Evening star., 1941-07-20
Automofive Industry
Plans 10 Make Parts
To Keep Cars Running
Use Of New Materials
Held Unlikely During
Coming Yeor
The Stars Special News Service.

The Stars Special News Service.
DETROIT, July 19.-New-car pro-
duction next year may not exceed
$500 900 units; there may be a CELL
ing on new and used car prices;
larger initial payments and a short
er term for the liquidation of un-
paid balances may be decided on
and car trading may be restricted
to narrower limits.
But automobiles will be used and
they will be kept in running order
through the emergency.
That's the view of car makers
and trade authorities generally in
appraising the probable effects of
production curtailment and adapta-
ton Of alternate materials in l942
model output.
Currently there are approximately
32,0OOOO0 cars and trucks licensed
for operation in the United States:
there are several hundred thousand
more in used-car lots. OF the ap-
gregate at least 18,0O0, 900 have been
built within the last five years.
Sufficient for Public.
Kept in running order. saw the
trade authorities, these vehicles to-
gether with the restricted 1912 model
output will be sufflcient for civilian
transportation needs OF the coming
year.
II you are among the $4,000 900
persons who bought new and used
cars during the last year and have
been reading about substitute ma
terlals the motorcar industry plans
10 use IN promoting the defense
program, you probably have begun
10 worry about replacement parts.
Your worries have been needless.
In normal circumstances you should
need no replacement parts for any
vehicle built within the last five
years II you have taken reasonable
care Of it. Reasonable care means
sensible driving and proper lubri-
cation. Properly fabricated parts
don't wear out.
However, If you have the i'll for
tune to get into a collision that
makes replacement parts necessary
you will be able to get them-not
a cast-lron piston for an aluminium
one or a plastic instrument panel
Tor one of zinc but an identical re-
Placement in each instance.
o. p. M. Recognizes Need.
Aside from the fact that every car
manufacturer for years has regard
ed 1t as part of his responsibility to
Keep his cars going by maintaining
a stock of replacement parts for
discontinued models, the Office of
Production Management has taken
cognlzance of the importance of
keeping cars rolling. 1t has estab-
nshed priority for car service.
William S. Knudsen, director of
the o. P. NJ, who knows as much
about automobile production as any
other living individual, has said that
every effort will be made to have
available the repair parts needed to
keep cars in service regardless of
how many vehicles may be pro-
duced from now on.
We may be able to get along
without any new cars for a while"
he said recently, but We must keep
the old ones going as long as pos
sible."
Because of the relatively small
number of actual replacement parts
required from year to year the job
of maintaining a stock is not nearly
as difficult as it may appear to the
average individual. And even if the
normal stock of such repair parts
should fail, it has been pointed out
in trade quarters that the salvaging
or parts from models that no
longer have any resale value would
yield liberal supply.
Second Largest Year.
This model years indicated pro-
duction of 100000 cars and trucks
will make it the second largest
production year in the industry's
history, the highest being 1929 with
5,621,045 units.
There are many among the trade
experts who maintain a sharp drop
in production next year was indi-
Gated even had there been no de-
fense emergency. Few. however. had
predicted a decline to as little as
2,600000 vehicles, although that
was practically the total of 1898
output after the 5000, 900 unit pro-
duction in 1887.