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The twenty-first century finds the automobile industry facing an accelerating pace of change in vehicle design, materials and manufacturing processes. More daring vehicle styling, innovative designs (modularity, platform commonization, hybrid powertrains, side airbag curtains, electronics), new materials and applications (dual-phase and boron steels, structural foam, aluminum, composites), manufacturing techniques (hydroforming, tailored blanks, weld-bonding, laser welding) and the like are offering consumers an increasing variety of product choices, with continuous improvements in comfort, safety, convenience, durability, fuel economy and emission reductions. In spite of all these advances in technologies, the reality is that vehicles will continue to be involved in collisions. The rate of increase in average collision repair costs more than offsets decreases in collision claims frequencies.

Vehicle theft has been a rising problem in Canada for many years. This prompted the formation of a committee led by the Vehicle Information Centre of Canada to develop a Canadian standard [9]1 for vehicle security. The purpose of this paper is to outline the key features of the standard as well as the process involved in its development. In developing the standard, a number of existing documents world-wide were reviewed. The Canadian Standard will benefit vehicle owners, insurers and equipment suppliers in establishing a minimum level of performance for anti-theft devices. At the heart of the standard is a requirement for a core immobilization function, preventing the vehicle from being driven away under its own power. The standard is also structured in a modular fashion, allowing for its evolution in future revisions.

Emissions from heavy-duty diesel vehicles have come under increased scrutiny with passage of the U.S. Clean Air Act Amendments of 1990. Methanol (M100) is seen as an important option for operators of transit fleets given the fuel's liquid nature and relative availability. This paper presents the results of a 36-month demonstration of a fleet of six methanol-powered transit buses equipped with DDC 6V-92TA engines. The engines were delivered in 1991 and were the first batch of Detroit Diesel engines certified to meet 1991 clean air standards. A similarly equipped control fleet of six diesel buses was tracked simultaneously. This paper includes an evaluation of bus operating data and emissions. Data such as fuel and oil consumption were collected along with a complete list of maintenance actions on both fleets. Chassis dynamometer emissions testing was carried out by Environment Canada at their River Road (Ottawa) test facility.