Tulsa daily world. [volume] (Tulsa, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1905-1919, 1917-01-21
FUTURE OF THE
AUTO INDUSTRY
Half Of Cars in Use Today Are
in the Field of CONNER
cial Activity.
nVERPRODUCTION FAR OFF
All Signs Point to Continued
Development for Many
Years Yet in the Future.

So much as been written relative TO
the development of the motor car in
dustry and so many prophesles have
been Ventured without proper con-
sideration of vital and controlling
factors that clear and simple analy-
sis of the subject may serve TO dissi-
pate much of the unfounded conJcc-
ture.
The automobile market Is divided
into two broad fields. First the rural
class, which includes all persons en-
gagged in farming and others in vari-
Gus businesses who live in towns of
less than five hundred population.
Second, the urban class, which COM
prises all people in any but farming
pursuits, who live in towns of five
hundred or more population.
Four Thousand Possible Buyers.
In the rural or farming market
there are G,5000O0 families. one
million Of these now own motor cars
and one and onc-half millions are
poor. illiteratc, or negroes, who for the
purpose of this study may be excluded
from the prospective buying class.
There remain, then, 100000 farm
families who are possible automobile
buyers.
In the urban class, covered by H.
900 towns and cities of more than five
hundred population, there are about
100000 home owners of which
number only 100000 now own cars.
Accordingly there remain 100000
prospective buyers in this class, or a
total actual unsCld market, in both
rural and urban classes, of 100000
possi ble automobile buyers.
Five Years Life OF Car.
The accepted average life of an
automobile 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 20
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, 600
buyers at the beginning OF 1918.
These figures are decidedly con-
servative because they take no con-
sideration of {. any export outlet,
CD the people VINO have or Will have
two or more machines. (3) increased
pODulullOIlt Nf) luNltdStu lNN .
CD million or more town and city
families who do not own the homes
I'm which they live, but are well able
to buy and maintain motor car. 60
the business houses, retail and whole
sale merchants who use thousands Of
roadsters for statesmen, and many
thousands more of delivery cars Gcg-
ular automobile chassis with COM
mcrcial body), 90 taXicabs and other
cars for public hire.
over Half IN Business Use.
An important and noteworthy fact
is vouchcd for by the editorial depart
mont of automobile Topics" we'll
known trade authority, which has
been making a careful analysis Of the
comparative nature of automobile
service. They state that of the
100000 motor cars of all kinds in
service in the United states today.
they can conservatively say from their
investigation that over one-half of the
mileage of the 100000 cars is used
for business purposes. Literally, this
means that of the 100000 automo-
biles running in this country today
one half or 100000. are used for
business purposes. This leaves only
one and a half million in use for
pleasure or social transportation pur-
poses.
In considering the 100000 auto
mobiles in use today, which may legt-
imately be classed as pleasure cars"