AMERICAN MOTOR CARS

Dominion, Volume 13, Issue 72, 18 December 1919, Page 13

AMERICAN MOTOR CARS

FACTS AND FIGURES v

Mr. Joliii Priolcau, who is invqstigatimr' motoring mutters in the United States for tho "Daily, Mail," has supplied that journal with some intercstiny lizures. , He writes:—

"Since inv arrival in America I have sDent mimv. absorbing hours studying the American motor industry as it is today, and comparing it with what it was .when I saw it six years ago. The conclusion I have come to is .that British industry stands to-day in considerable daiuror unless the present vast outbreak of industrial strikes prevents production here. Wo aro face to faco with a n organisation of the highest efficiency, backed by overv resource, with enough cars to supply the whole of the British demand in a few months, and it is time tho easygoing British motorist and maker should realise in what danger wo stand of being driven out of our own market by imDOfted cars, anrl what sort of cars thev aro -which may so easily sweep our own- productions into oblivion. Hero are a .few figures which may illuminate the subject-.— Nmnhnr of motor manufacturers in the United States, 550. Number of States possessing factories, 32. Number of pasenger cars produced in 1917, r.715.778. Number of commercial cars produced in 1917.. . IGO.OM. Average retail price of passenger cars in 1917. JIMS. Number of firms making motor parts,6789. Capital invested by body, parts, and aciwnrv makers; Jlfi7.sfln.flnn. * Dealers, naragrv. repair shops in United' States. 16,000. _ ' NumW of motor vehicles rogisforml in the United States durint 1918. VW~ Number of .persons in the United States to one ear,' 21. Number of cars, to each mile of made rood. 15... Numb?!- of.ears in jse in Europe. ,Tanuarv 1. 1917. itf.VS. Wholesale value of nissensrpr and civi'inn comwo-Wa'. vehicles produced in 1918. &M.9IW&. Aninunt "f ".iviM invested in tlie car '.ind'istr" ./■S>YU'Vt ,, '"l,

Tf each env cnTvi es 3 pnecenwr'! ,«mo •miles in a var 'a vi'rv low oet-'mnW. the fo'tnl nnsspi"'pr milpa™ is. 45.000,000.00n tlin"--i"<l. n.illinn?).

Then • f'ruff? !<(T'""1 a f.-irly p.ccnretp idea., of .'flic' nrodnpHv" powers of thf American motor industry. I. have ljpfovo 111" i> ilnfoilNl lisf of about 10A of til" hp»M-no"-i iw'--"i of Ampi-icnn cars, including Ibnsp nlr»ndv familiar to up. 'rivimr the nriepp for SpotpmVr lnr.t...F J cars rar."o..fr"'n .i 11.5 311 for tli'n piovcp .A Ttiivt" £W\ for the porrl. Of the Inhil number 5S are six-o.vJitKl«r 0.-I*. 11 r.ir-h):-|.vlii..l«r. nr-.l 3 Wlvo-pvlitKlpv. There i» one pfe-i'ii car. Hip Pfnnlov. 'Hie. remaind"!' nr" all fn"rpvlinder mnehiT"\s. On" six-pvlindpr, .(he Orant, is 'pricPcV'nt ,C 2«. V»rv few of -these cars are of.less tha" ?l-h.p., ""d the "rent ma.inrih- ."re fittfrl with electric lighting aud'starfiiKr apparatus. American Cars Coming. ! I have beard it c n id in England thnt flip demand for c« r * here is so enormous tHt makers. a r <> findiwr if impossible, to fill the-'orders. Ihpv. receive, flint, it .will lv> a low' I'm 0 before they can enter the British m,irlr"f. ami that few liavo any intention of.do' V,' so.' T h not Mi""p Hint, 'hew is real innnilpHnii-fir tM= •■'w- T Imvo been in vert rlos«'touch i" :|l i the cpr.tr" of the industry Itp pH T'"™ rot found much evidence f'n.t (h» cl,nrfnir ß of pers is r-o nrn'muncpd n= to fi-'-M fV ;., tli" v orv no a v future of agencies »n ■Ep"lfip<l. Pnoole here sometimes pay Hint it. is 'difficult to '<-e l li""' <•■"•". but tlipr Tenll.rnipp'i "inf it is difficult,to ,','et them imnipdiafpiv. » T read p.u 'lulvprftpniwt h-<h* by fb» mal-prs of one of t'lo b*sf known and jiio?t imi'il.T' p"r= in . A "i°ricp. -which frankly stated that w<iiil'!-1m nurcl-asprfl' •lii.rl in snnip eases to wait a.reorith for rnt ,i r npir : . i -<r ! (v"."-''A-month.!- Comnn'ved with Tivitisli conditions 'such, a- delay docs not count. As lwirds the' of memifaeturp.rs fo pifpr the Uptieb. market. J feoT thorp i 3 no bono "f e'-cao'> for ic. Tbpv may not mit<M- it in ?r?at number* at first, but tbot they are coiiii™ 'e indisputable. Thcv may have io divprt a proportion of the cars intcru'ed for the hnuip market to th°ir agents in Hp T'nited TCinctdnm. but the !os* entailed will fall'only utkiti the Amercan buyer. . To flip AniPricrni m'Aer H -pav mf."" ihp rnntnre of « valuable market; t' Great Br : tnin it may mean the nrin c her industry."For th" Aniorican, beinq; an Pscppdi'nßli-. slireivd business man. is not going to make any'niisliilcp-. If he i\cf . nn ovpr-.;p.i»" nwrkct : t is miito '.'ertain that he will do it thoroughly. It does' not nay to set u)> costly organisations in order to sell a few e;iw, And there must lie no m-'sundersfendi'Hr about tlr;-" uev: ea.vs rhn't are comintr. T sav if advisedly—there is no coiunari' so:i b'elv-'-n the 1!)13 Aineriean i-ars aiv' the models '. see and drive in her'irprv <lav. There >vore many thin-" ■• disliked in the old Amer'ean ears. Tliei" flimsy apneara"CP. thei; - "pneni.! !ine,« and desie-u. the'r bic.k of finish. I heir h : i, fpoble. wasteful cneines, and tlie.iT ugly and uiieouifortnHp mai'li irtfrk. /All these faults have vanished. The new 'cnv«i are "smai'l" in n I'VirtmfJin sense, their desiirn is in most cases euorivioiisiy improved, they are well finish?d. their bod'-e-s are voo"'y and comfortable, and their.jpusral pfficieiicy is often startling.