Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-03-07
AUTOMOBILE SALES
CAMPAIGN PUSHED
Manufacturers Encouraged
by Pickup in Business Dur
ing Recent Weeks.
BY DAVID J. wILKTE,
Associated praea s,.N xs,x...,


DETROIT, March Encouraged by
the modest but consistent increase IN
supply and demand, the automobile In
dustry Is headed into the final month
Of the first quarter of its recovery
year hopeful that it may produce more
cars in March than It has In any one
month since late last Summer.
To do this production this month
must exceed the $40, $40 unit output of
last september. At no time since then
has production reached the zoe. 900
point. Virtually every manufacturer
figured In the increase of last month
and most of them have announced en-
larged schedules for March.
Sales Concentration"
The probability that the 100000
mark VIII be reached, II not passed, this
month, Is based largely upon the con-
jectured output of the Ford and
Chevrolet companies. If the Ford Co.
continues to increase its production It
should ship close to 100, 900 units. while
the Chevrolet Co. is scheduled TO build
1918.
Sales concentration" seemingly Is
occupying the major attention Of the
automobile industry at the moment.
Tor cars to be delivered some time In the
future, the industry has had to do an
ABOUT face in its sales policy and In
1tiate the most intensive selling cam
paigns in the last decade. This has
been mos. evident in the low price
brackets, particularly by the Chevrolet
and Ford organizations.
Part Of the Ford effort In this direc-
ton was the recent increase In the
NTfafI
Co. has underway a series of meetings
designed to promote retail sales ef-
ficiency.
While the principal current activities
Of the industry have to do mainly with
the domestic trade, export interests
continue to worry the makers Of motor
cars.
Export Prospect.
In 1929, when the industry was riding
nigh ana heading for a crash, the pre-
diction was made in many quarters
that export volume soon would reach
100000 vehicles q year. This mark
never was reached and, with tariff DIFF
nculties and a determination on the
part OF many nations to help their own
industries as much as possible, Ameri-
can motor car manufacturers generally
are disposed to believe the million-cars-
:. JS~A SAP0Ae AaaAA - 4u1k44ek AWAY
than ever.
Referring to the recent Canadian
order in council curtailing the discount
allowance on American-made cars. en-
tered for duty, the Michigan Manufac-
turer and Financial Record in its cur
rent issue says that, while it Is greeted
enthusiastically by executives of Cana
dian automobile plants, those American
companies operating entirely on an ex-
port basis in Canada regard It as
severe blow.
"The ruling" the Financial Record
says, sis designed to stimulate produc-
ton Of moderately priced makes, now
produced in Canada, and it strikes di-
rectly at the sale of vehicles in the
higher price brackets.
Extension Of u. s. Industry.
1.-THE Canadian motor car industry
Is an extension of the American indus
try brought about by tariff laws. Prac-
tically all automobiles and trucks In
use in the Dominion were either made
In this country or in Canada by Amer
lean companies. The sight Of q
1t is in the United States"
While it would seem probable that
two or three of the American COM
panieS now on an export basis might
acquire assembly plants in Canada, it
Is pointed out that in the case of COM
panieS making expensive cars Canadian
volume and export advantages would
not support factory In the Dominion.
There are eight assembly plants In
the Dominion, all OF them in Ontario.