Fifth Gear claims to be 'world renowned' for their 'infamous' shoot-outs, between similarly priced, similarly powerful cars, or, recently, cars versus bikes.

High priced cars from automakers like Aston Martin and Ferrari are hand-built to their customer's specifications.

The Avenger competes directly with the Chevrolet Malibu and Ford Fusion, with the 2007 and later Chrysler Sebring being aimed at the higher priced American cars such as the Mercury Milan, Pontiac G6 and Saturn Aura.

General Motors is currently importing small cars from Japan and Korea, and top executives of the company say it is impossible to make lower priced cars at U.A.W. wage rates.

That is because Japanese companies have established factories here, and the strongest of these automobile makers are moving into the market for higher priced, more profitable cars, as demonstrated by Honda's Acura division.

Auto manufacturers are also changing the way they price cars.

INSIDE TRACK: Two attractive and attractively priced cars that are still a bit rough around the edges.

Neither has a meaningful position in Latin America or Asia, where the biggest demand is for small and modestly priced cars.

Honda and Toyota are presently delivering consumer priced diesel-electric cars.

Ford now makes air bags available on its midsize Ford Tempo-Mercury Topaz, the only moderately priced cars so equipped and sold in the United States.