MOTOR industry:

Dominion, Volume 21, Issue 17, 14 October 1927, Page 11

MOTOR industry:

PROGRESS SHOWN AT OLYMPIA MODELS FROM SEVERAL COUNTRIES SOME NEW FEATURES Great interest is displayed hi the annual International Motor Show at Olympia, where the latest productions of alt the leading motor manufacturing nations are displayed. Rugby, October 12. The annual International Motor Shofl at Olympia, London, will open for nine days to-morrow, where automobiles valued approximately at £700,000 and representing the latest productions of all the leading motor manufacturing nations, will be displayed. The Society of British Motor Manufacturers -has compiled striking statistics on the progress made by the industry and on the ■ potentialities of the home and overseas markets. Six years ago the number of privately, owned cars in Great Britain! was 250,000. To-day the total approaches 800,000. When motor returns were called for in 1911, the number of cars was only 47,000. Taking British trade throughout, contracts for cars roughly totalling £lBO,000 have already been made with mak-; ers by agents. These are mostly for familiar models, and there are still big contracts to come for new types that • the public will not see until the show ; opens. Taking the average price as £l6O per car, that means that contract business in British cars is worth £28,000,000. The average price of new types will be about £2OO, and figuring out 20,000 contract orders for these gives another £4,000,000 of business, or a grand value in contract orders of l £32,000,000. These show such an in- ’ crease that makers have had to organise their factories on hitherto unknown lines. One of the biggest Midland firms has organised for an increased produc- : tion of 100 per cent. Many others wall produce on the same basis of 50 per cent, increase.—British Official Wireless. By Telegraph.—Press Association. (Copyright.) (Rec. October 13, 7.30 p.m.)’ London, October 12. The motor show at Olympia is one of the year’s greatest events, to-day’s opening being the leading story in every London newspaper. The largest manu- i facturer has arranged for the production of 80,000 cars, valued at sixteen millions sterling. Ten manufacturers have already sold three years’ output. The total estimated sales are seventy millions. Australian, New Zealand, and African representatives have placed orders in the vicinity of fifteen millions sterling. England is exhibiting forty-five models, France twenty-two, America seventeen, Italy eight, Belgium three, and Germany (whose first appearance this is since the war) two. The pre-emin-ent mechanical features, are the development of a light six-cylinder, of two to three litre class. No fewer than nine manufacturers are exhibiting new sixes aimed at direct competition with America. Incidentally, five new “fours” were introduced by -well-known firms. Another feature is an apparent increase of side-valve engines and four-speed gear-boxes. Four-wheel brakes are uni-. versal, with considerable variation in the methods of application. The coachwork shows phenomenal advance. Fabric saloons preponderate, while saloons of all kinds' have been responsible, for reductions in last year’s open car prices.