The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1912-01-06
THE AUTOMOBILE
OF The FUTURE
WHAT HENRY FORD SEES TEN
YEARS FROM NoW-"No UP
HEAvALs IN DESIGNING THEo-
RIEs BUT GENERAL TREND
TOWARD LIGHT WEIGHT cARsD

The automobile Of today doesn't
need much tinkering with. according
to Henry Ford, whose phenomenal
success in the automobile manufac-
turing business certainly entities his
opinion to the greatest respect.
The automobile has been pretty
well perfected, said Mr.. Ford when
asked what the future held in store
for the automobile. "Al manufac-
turers have been working now for
a good many years to get the car up
to the highest point of development
possible. The thing that held them
back so long was the inability To- get
the right kind of metal and the prop
er kind of machines for making parts
automatically and with greater pre-
cision than could be done by hand.
"All that pioneer work is over now.
We have the materials just as we
want them, and the tools for making
parts are quite generally conceded to
be all that is desired. So, from now
IN there will be very little change in
the motor car. except little reinements
which have nothing to do with the big
principles involved.
TN my opinion the light cars will
be found in far greater numbers than
they are now.
There is no use in trying to get
efficiency out of a heavy automobile.
Heavy cars are made for luxury and
not for efficiency.
"The great engineering problems in
building automobiles are regarded as
being fairly solved. Carburation and
ignition are pretty well taken a of
today. A car that receives any kind
of fair treatment stands up well, If it
is made in accordance with the ebst
designing principles and made from
standard materials.
"The most hopeful sign in the trend
of automobile affairs is the getting
away from freak design. The best
designers are quite agreed that sim
plicity is the main object to work for.
That is what makes the car efficient.
That is what reduces the cost of the
car. Simplicity is what makes it prac-
tical in the hands OF the owner.
There is still room for improve
ment in the way of reducing weight.
There is one way to reduce weight
that has worked out especially we'll
in the case of the Ford. The use OF
Vanadium steel, which mechanics de-
clare to be by all odds the strongest
and most desirable metal in use for
motor cars, gives so much strength
and resisting power to the parts that
go into a car that 1t is possible by
virtue OF that strength to eliminate
many parts which otherwise would be
needed.
While Vanadium steel costs a great
deal more than other steels. it really
is a saving in teh ultimate cost of the
car because less Of it is needed and
the elimination Of braces and truss
rods OF various kinds and labor in
assembling a car is less, which is re-
ally the greatest factor. in cutting
down the cost of the car.
'tOf course these great palaces on
wheels that the very rich drive will
still be driven, but I don't regard
them as having anything to do with
the real future Of the automobile.
They are only for the few. When we
speak OF the car of the future, we
mean the car for the people; the car
the people can afford to buy and afford
to maintain,
'sNow, while the sales for the Ford.
for example, viii reach $4,000 in 1912.
II am positive that one of the chief
reasons for this big distribution Is In
the light weight Of the Ford. The
fact that we reduced the price Of the
Ford IL per cent this year. bringing the
completely equipped touring car down
to $500 was not the real eascn why
the sales increased 50 tremendously.
'The real reason for the success Of
the car lies In. the fact that people
know that the car will be cheap to
maintain after they get IL primarily
because OF It's light weight. They
have seen what the car has done In
the hands Of hundreds OF Ford users
on every side OF them. People would
buy the car just the same IL 1t sold
for $1,000 instead Of $500. II isn't the