The Detroit times., 1912-10-21
Big FIELD FOR
Low PRICED
CARS ABROAD
Our System of Manufacture Su-
perior to Foreign
Methods
HUPMOBlLE MAN SEES
FINE CHANCE IN EUROPE
Years Required in England to
Train Ordinary Me-
chanics

Mr. j. r. Drake, treasurer of the
Hupp Motor Car Co., is making his
second tour OF the world In a Hup-
mobile. and Just before stepping
aboard the Lusitania he gave out the
Following on the motor car export
trade. I wish once for ALL" said Mr.
Drake, to quell this bugaboo about
slump In export trade. There's moth.
ing In 1t, | have read lately a great
many articles In magazines, newspap.
ers. etc., regarding the combine OF Ger.
tain European manufacturers to place
On the market low-priced car 70
supplant the American cars which
have such strong hold on the for
eign motor buyers.
II they do 1t, l will be greatly sur
prised, for they will have to show far
more business ability than they have
previously displayed. In the fall of
1910 / made trip around the world
In Hupmobile touring car. The
business side of the trip was TO inves-
tigate automobile selling conditions In
foreign countries. practically In ref
erence to low-priced cars and, to
form an estimate OF the possibility
Of an international selling campaign
for our product.
THE results OF this trip firmly con-
vinced me that there Is, and will be
for years to come. tremendous field
for the exploitation OF American low
priced cars in every country abroad
where automobiles are used.
Foreigners have learned that the
American small car Is put together
with the same care and skill that goes
into the higher priced cars; that they
will stand up equally as well as the
larger types, and on account OF sheir
lighter weight are extremely econom-
ical OF gasoline.
Wherever there Is q demand for
small cars OF moderate price, and that
demand IL universal, the foreigners
are bound to come to the American
car In spite OF national prejudice,
chiefly for the reason OF production.
For instance, In the European coun-
tries the workmen must serve long
apprenticeship and must be thorough
ly familiar with the construction OF
every part of the automobile before
he is qualified as skilled mechanic.
In this country the system Ii to put
men at one task, such as scraping
bearings, OF instance. In this way we
are enabled, out Of very ordinary ma
terial, to make a highly skilled spec
ialist In a comparatively short time.
"As a result, In Europe We find q
limited number OF highly skilled me-
chanics who do most OF their work
by hand and build the automobile
from start to finish In this country
we find an army OF workmen skilled
in one particular line, who work in
harmony, under scientific direction TO
produce perfect unit In large guam
titles.
Again In foreign countries automo-
biles are built for the most part by
hand. slow and expensive process,
which, even at the cheaper cost OF
European labor necessarily makes the
selling price high. In America the
system Is that no man shall do WORK
which a machine can do better, and
the automobile industry has produced
\ number OF machines, such as the
multiple spindle drills, which not only
the work OF twenty men,
but do 1t with greater accuracy than
would be possible by hand workmen-
ship
Just recently a Hupmobile which
was competing at the Turin, Italy,
exposition against all the foreign cars
IN the 210 cubic inch displacement
class. won first prize. beautiful goio
riedal. Some Of the cars In the hsts
were twice the price OF the Hupmo-
bile, but they could not come up 70
our superior workmanship.
"The American practice OF highly
specialized workmanship and machin-
cry has been In vogue since the be
ginning OF the Industry. II took years
to bring II TO It's present state OF
perfection. Even IL our foreign COM
petitors should decide to adopt these
methods they would take years to
train their workmeL to the radical
cnange In factory methods.
"The failure of practically all for
eien motor car builders to adopt mod
ern methods leaves them far In the
rear OF their American rivals and
really think IL is now too late for
them to oyertake competition.
The American cars have strong
foothold oil the European market ana
as we do not make any particular Ell
fort to reach foreign buyers that ls'
not on that elaborate scale which we
employ here in the United States-l
is a significant tribute to American
success that the Hupmobile export
business increased last year nearly
100 per cent.