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2002 Acura RSX
RSX-UAL HEALING. Completing the recent name-changing surgery
within its lineup, Acura has finally lost the Integra nameplate. While that
great badge is going away, we do get a replacement in the RSX, a Prelude-sized
sports coupe with either a 160-hp (base) or 200-hp (Type S) four-cylinder
engine. The base RSX offers one of two five-speed gearboxes, either a manual or
an automatic with Sportshift; the Type S, a six-speed manual shifter only. A
MacPherson front strut suspension will come as a shock to double-wishbone
purists. On sale in July, Acura wants to sell 30,000 RSXs annually, with prices
ranging from $20,000 to $25,000.

2002 Aston Martin Vanquish
BIG PLANS. Aston Martin’s a small company, but it’s got big
plans. Company officials noted that sales have grown 60 percent since 1999, and
are expected to grow by another 50 percent this year, to 1500 units. In the
U.S., sales should grow 60 percent this year, to 400, said Bill Donnelly,
president of Aston Martin North America. “That may make us the fastest-growing
brand in the market.” The big boost should come from the addition of the new
Vanquish sports coupe, priced at $228,000.

2002 Infiniti I35
I OPENING. Nissan’s Infiniti division is betting on some big
growth of its own thanks to the updated and upgraded I35. The old I30’s engine
has been replaced with a new 3.5-liter V-6 pumping out 260 hp and 246 lb-ft of
torque. The look of the sedan has been updated, borrowing some of the design
cues of Infiniti’s all-new flagship, the Q45. Long cast in the shadow of
European luxury brands—as well as Japanese rival Lexus, Infiniti’s sales have
been on an upswing, and last year, exceeded 78,000 for the first time since the
brand was launched in 1989.

2002 Land Rover Discovery Kalahari
BRAND WITHIN A BRAND. Land Rover’s Kalahari isn’t a distinct
model: it’s a range of existing Rovers equipped with extreme off-road gear. The
first of the series, the Discovery Kalahari, was shown with screaming yellow
paint, a special fabric interior, a black steel brush bar and headlight guard;
and roof rack/ladder combo. Some 150 of the Disco Kalaharis will come to the
U.S., each one priced at about $40,000. Meanwhile, the brand is preparing for
the on-sale date of its long-awaited Freelander sport-ute, a small premium
vehicle to be priced below $30,000.

2002 Land Rover Tomb Raider Defender
RAIDER AIDER. It’s getting harder to
distinguish fantasy from reality these days. Videogame heroine Lara Croft will
soon make it to the silver screen in the film version of Tomb Raider. When she’s not racing from one
explosion to another, actress Angelina Jolie will be seen behind the wheel of a
specially built Tomb Raider Defender. And a handful of buyers will have the
chance to get one of those Defenders for their own, said Land Rover’s U.S. chief
executive, Howard Mosher. Unfortunately, the edgy SUV wouldn’t meet American
safety standards, and there are currently no plans to ship any to the
States.

Jamie Lee Curtis
NOT KIDDING AROUND. According to FBI
statistics, 750,000 children go missing each year. “That’s staggering,” said
actress Jamie Lee Curtis, who is teaming up with Ford as part of a new program,
called Commitment to Kids, designed to address the problem. Set to begin on May
25, the program will permit parents to take their kids to one of Ford’s Blue
Oval Certified dealers and have them photographed and fingerprinted. That will
give parents a useful identification package they can supply to police if a
child disappears. Curtis intends to visit Ford showrooms around the country in
order to encourage parents to participate. “I will be working on this for at
least a year,” noted Curtis, who is active in a number of children’s
charities.

2002 Kia Sedona
LATE
ARRIVAL. Kia’s first minivan took long enough to hit the
States, but now that’s it’s ready for sale two years after it was announced,
it’s time for some minivan makers to be concerned. The Sedona is very well
equipped; the base model includes twin sliding side doors, a middle bench seat
that slides, flips and is removable, and a 3.5-liter V-6 engine serving up 195
hp. A five-speed automatic transmission polishes off the list. Upscale EX models
add even more equipment: a total of 10 cupholders, body-color roof rack, alloy
wheels and keyless entry. Sedona goes on sale in the summer for what Kia
promises will be a price “thousands of dollars less” than its competition.
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