The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1912-12-29
GIVES HIS IDEA ON
CARS AND SELLING
PRESIDENT OF MOTOR CONCERN
= HAS SOMETHING TO
aAY ON SUBJECT.

The president Of a prominent auto
mobile manufacturing concern Ia
the Middle West recently discussed
the relation of the manufacturer and
dealer. production, secondhand cars
and the effect of the weather on au-
tomobile sales
He took a strong stand against
fictitious pricing Of cars and long
discounts. contending that they throw
an atmosphere OF insincerity and bar
tering and siipshod methods over our
whole industry" Trading In used
cars, he contended, IN necessary, but
unless wisely carried on means usual
ly the making OF two sales In order
to make one profit
mo end of automobile dealers" rs
said, have tiaueu themselves out OF
business. He suggested the appoint
menl of a CONFUSION which might
WORK out some pam Of cv-opera,ion
on the USED ,.aI problem. giving good
results for ell. Taking NY the sab
- sad further:
"rhe grea lest obstacle TO the sale
Of automobile lis n natural obstacle
and one which we can never entirely
overcome. This greatest obstacle Is
bad weather. The weather MAKES ours
q seasonal business. and any business
that IL seasoned mas selling problems
which an neutrality-suspicious. puss-
ness doesn't have. We cannot change
the amer. that Is PLAN, But We
take measures wnlen will min
he the effect OF taL ana WHITES
weather on our business. The nss.
thing believe we should 40 IL Ia
change gu: own business
i am one of those VINO believe ia
yearly models. This question viii Dc
debated here, and l am MT going into
IL now any further than TO say snat la
my opinion yeariy models are stiii de-
sirak.e. But ! am coming 10 believe
that we have picked out the wfons
time OF the year 10 announce Qua
yearly models,
IF YOU VIII look over your business
for u numoer OF years and take ynar
sales from January TO January you w.i'
find that the curve Of safes Is d camel
backed affair. with one end ia jan da's
and the other In DECEMBER, WIN Use
from January to an apex In aay OF
June; then a violent slump for AIRY
or sixty days, with si@ady fss'hs
through the late summer and iail ~ an
apex in October, and after that anoeh4f
falling away to the mean level " De
center and January ! believe mat
this will always be true as song as
we announcs new models In the SUM
mer.
"uur production plans are wrong.
Lock at your curve OF production. ao3
. will FIND II also has two numps one
in The spring and one in the late SUM
mer anu early fall. IL rs at the ie"ess
point In midsummer, when II saoao
- kiEh kax end ESA3bl
then and start on new modes, when
always corne slowly at first In othef
words, we get our maximum proauc-
ton in the poorest selling season anu
our minimum production wh.n hSAts
shoula be highest. When the weath"r
10 most favorable to big sales We are
sngfossed with the new moosis
These conditions are not right IL
Ia 10 our interests and certainly To the
tnterests OF our dealers TO make our
biggest deliveries in the hea West sell
ing season. / think ii is time for Us
Ia consider seriously whether we ought
not Ia announce our models just pc
fore January LIST. rather iAaa lh july
one company alone would hardly care
change The custom. or even two OF
three companies. for that matter.
This is a thing which, Il 1t Is 10
the interested all, should pe ooh"
By all together. All or us h<Fe~ihs' 80
A year In advance. mat we are aA'e'
q certain date. going to maNe our al
nouucements not earlier, say, thah lie
Gambler 1st. rather than in July
think that IL the change IL made IN
agreement should BIO reached that me
new models be announced not earilef
than December LIST, or possibly De
cember 18th Announcements prior 10
that time would. believe. tend TO ssop
business loo early in the fail, our eusa-
ness year is. you might say. really +"
ten month year, when you get oown 20
It. We all OF Us. aim TO nave sNp
between seasons. and IL seems 10 me u
wn,,Ia he much better TO have this gap
come In midw inter. rather than IA ma
summer"