Arizona republican., 1922-05-14
|AUTOMOTIVE GAINS
UPSET PREDICTION
OF BIG INSIDERS
First Quarter Production and Sales Records Have
Knocked All Advance Dope Into Cooked Hat on
Both Trucks and Passenger Cars-Parts Makers
Also Turn the Trick Neatly-Much Optimism

employment situation in the motor
car factories and in the plants of the
parts and accessory makers has been
of very considerable benefit to the
city.
Sales in the city and the state
seem to be keeping up to the increase
records Of the local factories. Just
after the Indianapolis show one dis
tributor said to an interviewer: I'D
be ashamed TO tell you how we'll
sales have gone this last month. You
might not believe me. However, just
look over the shipping sheet of the
cars that have gone out from here in
retail and in wholesale" The figures
that he read, We're in practically
every case at least double those for
the same period last year. The
wholesale trade was particularly
fine. It pleased this distributor for
the state is his field. He had been
a little uncertain as to whether he
could keep the state sales up to those
of the city. Now he wears a smile
| as big as you please for this state and
another covered by him are taking
cars rapidly, much more rapidly than
he had expected.
Another distributor told a very
similar tale. The city demand was
good, but he wanted as much state
business as he could get. 1t is his
| job to cultivate the state and pro-
mote the sale of his line as we'll as
he can. Further than that he is one
of those who will not take cars in
| trade in retail, unless they make their
| share of profit. In the wholesale
business he is escaping all such
worry. His dealers are being very
sane also, and are not forcing sales
~l,1 4, f1rNs s.,
| business. These cases while perhaps
not true reflection of all distributors.
of this and nearby states, show which
| way the wind is blowing. Increased
| business is not forced in the city. nor
in the wholesale field. Consequently
the increase in manufacture and sales
| is all the more healthy and apt to
continue. The growth is not squirt
| 1t will last.
Even in the purely agricultural
| parts of the nation where sales of
| passenger cars We're not expected in
any volume until fall, the reports
| show that the buying Of motor cars
and trucks began early. The volume
! SO far in such places is larger than
| any critic expected. There is a pas
| senger car demand. Light trucks are
| also being bought in the agricultural
! states, and of course. the increased
| tractor sales go to such sections.
| This light truck demand is one that
| should interest all of us. AS men
| toned in these columns before. so to
! 30 per cent of all trucks are light
| one-tonners. The drift to light type
| commercial vehicles is one of the in
teresting aspects of the period. OF
course, there must be big five ton
ners for some work. And some types
| of automotive transportation must
use the large vehicles with trailers.
! The increasing use of the small
| truck, however, is rather astonish-
/ ing. Now that this truck invades the
/ farm sections more farmers can af-
! ford them. More will make profits
/ from such investment. It is doubt
| less true that some farmers have lost
| money because they bought large
trucks requiring more investment
than their hauling justified. That is
being corrected as trucks and haul
ing become better understood. Hence
the light truck is gaining.
Even commercial haulers are now
! experimenting with light one tonners
in fields where they have rarely been
| used. One middle West transport
| man is trying out a fleet of one-ton
| dump trucks for road building and
hauling. Three and five -tonners are
tlS utG III lnedl littQ. IL he IlflQ5 the
| oneton vehicle successful he viii
buy many. The Indiana. Ohio and
Illinois use of light trucks has in
| creased greatly during the last few
months. This seems TO be the con-
dition throughout the whole section
We wonder what these gloom ven
eors win say to ali this. They began
to preach about four or five years
ago that the point of motor car satu-
| ration had been reached. They said
THE people of the country cannot
| consume these millions of cars that
| the makers can turn out. But the
end of the slump year 1921 showed a
production figure of about 100000
passenger cars and some zoe, 900
trucks. It was only about 100000
short of the boom days Of 1920. Here
we are again at the outset OF year
in which its friends only hoped that
the industry would hold its own. We
are running away with last years s
figures. The total seems bound to be
considerably larger than the 1921
records. Who shall say that the auto
motive industry has not perennial
youth. The car, the truck and the
tractor is an absolute business ne
cessity. That's the answer-the only
4 nv