European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - February 5, 1978, Darmstadt, Hesse Willys is among Small cars that have cars that failed i by Jerry Flint new York times t is a Small car world that which might mean trouble for because american Indus try Hast been Able to sell a Small car in 30 it is not far want of for much of the past three decades american car makers were planning or attempting to build a Small car in the decade after world War the Independent car makers such As Crauley Willys Kaiser Nash and Hudson merged into american motors All one trouble was that mint of those Little can were supposed to be for poor which Didat sit too Well with Joe Frazer of Kaiser Frazer told How a Georgia Farmer had described his Little 1951 Henry it was Ukia an unsavoury Gal a once the Farmer said she was really pretty but a associate Mah self to Public the big general Ford and Chrysler Cor tried from time to particularly in Imsand but without lasting its one thing for a Small a marginal firm to Pioneer a new concept like that the Small car and really push George who pushed smaller american a years once it s another thing for people who already have a big june to begin pushing something that undercuts their Basic Detroit manufacturers Are trying to solve that problem for themselves by building smaller cars that Cost As much As larger or sometimes but it is Sill s a problem for the dealers actually Selling the a Toyota or Dat Sun dealer Sells Small can and that a Chevrolet or Plymouth dealer Sells smaller and larger the markup from wholesale is larger on the larger so if a dealer can switch a buyer into a larger nude and the Price difference often int that great he probably will make a larger its also True that the big three exec Uvea really didst like Small if hard to do a Small its like tailoring for a a pm ill Long vice president liked to Federal Law now requires that by ims a company car average Miles to the this Means thai a major chunk of any company production be in 35 mini cars such As the Chevrolet Chevetta if any bigger models Are to be but the american Industry will have to do better than in the Back in As the War was Henry Ford 2d said his company would build a Small Tower priced car than has been offered to the Public since the Days of my grandfathers Model introduction was set for octo Ber 1917 and the rumoured Price was 1500 do began de signing a Little car for production for a new Plant in Cleveland and Chrysler said it will be ready with some thing pm and discovered that the Little cars would Cost Only f 100 or j200 less than the old designs which had been put into production again when the War they also had a pent up demand and were Selling everything they could pm cancelled its Small car in september 1h4 and Ford gave with the designs later turned out in Australia and there were Independent car makers in those Days Powell who made his Fortune discovering he could put shelves into the doors of was building his Crosley car in it was under 12 feet Long a tiny two Cylinder engine and then a with built before Crosley folded in kaisers Henry j carried a Ubon Power four Cylinder engine or an i horsepower but at 350 it was Only about to under the Price of the Low end Roebuck tried to sell the car under the Allstate name but delivered Only 3tt in the two year less than were sold in All before the car Wei folded another Independent famous for its jeep brought out the Aero Model in 1951 with Inder engines and 2530 Miles per but the car and the company went Down a few years to the average our present car and its represents an outward Symbol of prestige and Well Henry Ford ii said in the Early it seems reasonable to ask if we need a smaller do we need a smaller refrigerator or a smaller washing machine the recession of the late Success of the imports then the Volkswagen French Renault and English Ford and Romney forced the big three to bring out smaller the rear engine Dike Volkswagen Chevrolet the Ford Falcon and the Plymouth these particularly the were enor Mously successful at but they didst Lead to still smaller models v3 engines Ami even Power steering became common in some of these prices went up and mileage went in a the Corvair and Falcon but another Trio of still smaller Detroit models was introduced Chevrolet Vega had a new four Cylinder engine that developed immediate ruining the reputation of the which has since been the american still was Jii Ort but without particularly impressive fuel Fords Pinto was the most and still is the company highest mlle Aee american made in the next few pm will Cut the size of its com pact models to subcompact size carrying four Cylinder and Ford will have a 35 convincing to buy american made Small still i the even de troit executives admit the japanese an More with More variety in body Delroi tors do have Price going for imported Small cars now Cost to and a few Hundred dollars More than a similar the Way car prices Are the Day of the Chev Rolet May not be far and then there might be a big Market for Detroit Smalt despite its impressive fuel it apparently didst strike enough buyers As being stylish enough for their at least not it the prices that used to Tus Chevrolet has cot the Price of the Bev Ette Aid Mads whole Loch of options Toyota has been forced by latent rational to Rake twice since last the which used la cod Ifakat the Tanc As the Seyou Corolla in the Dow costs the Chevere was never really in our so to Green and f think this car the corollas a a much better product than the but when Why should i pay woo More Lor Gur car than the Chevere its a very difficult que l result the Chevetta now is one of the hottest cars on we Down Michigan Avenue from Dearborn at us Stanford Chevrolet sales Man Jerry Bonnano says that Chevetta sales have we have sold every one we can get our hands and thai is not up Michigan Avenue in us fire Coo Iron Dearborn at wer Bora Gigantic letters Caroti the window Ai new Hori the horizon i Plymouth entry la the it and its Dodge the Are the first american can to feature front wheel drive and a crosswise we Jned european and japanese ears have me use of this feature for a Long time because it in them to offer More passenger the which went on Sale in first such american produced and the folks at Westbom Chrysler Plymouth Are hoping that it will draw isomers away from both Dearborn to you and Lea one of those omnis and horizons sold is potentially a competitor to an said Arvid a Detroit based Auto Industry How they sell in the first Quarter of 1678 should Tell us a lot about the future of foreign can in the the Omni Horton is just one of Many smaller Cam that the american Auto makers Are planning to come out with in the years immediately there doing it because they must meet Federal fuel Economy Feto standards that Call for an average of Miljes per gallon by Henry Ford has predicted bluntly that when the american Small car revolution in the for eign Auto makers will be driven Back to the if that happens and it u by no meant u say the teas it int Likely la happen few Industry analysts expect the Bottom to fall out but in Jouppis 1977 May Well prove to be the highwater Mark for in he j import sales will decrease by the he is twofold Ibe expanding entry of american can into the smaller and the deteriorating position of the Dollar relative to the with the Dollar it More Money for an Ameri can to buy japanese thus Toyota recent Price if the Domestic car manufacturers put out a car of the same Quality As the said Dennis Subaru and Volkswagen would virtually not be in the picture in the United that May be putting it i Little but Jouppi agrees that it things develop As going to get Hurt among the the Blunt of arc the Japa Lait Toyota led u foreign car tales la this but Duun and Honda we rent for and when All Wai fully seven of every u imported can uld la America by 1171 Bun some japanese Auto makers agree that a Shakou in the Market May Lake place at some Point shakeout Means that the Devil takes the hindmost when compel Tion gets that is expected to work not necessarily against the foreign big four Honda and Volkswagen but against some of the 30odd other for eign makes that Are sold in the the stars and stripes Page 13
