Detroit's Uphill Battle

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more than a Citation.

>The Erika. The cars in Ford Motor Co.'s future are the Ford Escort and Mercury Lynx, code-named the Erika. As successor to the decade-old Ford Pinto and Mercury Bobcat, they are smaller than either GM's X-cars or Chrysler's K models. The Escort and Lynx will seat four adults with ease, and have fuel economy estimates of 30 m.p.g. city and 44 m.p.g. highway.

The new Ford cars will have important design changes to correct past problems. To avoid the fires that were sometimes caused in rear-end collisions in the Pinto, the new cars' gas tanks are placed in front of, rather than behind, the rear axle. In addition, the automatic transmissions have a pronounced barrier between park and reverse to prevent slippage between the two gears. Last week the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration was still considering whether to force Ford to recall some 16 million vehicles because of that problem in earlier cars.

>The A-and J-cars. In October GM will roll out its A-cars, the redesigned successors to its strong-selling Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme and other intermediates. The auto industry, though, is impatiently waiting for GM's next model: the J-car, which will be unveiled in May or June. The J-car will be larger than a Ford Escort but smaller than the Dodge Aries. It is expected to get 28 m.p.g. in city driving. The new models will carry Chevrolet and Pontiac name plates and probably later Cadillac. They will come in a range of styles that will include a notchback and a five-door station wagon.

Unlike in earlier years, when model changes often involved only a rounder headlight or a longer tail fin, Detroit's new generation of cars represents some important changes in the auto industry. Many of the parts, such as trunks, were designed by computers, which permit three-dimensional views and instant read-outs of technical data. The new cars are most noticeable for their smaller size, cleaner aerodynamic styling and greater interior space. But some of the most dramatic advances are under the hood. The auto industry is on the threshold of an electronic revolution that will make cars run better, cleaner and more reliably through the use of minicomputers. All GM models in 1981 will have what it calls Computer Command Controls, which regulate emissions, engine speed and coolant temperature.

This year Detroit is not just turning out new models; it is also trying innovative ways to build them. Aging plants have been gutted and filled with hundreds of millions of dollars of new equipment. Chrysler alone spent $100 million refurbishing the 73-year-old Jefferson Avenue plant, and claims that it will have 17% increased productivity. For instance, by installing engines in car bodies from the bottom up, instead of the traditional way from the top down, assembly is faster. GM is spending approximately $1 billion building new plants in St. Louis and Pontiac, Mich., to replace outdated ones.

The industry is making such changes on the assembly line that Henry Ford would never recognize it. Industrial robots are taking over many tasks previously done by workmen. A spot welding unit can cost $60,000, but operating expenses run only $6 an hour. By contrast, an average assembly-line worker earns $17 per hour in wages and benefits. Programmed by computer, the robots' hooklike hands lift heavy steel parts and wield