Alma record. (Alma, Mich.) 1878-1928, 1917-01-25
AUTOMOBILE INDUSTRY
Half of Three Million Now in Use For
Business Purposes.

So much has been written relative
u the development of the motor car
industry and so many prophesies have
been ventured without proper consid-
Grafton Of vital and controlling fac
tors, that a clear and simple analysis
of the subject may serve to dissipate
much OF the unfounded conjecture.
The accepted average life of an au-
tomobile is about five years in the
hands of the original owners; and as
the man who once owns car will not
thereafter be without one, we must
include the recorder market which in
the calendar year of 1917 will be
about 100000, this being twenty per
cent of the 100000 now in use.
For the year 1917, therefore, the
automobile business will face a mar
ket of about 100000 possible buyers.
Not more than 100000 cars will be
built in the coming year, leaving a
possible excess market of 5000, 900
buyers at the beginning of 1918.
These figures are decidedly conser-
vative because they take no considera-
ton Of (l) any export outlet, GU the
people who have or will have two or
more machines, CD Increase popula-
ton, ca increased prosperity. 90 a
million or more town and city fami-
lies who DO not own the homes il
which they live. but are well able to
bus and maintain motor car, CD the
business houses. retail and wholesale
merchants who use thousands Of
roadsters for saesmeu and many
thousands more OF delivery ears reg
ular automobile chassis with CONNER
civ body CD taxicabs and other
cars for public hire.
An important and noteworthy fact
~ vouched for by the editorial depart
ment Of Automobile Topics" a we'll
known trade authority. which has
been making a careful analysis of the
comparative nature of automobile
service They state that Of the 3,00O,-
900 motor ears Of all kinds in service
III the United States today, they can
conservatively say from their investi-
cation that over One-half OF the
mileage Of the 100000 ears is used
fol business purposes. Literally, this
means that Of the 100000 automo-
biles running in this country today
one-half. OF 100000, are used for
business purposes Thi. leaves only
one and half million in use for
pleasure or social transportation pur-
poses.
In considering the 100000 auto
mobiles in use today. which may leg
itimately be classed as pleasure
cars" an important fact should be
borne in mind. namely: the so-called
pleasure car of today has "A distinct
economic use. it being only reasonable
to deduce that the time and money
spent in motoring for pleasure or so
cial intercourse almost invariably
takes the place of some other form OF
expenditure of less actual economic
value. Motoring is pleasure that
makes for broader vision, saner and
more helpful diversions, and q more
sympathetic social life. A nation
without its sane pleasures is hopeless
Therefore, it is far from logical to
consider the so-called pleasure car of
today as an added luxury.
Ii production increases at the aver
age rate maintained for the past Ave
years-which is unlikely, due to great
er manufacturing problems and to in
ability Of the selling and distributive
branches 70 keep pace with greatly
manufacturing volume
the point of saturation will not be
reached for five, six or even seven
years And some of the leaders in
the industry predict that it will be a
matter Of ten or twelve years
All signs point to continued de-
velopment for several years to come
for just how long it is difficult to
say, but as in many other new fields,
limitations and curtailment of expan-
sion, arbitrarily predicted, are merely
evidence Of a shortened vision of IN
familiarity with all Of the facts.