Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-04-14
VIKING MODEL MARKS NEW STEP !
FORWARD BY GENERAL MOTORS
Oldsmobile Companion Car Brings v
Type Eieht-Cylinder Engine Into
Medium-Priced Field

means to secure in a four-cylinder
engine the smoothness of performance
ana nexlbility possible in the SIX" "a
How the companion car" develop--
ment OF General Motors has increased
sales scope is indicated in figures show
ing that up to the end Of 1928 the corr
poration had marketed to dealers 431. ISL
Pontiac skies in three years from its 2
Oakland division. -
Apparently, it is the corporations
plan with the Viking to fatten the Olds-, )
mobile factory volume in proportionate
way. And while both the Pontiac ana
the. La Sale represent lower priced Of Q
ferings than the Oakland or Cadillac, too
which they are linked, viking represents :
venture into high-price range from
the Oldsmobile field. :,
Incidentally Oldsmobile in 1928. the
first year for the six-cylinder car of the :
present model, found mark of 90,202 2
units. as compared with only 53,016 of
the preceding model sold the year B
previous. gain Of so per cent. 4
Engine Types Tested. ''
In developing the Viking, I. j. Reuter-
oldsmobile president, said. the engineers
built three types of eight-cylinder en-
gines. One was v type. The second
was straight eight with five-bearing
crankshaft, and the third a straight, .
eight with bearing crankshaft.s
All were tested not only in the labora-s
tory, but in actual running, and the W
type was decided on as the best adapted,
for the kind of car the Viking should be. I
1t is the plan of Mr.. Reuter- and his 4
associates not to plunge into heavy vol
ume on the car at once
The statement by the National Auto-c
mobile Chamber of Commerce that the 8
production of American automobile
companies for March totaled SOS, 900
cars and trucks, 20 per cent above the
previous high month, has brought with
1t the reiterated prediction of Alvan
Macauley, president Of the N. A. c. c,
and head of the Packard Motor Co..
that the production total of 100000 9
cars for 1929, forecast earlier in the
year. will be attained and perhaps d.
passed by considerable margin. 81
Peak Activity Reported.
Other current reports testify to peak
activity in the automobile industry.
Nash Motors has issued report show
ing shipments of 1884 cars during
March, the third increase in as many
HlUuIklS, lie percentages ranging 1IOm n
rs per cent increase in January to 80 Z
per cent in February and A per cent
in March. over the corresponding
months last year.
According TO records kept by thef
Marmon company Of Indianapolis, half
million persons viewed the new models
of the Roosevelt straight eight in the
first two days of its showing. Further
production increases are contemplated.
Production now is at the rate of $50
cars daily, with thousands Of orders
untitled. =
Hupp Plans Expansion.
Hupmobiles price reductions, ranging.
from SIS to $3.50 on six and eight
cylinder models, are made possible, it G.
is said. by an expansion program by.
which it is planned to double produc-
ton facilities by the end of 1929.
This program is to include $2,000,000
improvements at the former Chandler
plant in Cleveland which Hupp OBJ
tanned, and also the acquisition of sew
cral subsidiary companies.
(Copyright, 1929. by North American News
paper Alliance1 -f-