Word: carly
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Dates: during 1950-1959
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This year's best seller among higher-priced cars is what the trade calls "the jewelry-box special"-Oldsmobile, with more chrome (44 Ibs.) than any other car in history. Now fourth, it is pushing Plymouth for third place. Among the low-priced three, the fancy Chevrolet Impala and Ford Fairlane 500 outsell less chromy models by three to one. On Ford's custom line, there is a decorative gold-anodized-aluminum strip (along with an armrest and cigarette lighter) that costs $20 extra; 76% of Ford's customers demand it on their cars. Says Ford Stylist...
...with a big smile is American Motors President George Romney, whose boxy Rambler is the only U.S. entry in the small-car race and whose sales are racing ahead. Says Romney: "We are in the beginning phase of a real revolution in the automobile market. Finally, the big-car mentality has disintegrated." This week Romney pushed production up another 6% to put it 26% ahead of 1957. American's first-quarter sales were the greatest in its history (31,260 cars), and, after years of red ink, it reported a handsome $2,380,895 profit. Yet Romney...
...victim of it. The recession began six months before it got to us. It is historically the case that a small decline in gross national product produces a much sharper decline in automobile sales. This is true because the automobile is a postponable purchase. The modern car is built not for one but for two, three and four buyers. Most of the cars on the road have a large reserve of unused mileage. People are using up that reserve instead of committing themselves to a new car...
Automen admit that they may have sold too hard in 1955's 7,200,000-car year, and borrowed too heavily from this year's market. They also feel that they made it easy to postpone getting a new car by producing cars more durable than ever. Since World War II, engineers have learned to build engines that run twice as long without an overhaul; brakes have twice the stopping power and twice (40,000 miles) the life; lights, springs, tires, steering, seats and upholstery are all vastly better. "It has become fashionable not to buy a car...
Whatever psychological forces are at work, the trend ever since 1946 has been to longer, wider, more futuristic cars-and more chrome ("jewelry" to automen). Those who bucked the trend usually rued the day. Henry Kaiser's small, chromeless Henry J. was a dismal failure. So was the drab 1954 Plymouth, which was 4 in. shorter than the year before. Sales dropped nearly 36% to only 381,000 cars a year. A year later Plymouth rolled out the longest (204 in.) car among the low-priced three and promptly boosted sales back up to 647,000 cars...