THIS YEAR’S CARS

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume LXXXIII, Issue 19737, 5 January 1927, Page 10

THIS YEAR’S CARS

WORLD WANTS 5,000,000. AMERICA’S LONG LEAD Thor’s hammer, Vulcan’s forge, Odin’s fire have made way for King Motor, the modern giant, who this year will scatter over the earth 4,970,752 now cars, which mortals will value dt £1,500,000,000. Of this total 4.000.000 will be built in the United States; the remainder in Britain, France, Germany, Italy, and a few other countries. The world census of car registrations for last year showed that 24,452,267 cars were in use by all nations. Allowing for replacement of scrapped cars the 1927 production will increase this total to roughly 27,300,000 representing a vtilue of nearly £8,200,000,000. The figures are exclusive of those for trucks and motor cycles. Last year 3,575,701 trucks and 1,459,668 motor cycles were in use in the world, distributed as follows: —115,849 in Africa, 18,303,813 in America, 195,603 in Asia, 1.904,754 in Europe and 356,875 in Oceania. The national ear owners were: — United States, 17,317,357; Great Britain 835,405; France 763,499; Canada, 719,718; Australia, 297,311; Germany, 295,000; Argentina, 173,754; Belgium, 120,000; Italy, 115,000; New Zealand, 99,203; Sweden, 81,600; India, 79,154; Spain, 76,000; Brazil, 68,903; South Africa ,62,600; Denmark, 60,000; Holland 56,000; Mexico, 41,820; Dutch East Indies, 41,200; Switzerland, 37,250; Cuba, 35,000; Japan, 34,000; Irish Free State, 33,782; Norway, 25,753; and Hawaii, 25,300. Of the many other countries in the 'Pnsus, Czecho-Slovakia had .17,300 cars ;s against 18,238 in the Phillippine Isands. Austria had 17,300; Finland,

’5.500; Egypt, 15,233; Poland, 13,549; Rumania, 13.000; China, 12,970; Russia, 11,402; Ceylon, 9510; British West Africa,B9oo; Morocco, 7790; Peru, 7500; Hungary, 7177; Yugoslavia, 6610;

Jamaida, 4100; Siam, 3789; Persia, 2950; Bulgaria, 1350; Palestine, 1355; Fiji, 394; Iceland, 310; Samoa, 187; West Samoa, 186; Papua, 122; Tonga, 114; Afghanistan, 100; Abyssinia, 35; the Solomon Islands, 2; and the Gilbert and Ellice Islands 2.

The best proportion of cars to population was in the United States—one car to every six persons. Then came Canada land New Zealand, each with one to 14; Australia, with one to 20; Denmark, with one to 51; France, with one to 53; Britain and Argentina, each with one to 55; Sweden, with one to 75; and Norway, with one to 99. To meet the vtist world demand, 315

car manufacturing companies will be operating in 1927. They will support a host of allied companies producing stainless nickel, tungsten, spec.Al alloy, high-speed and other steels, other metals; electricial systems and equipment, transmission and steering systems, Ancles, wheels, windscreens, bodies, timbers, metal panels, upholstery, paint, celluloid, varnishes, rubber tyres, tubes and mats, metal panels, celluloid, varnishes and rubber tyres, tubes land mats. The invested capital of all these companies would provide a staggering total which could be estimated only in thousands of millions sterling.