The sun., 1918-12-15
CONSIDERING THE
AFTER THE WAR CAR
What Effect Will the Mcchan-
ical Developments Have
on New output?

For all practical purposes the war is
ended and from the motorist's point Of
view the question now Is: what has the
war done for W. beside sending the
Potsdam incorrfsabies TO perditionf"
The private motorist. the automobile
dealer, the salesman ana all tho rest
Of us connected with the now expanded
Held that we call "automotive," are ask
nE themselves a lot OF questions "will
bere IN really new models? What will
they look Hike? What has the war
taught us about design and nanufae-
tvre? VIII the foreign manufacturer
enter the American market and cut q
real ngureg" These are q few Of the
many questions now flying about.
a general impression seems 10 be
experience gained In war work will be
reflected in the new cars that are about
to be put out The next batch of cara
those which we shall get between now
ard tho beginning OF the 1920 season,
Will be much the same a. the current
models. The cars OF 1920 will incor-
porate many new ideas. but they will
show few changes in design induced By
nirplane or war car practice The war
has taught us many things in regard
to production; 1t has taught us much
IN regard to the use OF metals. but Il has
not brought out much that directly at
tects the design OF passenger motor cars.
The war has developed many new
methods of using cheaper metals, though
the general impression seems TO be that
II has created a tendency toward more
expensive ones. Quite true, many ex-
penslve ALLOYS have been employed and
expensive processes, such. for instance.
as welded steel cylinders; but these are
out OF the question for ordinary COM
mercial production OF motor cars.
When our Industrial life gets back TO
normal again. which Il will probably do
In about year, the automobile indus
try Will be able TO produce on q much
cheaper basis than before. That 10 TO
say the actual manufacturing processes
will cost less and tho limiting factors in
price will be mainly labor and cost OF
materials. II labor and materials get
down TO pre-war levels then we shall
unQuestionably have cars at a good deal
cheaper prices than IN the past. simply
because OF our greater knowledge OF
manufacturing gained from war ex-
pcrience.
The very rapid progress IN airplans
design has taught us a lot about engines
but little or what has been learned can
be applied 10 the automobile engine. we
have learned a few things about ear
bureton in the air. but sad TO say cars
run on the ground and not in tho air.
fabrication has come in for many i'm
provements. but those developments have
little place on the motor car because
conditions are so essentially different.
II Is rather unfortunate fact that
most of the developments have centred
in the engine. The engine appears to
have been the only thing In the minds OF
the engineers. As a matter OF fact, there
Is little vital criticism that can be made
Of our automobile engines as they stand
to-day. They are certainly powerful
enough. and while they may lack GER
tain characteristics for maximum ELL
cheney. these are mainly details which
time will certainly rectify.
The clutch, transmission, axles and
other parts have practically stood still.
so far as improvements in design during
the period Of the war are concerned.
Yet these parts were more IN need OF
improvement than the engine. This
characteristic of war time development