The Waterbury Democrat., 1944-01-31
ORDINARY CAR FORECAST FOR
 END OF WAR
By RALPH HOOVER


 Limited Press Stan CorrespOndent)
 Detroit, Jan. 31-(UP)-One day the bombers will be grounded, the guns will stop firing, America will be at peace, and the automotive in- dustry will start building automo- piles agair-for civilians.
 What kind of postwar car can Americans expect? How much will 1t cost2
 Engineers who attended the re- cent war-engineering convention of the Society of Automotive Engineers in Detroit probably are in possession of as much knowledge as anybody to give the most accurate information.
 Here's what they say:
 First, as to when the industry is likely to resume production of au- tomobiles for civilians, on large scale:
 Not until the war ends" says William Stubbs James, new SAB president, chief research engineer of Studebaker Corp, South Bend. Ind. of course, there may be some small-scale production for civilians before than. The industry has no plans at present for resumption of civilian production on large scale. {"
 What kind of cars will those first peacetime automobiles be?
 Probably 1942 models" says James.
 Mot dream car," says Edgard c. DeSmet, executive engineer of Willys Overland Motors, Inc, To- ledo, O. Mot super-super job selling for $500, with tear-drop body design, rear-engine mounting and all those other fancy features youy've reael so much about. The dream car is masterpiece of cre- ative imagery, but manufacturing impossibility. It will most likely be just an ordinary car. The American public will not pay excessive pre- miumS for intangible features and questionable Improvements. Neither vii lthey be willing to sacrifice practicability, safety and funda- mental habits and standards for the sake of fulfilling predictions of untimely prophets"
 But William B. Stout. noted avia- tion engineer and designer, says: ''DeSmet is talking about this from the industry's viewpoint, but if the automobile industry is going to con- tinue in the transportation busi- ness it must undertake more re- search than eever before. There's lot we don't know about automo- piles. Aviation has taken tranSpor- tation as far ahead of automobiles as automobiles took transportation ahead of the railroads"
 Says William D. Hoey, of Gen. eral Motors Research, speaking of plastics: Industry hasn't gotten to the point of large stressed parts, but it can expect larger applications of plasticS for functional uses in the postwar car. So far, plastics all have eserved for decorative gad- gets"
 Says N. c. Barnes, of Aluminium Co. of America: Doors, hood cov- CTS and number of panels in auto- mobiles are getting heavier and heavier. Because aluminium prices are easing downward, the use of aluminium in body parts of the post war car will increase"
 And what will the postwar car cost?
 Says James: Nobody can even guess. but we can guess in what direction prices will go and that is up. If we were to start building cars right now, they probably would sell for 20 to 25 per cent higher. It's almost certain that they will cost more than they did before We got into the war"
 On this point, DeSmet says: "The fundamental factor which will gov ern postwar industry, just as it governed prewar activities, is cost. It is unfair and unwse to lead the public into believing that the day after Victory Day or very soon thereafter, they can be assured of entirely new products, possessing miraculous features, at ridiculously low prices"