Evening star., 1923-09-02
1924 MODELS TO CREATE
ENORMOUS AUTO DEMAND
Desire for New Styles and Greatly I'm
proved Machines to Lead to New
Sales Record

extra billion dollars is lost annually
on cars In service due to depreciation.
assuming a ridiculously low deprecia-
ton average of $100 per unit.
These are very significant facts.
They prove that the public is willing
TO motor at any price within reason,
ana that while it appears to hold back
on Its orders because of the Sickly
demand for the cars it wants to trade
In III does not actually refuse to buy
on grounds that economy comes first.
Unquestionably the public has been
encouraged to buy because of lower
prices on newer and better cars made
possible through quantity production,
Dut the Improvement in business con-
ditions and the gradual return to
prosperity is enabling each motorist
TO develop larger margin of person.
al wealth.
1t should not be necessary for the
manufacturers to continue to Stimu-
late sales through price reductions,
except as more economical methods
In manufacturing processes warrant
1t. This should have healthier effect
upon the used car market. with prices
there returning to normal This. in
! turn. should be a further incentive
TO the more financially independent
motorists to purchase new models
whenever such offerings create new
desires In automobiling.
Public Now Can Pay.
Radical changes in cars. however.
AFFECT the used car market unfavor-
ably. When the new models are vastly
improved the old models do not find
such ready market. Manufacturers
have watched this point with varying
shrewdness; and all of them have en-
deaVored to keep an even balance be-
tween the desire for new models and
the reluctance to value the old one.
What they are just beginning to see
| is that the public is sufficiently sold"
on automobiling to buy new cars re-
gardless of conditions in the used
car market. because the public has
sufficient margin of wealth to paw
dearly for its motoring if necessary.
Just how far the manufacturers will
carry out their possibilities in this
connection remains to be seen. AL
ready there are radical changes in
engine and brake design. and there is
strong likelihood that the motorist
Will find many novel ideas in access
sories and details on the new models.
The point is that. if manufacturing
facilities were equal to the task. the
manufacturers could SO improve their
products in 1924 as to sell approx
mately 100000 new cars. regard
less of how seriously these improved
cars upset the used car market The
public has the money to spend, for it
mas repeatedly proved its ability and
Wllllngness to assume tremendous
losses. And if the appeal is there the
demand will naturally follow.
Desire Creates Demand.
While such trends seem astounding
when applied to motordom. it should
be remembered that desire creates an
insa table demand in every other line
of merchandising, and that what hap
pens in all lines of trade can easily
happen in the automobile world.
The actual wear which the public
gets from its clothing bears no re-
n RI q Mt Of 1ryh; ;nJ,
the public spends for its raiment.
Style constantly leads economy in this
respect. with the result that people
in modest circumstances will dis