Production Not Yet at Its Height.
There will come a time when the automobile industry will reach its height in production, but that time has not yet arrived, nor is it within calculable distance.
Statisticians show us that there are over 5,000,000 rich people in this country. Many of these have, and more of them will want, each several cars, each of a different type and for a different purpose.
We have about 8,000,000 farms. Many farmers already have cars, but only a few compared with the many who will have them as soon as they have become convinced of their utilitarian value aside from pleasure. The farmer is a practical person and “must be shown.” Give it time, and the automobile will prove itself to him.
Then we have several million persons who can not be classed among the rich, but who are in such reasonably comfortable circumstances that gradually they will become owners of popular priced cars.
And we must not forget the element that is “keeping up with Lizzie.” Those of this class will also pay toll to the automobile industry.
And so far only between three and four million cars, including pleasure and commercial cars, are registered in this country.
Talk about the point of saturation. As yet it hasn’t begun “casting its shadow before”, much less having arrived.
Nor does it require prophetic vision to say at this time that the commercial car is destined in due time to surpass the pleasure car in number.
So far the commercial car has but fairly been tested. In 1915 we produced 50,369 commercial cars. In 1916 the number reached 92,130. From now on this branch of the industry is likely to increase more rapidly than did that of the pleasure car.
It has already been proved that the commercial car has a possible larger field than has the pleasure car.
A man may not feel that he can afford a pleasure car, but his business is such that a commercial car is profitable in it.
Then again a man may have two or three pleasure cars, but in his business he may have use for two or three hundred commercial cars.
The business world is just beginning to realize the value of the commercial car. Not only does it cost less by the ton or trip to haul in a motor car than with horses, but more can be accomplished in the same time. The teamster may require six hours to make a trip that the motor car driver can make in less than an hour. Business men, great and small, will soon learn this, and the commercial car industry will grow accordingly. In fact, the demand is already ahead of the supply.