The Detroit times. [volume] (Detroit, Mich.) 1903-1920, 1912-02-29
THIS YEAR WILL BREAK ALL
AUTOMOBILE SALES RECORDS
Vice-President Counselman, of
Chalmers Co., Says Season
Will Be Best Ever

We know now that the season of
1912 will break all automobile sales
records says Lee Counselman, vice
president and general manager or the
Chalmers Motor Co. Our Detroit
business has been running far ahead
OF anything We have done previously.
and orders received daily at the fac
tory show that the same condition ex-
lists In all parts OF the country.
Winter Ii usually considered the
slow selling season, yet our factory
has been working all night as well as
all day In most departments, since the
first OF last July. Even this extra eff
fort has not been enough to keep the
supply equal TO or ahead of the de-
mand
Our anxiety now is TO give our
dealers sufficient cars to supply tho
demand. The San Francisco dealers
recently ordered 165 cars. New York
city Is askiDS for cars at the rate OF
about 100 week, recent orders being
for A one day, 23 another day. 80 an
other day, and SO on. Just the other
day Portland, Oregon, ordered 10
cars. The day before. Philadelphia
ordered TO- The day following,
Omaha sent specifications for Is,
while Sioux City, Iowa, ordered 81. On
one day during the past week Boston
ordered 49 cars, Newark ~, Philadel-
phia IL, Minneapolis 10. and Dallas,
Tex, 3S.
"All OF these big orders have been
occasioned by the strong demand for
cars for spring delivery have mere
ly named few OF the larger orders
to show that the big business Is conn.,
ing from all parts OF the country.
Even greater quantities of cars are
ordered by the dealers in smaller ter
| ritories, who are sending in orders for
three, four, six and eight cars for i'm
mediate shipment, every day. During
the past Is days, for instance, the
average number OF orders for immedi-
ate shipments has been 48 cars day,
while there have been several days
when the orders ran we'll over 100
cars, with maximum during the past
two weeks of LAG orders In one day.
The national automobile shows in
New York and Chicago this year drew
larger crowds than ever before. More
cars were sold than at any previous
show. The local shows which have
followed In Philadelphia, Detroit, To-
ledo, st. Paul, Milwaukee, Atlanta,
Kansas City, New Orleans. have sim.
ply added additional evidence that
1912 will be the banner automobile
ason.
February l the Chalmers company
had already sold 67 per cent of It's
1912 output, leaving for the spring sea
son, which is the biggest selling sea-
son of the entire year, only about 80
per cent OF the output In the case or
the Chalmers company and OF other
manufacturers of standard cars, dis
posing OF the seasons output is now
merely matter OF production, and
every effort Is being bent TO get out
cars as the dealers demand them.
Recently shipments have been
somewhat hampered by the conges-
ton of freight traffic, due to weather
conditions. Yet production has kept
on at the limit capacity. 1t is not a
question now of selling cars, but OF
building enough cars to satisfy the de-
mand for them. Frankly and honest
ly, we advise those who want thei.
cars for spring. to place their orders
at once"