"CAR DESIGNS WILL BE MORE CONSERVATIVE”

Northern Advocate, 13 December 1937, Page 4

"CAR DESIGNS WILL BE MORE CONSERVATIVE”

-U.S. VISITOR

Two of the most important developments- in the motor car manufacturing trade in the United States are: —.

A trend towards more conservative design. The growth of business in the

field of medium-priced cars,

These facts were mentioned by Mr Serge Daniloff. regional manager of Packard Motors Export Corporation, with offices in' New York, who is at present visiting -Northland.-

Mr Daniloff is accompanied by Mr F. PI. Wilkinson, fieldsman- for Dominion Motors. Ltd., and today went North as far as Rawenc. Pie intends to return to Auckland via the Waipoua

Forest. The reason for the trend towards the more conservative design, stated Mr Daniloff, was because the practice of changing the streamlining yearly caused too great a depreciation in the value of the vehicle to the owner. Result of Depression.

The other developm£ht was a result of the depression, which had shifted the centre of gravity in the motor trade towards the medium-priced field, which had shown the biggest increase in sales. Plis company had been quick to recognise this trend, and since 1935 had been producing the smaller Packard, which had been exceptionally well received in the United States, and in fact, all over the world.

The object, he stated, was to produce a vehicle with the efficiency and comfort of the highest-price cars at a price which the general public would pay. High Costs.

Mr Daniloff mentioned that his company, which is entirely independent, had spent 30,000,000 dollars in the past three years in research, development and new designs. That figure, he said, gave some indication of the cost involved in manufacturing motor cars, and if further proof was necessary, it was provided by the fact that, at times in (lie past, the number of motor manufacturing firms in the United States had totalled about 900, which figure had to-day dwindled to 20. Business in the United States, he said, was exceptionally good at present. Since the turning-point of the depression, 1934, there had been several minor booms, and while there had been a recession in business recently, he did not think that the effect would be permanent. In fact, he was certain that trade would pick up over the Christmas season.

His own company would double its business this year, while all industry would show a marked increase.