Word: corvair
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Dates: during 1950-1959
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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...
...Most Interesting Year." The other Detroit compact cars are also firing up great expectations in the marketplace. Next week Ford, rushing up its introduction by two months to catch Corvair, brings out its front-engine Falcon. Late this month Chrysler, advancing its debut from February 1960, bows with its front-engine Valiant...
This is just a prelude. Next spring Ford will roll out a compact Edsel called Comet. In a year Buick, Oldsmobile and Pontiac will come in both compact and regular sizes. All told, Detroit is betting $700 million on these cars-about $150 million on the Corvair, $100 million each for Falcon and Valiant, $350 million for the "bigger" compacts. How well this huge gamble pays off will affect not only Detroit, but automakers and buyers round the world. Says West Germany's Heinz Nordhoff, president of Volkswagen, with some understatement: "1960 will be the most interesting year...
Hopefully, Ed Cole says: "The bulk of compact-car sales will probably come from an expansion of the market." But he is well aware that the compacts are bound to cut into sales of existing models. "If our Corvair moves some other cars off the road, well, that's too bad. But any time we bring out something that gets the focus of attention, it helps business. Anything that stimulates interest in autos is bound to stimulate the economy...
...Corvair's factory list price of $1,860 is only $196 below Chevy's cheapest model, the Biscayne. But the spread will grow when it comes to the buyer's choice of extras. The Corvair handles so easily that it needs no power brakes or power steering, and its automatic shift, at $135, is $50 less than on Chevy models. Cole expects that many Corvair buyers will not even want the automatic shift, will prefer the stick shift on the floor to get back the "feel of driving." Thus the Corvair, with the minimum extras needed, will...