Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-02-03
1927 AUTO OUTPUT
TO TIE 1926 MARK
Only Question Is: Who viii
Sell the Cars? Light Six
Big Attraction.
BY j. G. ROYLE.
peoial Disnatch 70 The scar

Special Dispatch TO The Star
DETROIT, February 3.-There will
be as many autompbiles made and sold
this year as in 1926. That is the con
sentative opinion of a dozen automo
bile executives here, carefully con
sidered and given, despite the fact that
around 10000 men now are idle in this
territory. They are careful to say that
this estimate does not mean that the
dollar value of the sales will be as
high as last year or that the profits
of some companies will be as large,
The public, they realize, is going to
determine to a greater extent than
ever just who is going to make the
sales. They have gotten past the stage
when they say the public is tickle
Now they admit the public is in po-
sition to tell them what it wants and
insist on getting ii. 1t is up to them
to provide what the public wants.
Those who can do this and do it with
a margin of profit will make money.
1t will be hard shedding for the others.
But the consumption of materials pro-
duced in other sections of the coun-
try and used in motor cars seems
destined to stand up, and producers,
according to opinion here, need have
no fear in this respect.
Light Six Dominant.
The light six-cylinder car seems
destined TO be the dominant feature
of the 1927 market The light car.
flexible in traffic and consuming a
small amount of gasoline per mile,
admittedly has an appeal from both
the lower and the higher price ranges.
Many automotive engineers declare
the trend Of the times shows the mar
a. ics
rowing. This does not mean that this
market is becoming extinct, but traf-
f1c congestion is affecting it and fore
ing manufacturers of tours to rely
more than ever on volume production.
On the other hand, makers of light
skies have designed such models that
they are gaining buyers from the
higher price scale of customers.
There will always be a demand for
large and luxurious and expensive
cars. But even those who can afford
such cars, with chauffeurs to run
them, are showing a tendency to sup
plement them with lighter, more flex-
ible and cheaper vehicles. This ex-
plains in some measure the attention
which all makers and dealers admit
was accorded the new eight-cylinder
Marmon models shown at the January
and February shows. 1t explains the
success of lighter models by Pierce
Arrow and Packard and the intention
of General Motors to bring out shortly
the La Sale car, which fits in between
the price ranges of the Cadillac and
the Buick, as wellas similar moves by
other manufacturers.
Increases i'm Output.
The solidfying of opinion by the |
buying public as to what 1t wants is |
resulting In a steady increase IN out |
put and employment. This has been |
on the factory pay rolls here |
since January Is. Chevrolet is STEP |
ping up production so that it will |
reach 1906 cars month in March. |
This company has passed Ford, and |
in that respect the situation in the /
industry has reversed itself. The |
Dearborn manufacturer is no longer |
the greatest producer. That title IN
Questionably has passed to General
Motors, of which the Chevrolet COM
pany is a part.
The figures speak for themselves.
In the first 20 days of January Ford
worked three days week and turned
out around 10000 cars. Chevrolet
produced $4,000. The top of the Ford
production was 100000 cars and
trucks in a year. The curve of pro-
duction started down in 1923 and for
1926, according to figures just con-
hrmed by Edsel Ford, amounted to
| ,447 900.
Sales in Detroit territory in jan
uary by Ford totaled $40, as against