Evening star., 1927-10-02

dll VI tHcSe. Ot IuNuI VI SOitiC otiiSi
quality equally appealing in its par
ticular realm.
If the car one owns today were
named, for instance, the Nance or
the Guy, it would not be the same
automobile at all.
One field of strictly passenger car
names in which defeat was complete
was that in which the manufacturer
gave his product his initials for a
name. There were the "A. F.. c."
the IS. G.. w." B. I. T." and others.
One can remember a mans name and
forget his initials. That is what
happened to these cars. No one
could remember the letter combina-
tons. Furthermore, word can
connote certain significant features,
A string of vowels is dismissed as
too closely resembling an algebraic
formula.
Some of the names of the early
motor car days are amusing. How
about the Cutting, Dudlv Bug. Cad
about. Genesee or Geronimo? Or
the Ben-Hur?
After years of seeing them go.
observers of the current motor car
market are seeing new names, new
models and new makes coming out
to seek popular favor. In most
cases, the new names belong to cars
that have been added to the lines of
solid, substantial producers who have
learned all of the factors that 60
into motor car success.
A good name is one OF these fac
tors. Look over the list of addi
tons during the last few months.
Not Bug or Gadabout among them.
A review of successes and failures
in the motor car market proves that
a good name may be only as good
as it is proved to be, but when
manufacturers name stands for
something substantial, the car he
makes is going to survive. Today
good names are won and held by fair
price, whatever it may be, quality
in whatever price tier. honesty, CON
slant progress, good service and
many other though less important
factors.
Measuring the cars that have lived
and prospered by this yardstick, one
will have the secret of motor car
success.
With approximately 25,000,000 of
the 27.500,000 of the worlds motor
cars and trucks concentrated in the
United States and Canada, it clearly
is shown that the rest of the world
has barely begun to use this means
of transportation. Only about $780,
600 cars are to be found outside OF
North America
A rather striking fact is found in
the replacement figures for cars
throughout the world in 1926. Two
out of every FIVE cars produced went
to replace wornout machines. There
were. roughly, 5,2O0,000 cars pro-
duced, making the total number of
about 2,050,000. Ameri-
can and Canadian requirements
amounted to some 100000, leaving
100000 for the rest of the world.
In other words. while registration
by 100000 cars outside
of North America, requirements
amounted to IS per cent of the new
cars placed on the market. In North
America replacements amounted to
nearly 50 per cent OF the cars placed
on the market.
With thousands of miles of good
roads in many countries of Europe
and Australasia and the sentiment
toward road Improvement constantly
increasing, it is only question of
time and economic possibility before
enlightened countries show a vast in
crease. in their motor transportation
facilities.
Possibly of greater importance
than the number of persons per car
iii the United States is the number
of automobile drivers in proportion
to the population. 1t is reasonable
to suppose that the percentage Of
cars to population is limited. owing
to the fact that car ownership def
nitely is limited to persons of GER
tain degree of means, but no such
limitation is placed upon the number
of drivers. The day when all but
children, the infirm and the excess
sively aged will carry permits and
be able to take the wheel of any
motor vehicle on a moments notice.
IS believed to be not so very far off.
Nowadays it is not necessary TO
own car in order TO be an automo-
bilist. The back-seat driver has
come forward, taken his driving test
and now carries his license, which
he renews annually at nominal cost
in most States. There are manv
times when his services are needed
in an emergency, and if he cannot
Ind opportunity to drive friends
cars he goes out and hires one for
the afternoon.
Gravel and shale surfaeing still
leads all types of surfaced roads in
the United States. These are 1926
miles OF such roads, as compared
with the nearest rival. cement con-
crete, which now spreads over 3l,o35
miles. The two kinds of macadam.
waterbound and bituminous, equal
the mileage of cement concrete.
Bituminous concrete, a development
now being watched with consider
able interest, has increased steadily
since the first of the year, when #
was reported as being the surfacinp
material for 4Sl5 miles of highway.