slightly roomier inside with a more aggressive, masculine image. The car now sports a real glass rear window, 145 horsepower, and a $20,000 price tag.

Porsche 911 Cabrio

Last year Porsche completely redesigned its revered 911 for the first time since its 1964 introduction. And a sophisticated, comfortable convertible debuted for '99. Prices start at $74,000.

SPORTY COUPES AND CONVERTIBLES

Toyota Camry Solara

Capitalizing on a small but growing market for two-door coupes, Toyota revived its Camry coupe after a two-year hiatus. The new $19,000 two-door flaunts completely different and much sportier styling than the ordinary Camry or its predecessor - plus a new last name.

Mercedes-Benz

CLK320 Cabriolet

Choice of some of the best and brightest, this elegant, $43,000 Mercedes convertible is Chrysler chairman Robert Eaton's new company car.

Mercedes-Benz CLK430

So no one mistakes its small CLK coupe for a mere image gimmick, Mercedes drops in a 275 horsepower V-8 for road-ripping performance. Price: $45,000.

Volkswagen New Beetle 1.8T

Volkswagen, too, plans to stuff a high-performance, turbocharged, Audi four-cylinder into its New Beetle this spring to make the car as fun to drive as it is to look at.

Audi TT/TTS

Expect a new racy alternative this spring to Audi's traditionally conservative coupes and convertibles. For less than $35,000, the TT coupe sports all-wheel drive plus a turbocharged, four-cylinder engine that outruns the Porsche Boxster, Mercedes-Benz SLK, and BMW Z3.

Mercury Cougar

Mercury revives its little coupe, this time with modern, racy styling. At $16,000, it's one of the last few affordable sporty hatchbacks.

Ford Mustang

Ford revamps its legendary sports car, with harder-edged styling, more horsepower, and more room inside. Prices should remain between $17,000 and $28,000.

ECONOMY CARS

Daewoo Lanos

Korean conglomerate Daewoo hopes to find a new niche in America - entry-level transportation for college students. This tiny hatchback anchors the lineup at $12,000.

Daewoo Nubira

Daewoo's mid-level offering comes as a four-door sedan, five-door hatchback, or a wagon. It includes power windows, remote locks, and leather seats for $14,000.

Ford Focus

This replacement for the Escort, due in 2000, is taller, boxier, and funkier-looking. It may be Ford's first successful world car.

Mazda Protege

A $12,000 economy car for individualists, the Protege shrinks a bit outside, grows a bigger engine, and has boxier but still-stylish looks.

Toyota Prius

The first mass-market gasoline-electric hybrid arrives in the US next summer and gets 60 miles per gallon. It has four doors, and Toyota plans to market it as a second family car for commuting.

Volkswagen Golf

It's already the bestselling car in Europe, and, at $14,000, the larger, fourth-generation Golf should recapture some market share for VW when it debuts here this fall.

MID-SIZE CARS

Acura TL

Acura's new mid-level sedan has more room and more power than its predecessor. It's loaded with goodies, including an on-board navigation system, for less than $30,000.

BMW 3-series

Larger, more comfortable, even, impossibly, more elegant, BMW's entry-sedans - the 323i and 328i - are all new for '99. New coupes, convertibles, and a hatchback will follow in later years.

Daewoo Leganza

The top of Daewoo's US lineup rivals the Toyota Camry in size and offers more features for $3,000 less. Some call the styling Lexus-like.

Hyundai Sonata

Hyundai's flagship Sonata gets smoother styling and more horsepower, but it may not be enough to turn around the company's sagging sales.

Infiniti G20

Nissan's up-scale division reintroduces its entry-level sports sedan, this time an elegant European design. The $21,000, price buys a four-cylinder engine, plenty of room, and a sophisticated flair.

Mercedes-Benz C230

Mercedes-Benz pumps up the tempo in its $30,000 entry-level four-cylinder sedan with an added supercharger, making this the "C230 Kompressor."

Mitsubishi Galant

Mitsubishi has freshened its bread-and-butter sedan with graceful styling, more room, and an optional V-6 engine. Prices still start around $17,000.

Oldsmobile Alero

Oldsmobile's $17,000 version of GM's new compact sedans offers the smoothest styling of the bunch and aims at import buyers with tight steering and simple controls.

Oldsmobile Intrigue

Oldsmobile enhanced the image of its $23,000 import-fighter with a smaller, higher-tech, and cleaner new engine.

Pontiac Grand Am

Pontiac's bestselling model is the sportiest of GM's new compacts with slightly more horsepower and radically aggressive styling for $18,000.

Saturn LS

For the first time, Saturn will have a second, completely different model. The bigger LS sedan should appear next year, and a wagon may follow. The LS still uses plastic body panels, but is not built at Saturn's revolutionary Tennessee factory.

Saab 93

Saab decided to focus on performance this year, offering nothing less than turbocharged engines. For 1999, it ups the ante with a big 200-horsepower turbo in its small 900 hatchback: $26,000 plus.

Subaru Outback SUS

Capitalizing on the success of its Outback wagons, Subaru has extended the line to its Legacy "sport utility sedan".

Volkswagen Jetta

No longer just a Golf with a trunk, the Jetta has a curvier, sportier look with a family resemblance to the popular Passat. Quality is improved as well.

Volvo S40/V40

A new small Volvo sedan and wagon come to the US in 2000, with four-cylinder engines and more affordable prices in the $20,000 range.

Volvo S70

Volvo's bread-and butter sedan gets the all-wheel-drive option the wagon had last year.

LUXURY CARS

Infiniti Q45

Infinity has restyled its flagship to look more aggressive and less American.

Lincoln LS

Lincoln's attempt to lure import buyers should roll out next June. It's smaller than a Continental, has rear-wheel drive, and comes with either a V-8 or V-6: $30,000 to $40,000.

Mercedes-Benz S-class

Less is more for the Mercedes flagship, scheduled for debut next fall. The new S-class is smaller and loses such extravagances as double-paned windows in favor of snappier looks and a lower price - think $60,000 to $100,000 rather than $65,000 to $140,000.

Saab 95

As close as Saab has ever moved to the mainstream. Yet this $30,000 sedan still offers such Saab quirks as seats with cooling fans, the world's first asymmetrical turbocharger, and active headrest restraints.

Volvo S80

Continuing its move up-market and toward more prominent styling, Volvo brings a new large, round-look sedan to the top of its lineup this fall. Expect prices in the $50,000 to $55,000 range. A wagon plus more powerful engines will follow.

STATION WAGONS

Audi A6 Avant

Volkswagen's upscale division, Audi, gave its sleek new A6 a $43,000 price tag, all-wheel-drive, leather, and all the frills.

BMW 5-series

BMW brings back the sportiest wagon on the market, a variant of its mid-size 5-series. This one's available with BMW's foot-stompin' V-8 and a slide-out, rear-load floor for just under $60,000.

Saab 95

The first four-door wagon from the Swedish automaker offers more style than its national rival, Volvo, a slide-out floor and all the quirky innovation of the 95 sedan.

Volkswagen Passat

VW stretched its new Passat lineup to include the perennial favorite wagon. For $20,000, you get a four-cylinder turbo engine. A V-6 and all-wheel-drive should come later in the year.

MINIVANS

Honda Odyssey

Honda's first mainstream minivan has more cargo room than rivals, flexible seating (Odyssey's trademark), and dual-powered sliding doors. At $23,615, it costs less than the little minivan it replaces and is more fun to drive than rivals.

Ford Windstar

Finally catching up in the four-door wars, the new Windstar offers more refined styling and, still, the biggest engine in the business.

Nissan Quest/

Mercury Villager

These minivan twins also get a fourth door for '99, more power, and even more-flexible seating than before for $24,000.

Volkswagen Eurovan

After a six-year hiatus from the minivan market it pioneered, VW returns its boxy, front-wheel-drive Eurovan to the states. This one addresses complaints about power with VW's compact, powerful VR6 engine.

Small Sport Utility Vehicles (SUVs)

Chevy Tracker

Chevrolet's version of the Suzuki Vitara isn't available with the V-6 and comes in a two-door convertible model. The Tracker may not survive GM's model-line cuts, though.

Isuzu VehiCross

This tall, funky-looking, two-door SUV promises more room than some four-doors and has a V-6 and full-time all-wheel-drive. It's an old-fashioned off-road SUV aimed at Gen-Xers.

Suzuki Vitara/Grand Vitara

Vitara takes over from Suzuki's popular Sidekick. It still caters to off-roaders more than commuters, but the Grand Vitara offers the only V-6 in the segment for less than $25,000.

MID-SIZE SUVS

BMW SAV

Not satisfied with a new wagon, BMW will jump into the luxury SUV market this winter with its so-called "sport-activity vehicle." The new SAV should boast better performance and more car-like manners than other luxury SUVs. The SAV name, though, may not stick.

GMC Envoy

GMC gussies up its compact Jimmy SUV with leather, CD changer, and an optional moonroof to compete in the luxury segment.

Jeep Grand Cherokee

Chrysler revamped the best-selling Grand Cherokee just before the Daimler merger - more room, more power, better fuel economy, and still $28,000 to start. It may be the most versatile SUV on the market today.

Land Rover Discovery

Land Rover enlarges the Discovery with a bus-like rear end to accommodate more cargo or passengers.

Mercedes-Benz ML430

Mercedes offers a new V-8 version of its sport-utility for $43,750.

Nissan Xterra

As mid-size SUVs have escalated to the $30,000 price range, Nissan saw a void of a basic, affordable, off-roadable SUVs for younger buyers. Expect the Xterra to answer that need early next summer.

Toyota 4Runner

The Toyota 4Runner Limited gets a new all-wheel-drive system that should be much more sure-footed in the snow.

LARGE SUVS

Cadillac Escalade/GMC Denali

General Motors' GMC division dressed up the Yukon into the $43,000 leather-clad Denali. Now Cadillac sticks its crest on to create the Lincoln-Navigator-fighting Escalade.

Ford Excursion

Ford plans the biggest SUV ever to do battle with Chevrolet's behemoth Suburban. Picture an enclosed version of one of Ford's new Super Duty pickups.

Pickup trucks

Chevrolet Silverado/

GMC Sierra

General Motors rolls out its first new big pickups in a decade, with by far the most rear-seat room in extended cabs, a new line of more efficient, powerful engines, and the first full-time all-wheel-drive system in any pickup: $16,000 to $30,000.

Ford Super Duty series

Ford has developed a two-pronged big pickup strategy. The Super Duties are a separate line that starts at 8,500-pound capacity. They're BIG.

Nissan Frontier

Nissan reintroduces a V-6 in its new small-pickup line, but only in the $18,000 King Cab 4x4. A four-door Frontier follows next summer.

Toyota Tundra

Toyota's long-awaited new competitor in the full-size pick-up wars arrives next year, with a Lexus V-8, four doors, and enough American character to steal some of the Big Three's truck thunder.