The reason France, although it took the lead in the commercialization of the motor car, could not hold it in the race with this country is to be found in the difference between the peoples of the two countries.
France had good roads—has had them as has Europe for hundreds of years. The French had money—they are the greatest savers in the world.
But if you put your money in rentes or savings banks, you do not spend it for automobiles or anything else. The reason the French have money is the reason they do not buy automobiles.
No people in the world have learned, as have Americans, to spend money to make money. No people in the world take the chances Americans do, and no people win as the Americans do. In this is found one of many causes for the commercial success of the automobile in America.
The American is good to himself as is the man of no other nationality. He is further advanced in general knowledge, mostly gained by experience through intercommunication with his fellows. His bon camaraderie is effervescent, giving him opportunities to learn things denied to the self-restrained European. His school is the broad school of the world. He doesn’t have to travel to see the world; the world is in America and comes to him.
So, with the opportunities natural to a new country, with the standards of living and the mode of thought that they are in the United States, the 103,000,000 people of continental United States are a market for automobiles that dwarf the 464,000,000 people of Europe.
What such a market has been during the last decade and a half may be gathered from the fact that in the last sixteen years the population of the United States increased at a greater rate than ever in its history. The increase of the people of the United States in the sixteen years the automobile industry has been commercialized, was 25,887,904. In the previous twenty years the increase was 25,838,792.
People without money can not buy automobiles, so what has been the increase in wealth in the United States in this same period?
In the last twelve years it has been $99,221,764,315.
Staggering, you say? Rather, when you know that the increase in wealth in the United States in the last twelve years was nearly double the increase in the twenty years which preceded the last twelve years.