AUSTRALIA’S NEW CARS

Press, Volume LXXIV, Issue 22496, 2 September 1938, Page 16

AUSTRALIA’S NEW CARS

BIG YEAR 82,303 VEHICLES BOUGHT

The purchasing power of the Australian people is reflected in the sales statistics of new cars and commercial motor' vehicles throughout the Commonwealth for the fiscal year ended June. 1938, which have just been issued by the Dunlop Rubber Company. In the year’s trading, 82,303 new units were sold, comprising 59,294 cars and 23,009 commercial vehicles. At the conservative estimate of an . allround average retail price of £350 a unit, the year’s turnover in new cars was in the region of £20,750,000 and commercial vehicles more than £8,000,000, in all £28,750,000, of which more.than £20,000,000 was added value in Australia by Australian workers and industry. The sales tax paid to the Federal Government on the year’s trading in new automobiles alone exceeded £1,000,000. The sales figures for 1937-38 show a Commonwealth gain of 9525 units (13 per cent.) over those of the preceding financial year; car sales increased by 7379 units (14.2 per cent.), and commercial vehicles by 2146 units (10.3 per cent.). In the merchandising of the 82,303 new automobiles, something like 100,000 used cars and commercial vehicles changed hands, so that, all told, more than 182,000 of these vehicles were sold throughout the Commonwealth in the fiscal year. An interesting feature of the 12 months’ trading is that every state registered improved figures over the previous fiscal year, both in car and commercial vehicle sales, with the single exception of Western Australia, which showed a slight recession in sales of commercial vehicles. The 1937-38 sales of new commercial vehicles (23,009) establishes an alltime Australian record for industrial units, while the car sales (59,294) are the second highest on record, the peak figure being registered in 1928-29, when 7?,722 new cars were sold. At that time, however, there was a much larger potential, for Australia then only had 546,210 cars and commercial vehicles registered (86.8 per 1000 of population) as compared with to-day’s 797,000 cars and commercial vehicles (116.8 per 1000 of population). The purchasing power of the people is strikingly reflected in the following figures covering sales of new automobiles in the Commonwealth during the last three years:—

19361937-

Sales No. . 70,247 . 72,778 . 82,303

It is thus disclosed that 161,554 new cars and 63,774 new commercial vehicles of a retail value (average £350) of more than £78.000,900 (approximately £56,000.000 for cars and £22,000,000 for commercial vehicles) were marketed in Australia during that three years’ period. Whether such a high sales level can be maintained in Australia in the new car field during the next two or three years is open to question.

NATIONAL RACING TEAM

STATE SUBSIDY SOUGHT

A good deal of agitation is going on in England for a State subsidy for a team of British racing cars, capable of meeting on even terms the expensive, but highly efficient, German and Italian teams. The agitation, which is beginning to occupy a lot of space in the weekly periodicals, is particularly interesting, as one manifestation of a growing British desire to check the undoubted prestige accruing to the dictator countries, because of the overwhelming superiority of their ’racing, machines. These, of course, are built with funds provided by the respective Governments. An unfortunate result of the German and Italian successes is that the man in the street, knowing nothing of the technical matters involved, is beginning to deprecate the standard British touring type of car, and look kindly upon the foreign machines, intrinsically no better and often inferior, but glowing with reflected glory from the wonderful racing cars built in the same countries. It is beginning to be realised that the phenomenal performances of these foreign machines, repeated with such monotonous regularity, are propaganda of the greatest value, and the British motor industry is commencing to awake to the fact that something will have -to be done.

Foreign Cars Triumph For some years, Britain has been pre-eminent in small-car racing, solely because of the exertions of a small band of enthusiasts responsible for the IHitre E.R.A. cars, of the sort which made such a profound impression at the Australian Grand Prix at Bathurst. But, just as that little car swept past the opposition at Bathurst, so did the bigger German and Italian cars sweep past the E.R.A.’s when pitted against them in England last, year. The ignorant bystander, not realising that the foreign cars had engines four times as big, was led to believe that the little English vehicles were hopelessly inefficient. Since the international racing formula was revised to reduce engine sizes, the E.R.A. company has put into production a team of slightly larger cars than their present-models, with the object of competing in the European races, but it is beginning to be realised that, with limited resources, their chances of success are slight against the foreign cars in whose construction money was of no consequence. The purpose of the present agitation is to raise a fund with which to finance a national team, probably under E.R.A. auspices, which would, be capable of meeting and beating the foreigners on their own ground.

USE YOUR GEARS

Gears are put in the car to be used; therefore, use them > Do not shift into neutral until the ear has so slowed up that the engine' is about to stall. Most rules are generalities, and at times it is quite safe to coast, the clutch out and engine idling. But in nearly all driving keep the car under control of the engine—with the clutch in. On down grades a good rule is to use the same gear -that would be required in ascending. If it requires second gear going up, use second gear going down. Like many other things, that is a generality, but if the rule is followed, particularly in hilly driving, danger will be avoided. In a modern car second gear is a quicker way of getting down a hill than high gear ahd much safer. . '

The dangerous problem in hill driving is the necessity of a sudden emergency shift— so shift before the emergency; arises, •