Word: chevrolet
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...Cover) Not since Henry Ford put the nation on wheels with his model T has such a great and sweeping change hit the auto industry. Out from Detroit and into 7,200 Chevrolet showrooms this week rolled the radically designed Corvair, first of the Big Three's new generation of compact cars. Smaller and simpler than Detroit's chromespun standards, the Corvair is like no other model ever mass-produced in the U.S.; its engine is made of aluminum and cooled by air, and it is mounted in the rear. To Chevrolet's folksy, brilliant General Manager...
Many of the nation's drivers are just as excited. No sooner had Chevrolet announced the Corvair than it began to write orders. Hertz Rent-A-Car signed up for 3,000. Chicago Dealer Zollie Frank wanted 10,000, but Chevy turned him down to spread the supply. St. Louis Dealer Gene Jantzen has a unique ringside seat in the small-car derby; his showroom is right across from a Chevy assembly plant. Says he: "People toured that plant and peeked through the knotholes at the Corvair. Some even climbed atop their cars outside the plant...
General Motors last week announced that it is holding the line on prices, showed no increases for the first time in eight years. Chevrolet has held the line on all six-cylinder models and reduced V85 by $10. Chevy's Turboglide automatic-transmission price was cut $30 and its radio $13.50. Buick, Oldsmobile and Pontiac also made cuts in optional equipment...
...rival camp, Chevrolet's Boss Edward N. Cole showed off his compact, rear-engine Corvair. Compared with Ford's Falcon, the Corvair is shorter (wheelbase: 108 in. v. Falcon's 109½ in.), lower (4 ft. 3 in. v. 4 ft. 6½ in.) narrower (66.9 in. v. 70 in.), less powerful (80 h.p. v. 90 h.p.). Compared with the standard Chevy, the Corvair is one-third lighter (2,375 Ibs. v. 3,760 Ibs.), will burn 25% to 40% less gas, sell for about $225 less than the cheapest Chevy when it goes into the showrooms...
...budget industrial musical is nothing new. Chevrolet pioneered the idea nearly three decades ago, was soon followed by the rest of the industry-plus Coca-Cola, Westinghouse, General Electric, and dozens of other big firms that knew a good idea when they saw one. Seldom was the approach consistent: some companies concentrated on the soft sell, others pitched high and hard. Last season's Oldsmobile take-off on Broadway's Good News was the gentlest of kisses-and entertaining theater to boot. The songs were subtle, the plot made humorous sense, the verve of the Broadway original...