The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1928-12-29
Giant Auto Merge Forced Keen Motor Competition During 1928

from his cars. Falcon knight is the
short-lived product Of WHY'S Knight
that has gone into the limbo OF the
past
or even greater significance is the
apparent failure of the small Euro
pcan car introduced with Whippet
only two years ago. the trend seems
TO be away from TINY proportions into
field to compare with the mod
erate-sized automobile. Chevrolet has
increased its wheelbase seven inches
and put a larger body on the frame.
Whippet has had to enlarge its dim
enslonS somewhat. and even the new
Ford is slightly larger than the old
model r.
Room for Third Car
Competition has grown particular
~ Keen. yet the field has expanded
considerably. Passenger cars regis
tration in the United States is ex-
pected to pass the $4,000 900 mark by
Jan. l, while motorists are making
room for third car in their garages.
OF the 80 per cent of American FAM
Ines that own automobiles. nearly Is
per cent own two cars. while half of
these make room for three.
The export field has opened up for
the American manufacturer much
more widely than ever In 1927. ship
mentS OF automobiles and related
parts abroad were valued at a total
OF s406ooo.o0o. The first 10 months
Of 1928. however. surpa-1 this full
year amount by more than $4,000
600.
With monthly average Of more
than s44000000 III automotive es-
ports for 1928, therefore. we may eX-
pect the years total TO approach
value of 100000. which would be
about 20 per cent above the 1927 ex-
port trade.
One OF the noticeable tendencies
III automotive design was the radical
departure Buick made from the con-
ventional style OF body. last sum-
mer. The rounded, wider type of
body is still experimental. It is,
however, established that automobile
passengers need more room for their
comfort and that the only way to
afford this is to widen the body.
Safety and Comfort
Bucks innovation of the wider,
rounded body is second to its more
famous mechanical departure. when
1t introduced the four-wheel brakes.
Perhaps others will follow this new
trend as they did the earlier on.
And perhaps those who will make
the first step toward this change will
be the manufacturers of ow-priced
cars. For 1t is they who have sue
ceeded i'll introducing nearly all the
major improvements we saw hereto
fore only on the more costly prod
ucts. Low price no longer bars one
from the advantages of the air clean
er, fuel filter and Oil strainer, the
thrmostatic control and many other
refinements for easier and more
comfortable driving. In fact, it in
Guides such better factors as the
movable front seat. the fuel pump,
the one-button control, chromium
plating. shatterproof glass and so on.
In the tire industry. business has
been just as remarkable as in the
automotive field But perhaps the
most significant development for 1928
was the appointment of Lincoln G. |
Andrews, former federal prohibition
commissioner. as car" of the rub
Der industry. and the formation UNI
der him of the American Rubber In
Stitute
This development rounds up a year
of achievement that puts the auto
motive industry and its allied field
OF rubber far in the van of Ameri-
can manufacture.