Evening Star Newspaper, November 4, 1923, Page 62

THE SUNDAY STAR, WASHINGTON, D. ©, NOVEMBER OTORS and Automobile Industry Busy Creating Demand for Cars New Engineering Design and Luxurious Features Are Being Added to Stimu- i late Buying—15,000,000 in Use Now. BY WILLIAM ULLMAN. ‘With the public buying more and more automobiles it may seem super- fluous to speak of creating u new de- mand for cars. Yet that is precisely ‘what the automobile industry is doing ~—and with the aid of an advertising fundamental. The present .wane of buying is neither the result of high wages nor the degree of perfection of the auto- mobile itself, though these have thelr influence. The buying impulse represents a reallzation on the part of the ayerage person that the advantages of car ownershlp are too desirable to fore- go. But with this demand bringing production up to a point exceeding all previous records the question is, “What next?” Upon this hinges an important story on the future domes: tic market of the automobile, and an interesting merchandising plan in which engineering genius and adver- tising combine. Obviously there must be a limit on the number of cars which can oper- ate at one time. Some have estimated this at fifteen million, some at twent others—more optimistic—at thirty But there is a more important point the limit on the possible number of cars In service will have no effect on the number of cars produced and sold This point is about to be clearly demonstrated through an important change which lies just ahead on the motor Industry’s brilliant highway of achievement. Consider an Analogy. To understand it one must consider an analogy. In the collar industry the “saturatlon point” has long been reached, yet production continues at 2 high rate and any new manufac- turer could profitably enter the field without disturbing the position of the ploneers. Every male consumer has a generous assortment of collars, vet new collars are manufactured— and he buys them. This buying, fur- thermore, is not necessarily to re- place those worn out, but primarily to keep up with the stvles. The collar manufacturer announces A new creation, charms the country with alluring copy of the article in opération on the neck of the mode man—and the consumer buys. The degree of change in styles depends largely upon the exigencies of the trade, the readiness of the public to accept change as progress, and effectiveness of the media of adver- tising. In the automobile market the man- ufacturer has at his disposal the same means of keeping sales in line with production, but he has been so preoccupled with the task of supply- ing every potential owner with a first car and filling the demand for normal replacements, that he has had very little occasion to apply the collar idea seriously. He is saving It for the next lull in ales, which, as many experts ob- erve, should logically come to pass’ early in 1924. The announcement of a few Important motor car makers of new models with distinctly radical NASH the | departures in design is a slightly premature forerunner. ‘With the factories producing at the rate of approximately 4,000,000 cars per year, and increasing at the rate of 1,000,000, it should be only a mat- ter of three or four years before there will be a car for every five persons in the United States, allowing for re- placement of 2,000,000 cars per year. Two Car Id The public is belng sold on the idea of “two cars to a famlly,” but ex- cessive living costs prevent this from being an effective means of absorb- ing the enormous increase in produc- tion. Export conditions are improv- ing, but will hardly offer more than a partial outlet for such production within the next few years. And re- | placement sales should only increase normally, owing to improvements in cars and increased service facilities { Which make for longer car life. Here, then, is the automobile indus- try apparently increasing production —and financing its operations—far beyond visible demand. Why should it not seek a new policy in its mer- chandising as an outlet for this pro- duction? And select a plan which has | been, singularly successful in another 07 Apparently ‘the car manufacturers lare forging ahead with production in the belief that when production reaches the danger point they will slmply introduce some radically new {engineering princtples and arouse in the car-buying public a desire to own something new and better. To be specific: Manufacturers now |are serfously debating the adoption | of four-wheel brakes, a revolutionary {move In deceleration which has bev come popular in France and England, where production has always been considered secondary to engineering design. At the time of this writing | there are seven American makes of> ferlng this braking arrangement, & fact which presages the creation’ of la new demand for cars—or, in the final janalysis, a new market. Mechanical Changes Few. There were no new mechanical changes of any consequence in the model, due to the fact that there is still a great primary demand for to be met, and it Is to the Iin- torests of the industry to hold off on {ts next merchandising move as long as possible. Just at this moment the entire au- | tomobile industry is on the verge of a landslide toward four-wheel brakes, This Is a revolutionary step for the reason that it would be just as unsafe to have two standards of stopping as to have two sets of road rules, Either all cars must be able to stop quickly or all unable to; there can be no half-way point or there will be |an_alarming increase in the num- jber of rear-end collisions. And the matter is more or less settled when it is recalled that more effective stop- ping is a requirement of the times. The situation Is unique in that the changing of styles in cars is fre- quently a step toward safety, which invariably means that the manufac- turer’s market is conveniently broad- ened by legislative action. Many of the developments on cars have been hastened by state laws and regula- tions. 1t is always possible to equip old cars 1% Somtgatd Rovasupe with the newer improvements, but the cost is sometimes prohibitive and tthe public invariably wants the real thing or nothing at all, a fact which is demonstrated in ‘car buying. Most motorists would rather put more money into a ne wear than spend considerably less adding new features to an old car. The merchandising problem in the au- tomobile industry, therefore, is going to be handled somewhat automatically by creating periodic demands for cars of radically different construction. Cost Found High. When the nation Is generously sup- plied with cars the ‘manufacturer will be In a position to replace all cars which wear out in normal use and to supply cars embodying the newer fea- tures. His problem will be to regulate the appeal of the newer styles in cars just enough to absorb his larger pro- duction without upsetting the used car market to a point where, in sacrificing his old car, the car buyer finds the cost of motor transportation prohibitive. Unquestionably the manufacturers could have sold (assuming they had fakcilities for producing them) & mil- | lion more cars this year had they of- | fered radically new features, but Lhe‘ used car market had to be considered, | which is not a matter to be reckoned | with in the clothing market. Merchandising =~ of typewriters, phonographs, automobiles,” player-pi- anos and the 1ike involves considera- tion of the resale value. There must, therefore, be an even balance between the stimulation of desire for new models and the resale condition The automobile industry can easily keep sales upon the heels of greater Prodncuon by adopting the collar dea in developing a new market from an old one, but it must time this crea- tion of new desire in such a way as not to jeopardize its position in the estimation of the public. The four-wheel brake trend in America will be an Interesting study in merchandising, and the lessons learned will bear watching by manu- facturers and advertisers in general. 'The Price Is Set Low at $2190, f. o. b. Factory craftsmen. A Big Car of Unexcelled Excellence! The Nash Six Sedan for Seven “The handsome bodyalone requires three months of painstaking laboe by world-famous coachwork The ‘upholstery is of the finest qualityknown to the textileworld. flush type, and other fine fea tures contribute an air of luxury. Around each door of the body are mohair strips lined with rubber tubing—a positive air-tight pro- tection from inclement weather. Motor, body, chassis, equipment ~—everything about the car setsa FOURS and SIXES ., : Models range from $915 to $2190, f. o. b. factory Hurley-Motor Co. R ion Is Y a ' 1522 14th St NW.” Phono Main 6462 —p SPRINGS RETURN POWER. It is an interesting fact that valve | springs return to an engine all the power which the engine expends in compressing them. The camshaft has to lift each valve and compress a spring at the same time, but when the job is over the spring in expand- ing and pushing down the valve and its tappet actually exerts a force ex- erted by the engine in compressing the spring. 4. 1923—PART 8. TO THE RIGHT. The annoyance—and danger—of of having a car pass you on the right without glving a warning can best be avoided by always driving as close as possible to the curb, except when overtaking another car. | If the return to the curb is made as | s0on as advisable after overtaking the other car there is no likelthood l of anything getting a chance to sand- wlgh in between your car and the curb. Only 3 Per Cent of Motorists Are Careless, Check Shows Pennsylvania Railroad Inspectors De- clare 97 Per Cent Exercise Reasonable Care in Driving Over Railway Tracks. During the summer inspectors of the Pennsylvania Railroad system checked 242,142 automobile drivers at selected highway crossings in each of the thirteen states through which the railroad operates to determine the extent and character of carelessness displayed in driving motor cars over railroad tracks. The total number of cars checked and the number and percentage of careless drivers observed are shown by months as follows: Number Percentage of o Number reckless carele drivers reckl 7,568 From these figures it will be seen that on the average 97 per cent of the drivers of automoblles displayed rea- | . sonable care in driving over the rail- | road tracks and that the other 3 per | cent were careless or reckless. It therefore follows that the great bulk | of accidents at highway crossings, as well as accldents on the streets and highways, may be charged to the care- lessness of a very small minority of automobile drivers. Various forms of carelessness were DEMONSTRATION RIDE IS NOW THING OF PAST Local Dealer Says Customer Buys Mainly on Car’s Reputation. Times change in automoblle circles as in anything else, but perhaps noth- ing {llustrates this point more than the reversal in demonstrations. Time was when" the prospect insisted on trying out a car several times before he would consider buying. Nowa- days the dealer takes a demonstra- tion ride In the prospect’s old car which is to be offered in trade or to be sold through the dealer's used car department. “People ~who know automobile values now buy cars on sight,” said | a local dealer, speaking of the new trend in buying. “Many motorists place their orders without suggesting noted by the inspectors, some of which are described as follows: |, Failing to look in efther dlrection for trains before crossing the tracks Disregarding the stop signal of crossing watchmen Driving under crossing gates in front of trains while gates were be- ing lowered. Running on crossings befors stop- Ping, not having car under control. Stalling on tracks. Stopping cars on crossings and turning around on tracks. | ., Paying no attention to the locomo- tive warning whistle. Racing _automobiles !tracks to beat trains. Operating cars brakes, Must Stop in Virginta. In the state of Virginla, where there is a law which requires auto mobiles to stop before crossing the | raflroad tracks, the checks show that | the law Was disregarded in a great | many_instances. | In éther states that requira busses | carrying passengers to stop before crossing the railroad tracks the law as also disregarded. Excessive speed was the most com mon form of carelessness noted. 1. a number of instances the drivers made no attempt whatever to reducs speed on approaching the crossing and occasionally cars were raced past other cars crossing the tracks In one instance the driver nearly |ran down a pedestrian and would not stop while the gates were being | lowered across the ‘with defective | the conventional demonstration ride. | apparently being satisfied that the ar is what they want, having studied | its performance In actual service and | being familiar with the reputation of | the firm back of it. | _“The demonstrations nowadays are | chiefly in the cars to be traded in, for here the human equation figures. | The dealer cannot rely upon the | make, for the best of cars go wrong | Fithout care, and attention. = Of | course, a man's personal habits are |largely reflected in_ his car, but a demonstration ride is the only way to determine the exact condition of the machine. ““The tables have turned in motor- dom and now it is the car owner who | does the demonstrating, who makes {the extravagant claims and who worries if the car doesn't do its best." MOTOR BUSSES IN BRAZIL. Motor busses made in the United | States are serving the Colleglo Pro gresso Brazilerlo, Sao Paulo, Brasi! | This is a Baptist mission schiool and the busses are used for transpo of students and general trucking. In all motordom—there is no car like this new GENERAL MOTORS product = ~ = a SIX at ins by Comparison . You’ve been looking for a car like this for years. You've wanted six cylinder per- formance—you’ve wanted quality all through the chassis and body—and you've waated these things combined with low price. General Motors with its vast resources, Touring $750, Roadster 5750, Spevt Towring $885 Cab 9935, Coupe 91035, Sedan 31095 TRoG. M. A. . emtonded paymens plan mabes busing sasp. All podscs §. 0. b. Leasing. Tan addisisnsl OLDSMOBILE SALES CO. OLDSMOBILE SALES 1835 14th St. Potomac 1000 working through Oldsmobile, now offers you these features in the lowest priced six in the world. Quality and-six cylinders at $750. Experienced motorists are flocking to this car, because it’s the type of car long waited for. Visitourshowroom ly» and arrange for your demonstration. SERVICE 1625 L St. N.W. ' SIX