Evening star., 1942-02-01
Auto Industry Pushes
Drive 10 Lengthen
Life Of Cars
5000, 900 Vehicles
Now in Use Are Ten
Or More Years Old
BY DAVID ]. WILKIE,
Wide World Automotive Writer.

DETROIT, Jan. 31.-The average
individual will have impressed upon
him with increasing emphasis in the
months ahead how important the
automobile has become to everyday
life, according to automobile trade
experts.
They base this prediction on the
conviction that despite all the ef-
forts under way to extend the life of
today's automobiles, shortage Is
inevitable.
There are something like 650,000
passenger automobiles in dealers
hands throughout the country. But
they are earmarked for sale to the
Government and for use in essential
services. None is for sale to the av-
erage individual and there aren't
any being made; Mr.. Average Citizen
cannot buy new tires for his pres
ent car and war created shortages of
other vital parts may make it in
creasingly difficult to keep all need
ed vehicles in operation, the trade
authorities assert.
Even when the industry had pros
pects-two months ago-of turning
out around 2.150,000 new passenger
cars during the year ending next
July 81, leading car makers predicted
a shortage by the year end of
around 100000 units. The War
Production Boards order suspend
ing all passenger car and light truck
output after today cut approxi-
mately 100000 units from the orig
inally planned total.
Cut Nearly in Half.
While the prospective shortage isn't
necessarily increased by exactly that
volume, it is made a more realistic
probability for the present year by
the cutting off of nearly half the
expected supply.
To make the most of what there
Is available, every motorcar manu-
facturer is promoting some form of
Ger conservation program. Aside
from the desire to keep privately
owned transportation an accepted
phase of the American economy,
there is also the determination of
the car maker to prove the dura-
bility of his own mode. in times of
stress and to keep his customer Glen
tele together for the postwar period.
The manufacturers regard the car
conservation program as part OF
their institutional advertising"
which has replaced normal new-car
promotion until the average in
dividual again can become a part
Of the motor vehicle market.
The -care-of your car" cam
paigns, participated in also by the
tire manufacturers and the oil re-
flning companies, undoubtedly will
extend the use period of many hun
dreds of thousands of passenger We
hicles that otherwise would be
scrapped. Even the most optimistic
of the experts, however, assert that
not all junking can be delayed.
Parts Supply Normal.
In normal periods something like
2,500,000 vehicles go to the scrap
pile annually. In many cases these
are units accepted by retailers in
new-car transactions and detoured
to the scrap heap because their re-
sale value does not justify attempts
at reconditioning.
Replacement parts for older
models currently in use, as well as
for that part of the 1912 model out
put that reached the public before
the ban on further sales. are in
about normal volume, according to-
trade surveys They are to be sup
plemented, under present plans,
with additional units that should
provide supplies sufficient for the
next two years.
Even this encouraging forecast,
however, does not shake the car
experts in their conviction that Mr..
Average Citizen will feel the real
effects Of the lack of new-car pro-
duction before the end of the current
year. A normal passenger vehicle
built as sturdily as the industry
knows how to make it, might be
Kept In use for dozen years, they
say, If very good care is taken of it.
but at this point it might give up
all at once and the only replace
ment possible would be a new car,
now unavailable.
Latest fig dres indicate there now
are close to 100000 passenger cars
In Use that are IN or moro 1,aore ala