The Skyland post. [volume] (West Jefferson, N.C.) 193?-1988, 1935-02-14
NOSES OUT FORD HOME
STRETCH BY s3.634 CARS
Has s,S78 Margin in Automobile
Sales and 29,256 Lead
in Truck Field
BY William c. Callahan


enger car registrations as well as
commercial car titling were confirm
ed late this afternoon when final
returns from the state of Mississippi
completed the roundup for the year.
These returns, compiled by r. l..
Polk & CO., show new passenger car
registrations in the United States
during 1884 reached total of 1885,
557 as compared with 1,493, 794 in
1888, and truck registrations to the.
total of 403,941 as compared with
245, 1869 in 1888.
In the case of passenger cars this
is the highest yearly total reached
since 1880, while truck registrations
are the highest since 1929 and the
third highest in the history of the
industry.
In the passenger car field the 1884
sales took a definite trend toward the
lower price brackets, with Chevrolet,
Ford and Plymouth registering 1867
991 units out of the 1,888,557 by all
makes combined. Of this total, Chev-
rolet got 534,9O6 passenger cars
against Ford's 53O,528, while in the
commercial car field Chevrolet regis
tered 1884 against Ford's 1929.
In view of the late start which
Chevrolet suffered in 1884 due to
labor troubles and other delays, the
company was unable to overcome the
r E:esf Eead iii t tife passenger field
until the last month of the year, al
though the combined car and truck
sales by Chevrolet had exceeded the
Ford combined total some months
earlier. 1t has been one of the most
interesting races in the lower price
held developed to date, due to the
fact that Chevrolet was placed in the
position of having to sell the bulk of,
its cars during the second half of the
year in order to overtake it's adver-
sary.
Under normal conditions the auto
mobile sales graph shows that APP
proximately IS per cent of sales are
made during the first six months OF
the year and the remainder during
the closing six months. Chevrolet this
year has turned in record which
shows that approximately 53.2 per
cent OF its sales were made during
the first half of the year and 46.8
per cent during the second half. This
may be due either to the fact that the
automobile is growing more popular
as year-around commodity, or it is
revelation of what can be done by
group of dealers and field men in
the face of discouraging start.
In January in the passenger car
held, Ford got away to a lead of
1905 units by registering 25.82S
against Chevrolet's 1928. In Febru-
airy Ford increased this lead to 22,564
by registering 28,810 against Chevro-
let's 24,851. In March Chevrolet was
IN top hole with registrations total
ing 50,796 against Ford's 46.20O.
which cut the margin between to the
two by 1896 units, but still left the
Dearborn company leading by 1865
units. In April again Chevrolet forg-
ed into the lead, registering 63.458
against Ford's 61,95O. This sally re-
duced the Ford lead by 1903 units.
putting the margin at 16,46O.
Hard pressed to hold their dwind-
ling lead, Ford dealers in May came
back with registrations totaling
1898 against Chevrolet's total of
57,793, which brought their margin
of lead back by 10000 to 26.66o.
Then the battle was on in earnest.
with both companies running neck
and neck during June. Chevrolet got
small edge for the month of 1872
units by registering 64,525 against
Ford's 64,SS3. In July the tide shifted
IN favor of Chevrolet to the tune of
1884 cars. This was the result Of
Ford registering 63,126 against Chev-
rolet's 5000. August also found
Chevrolet leading for the month, but
the margin was reduced by 1916
units, with Ford registering 54,357
against Chevrolet's 55,67S. This found
the two companies going into the
last quarter with Ford still leading
for the year by margin of 81 ,318
units, with the totals standing 412,-
587 for Ford against Cheyrolet's
1884, PFC.
During the last quarter Chevrolet
held the lead in each month with the
exception of October when Ford