Automotive news. [volume], March 30, 1940, Page 2, Image 2

About Automotive news. [volume] (Detroit, Mich.) 1938-current

Image provided by: Central Michigan University, Clark Historical Library

                
2
March Retail Sales Are Third Highest in History
Total for Month Estimated
At 400,000 Cars , Trucks
\ - (Continued from Page 1)
set a new all-time high in the in
dustry’s history. Sales during Feb
ruary were 41 percent above those
of the same month a year ago and
down less than 1 percent from the
January total. Normally, under
the fall model announcement plan,
February sales are down almost 9
percent from the January total.
This accounts somewhat for the
March sales showing less than
average seasonal gain, while as a
matter of fact sales to date this
Hudson Orders
Spurt as Sales
Campaign Opens
DETROIT. Substantial indica
tions of a strong spring selling
season are reported by George H.
Pratt, general sales manager of
Hudson, who announced that 2,071
retail orders for new Hudson cars
were taken by the company’s do
mestic selling organization up to
Mar. 26, following the receipt of
instructions on Mar. 23, officially
launching the 1940 spring merchan
dising program.
Further evidence of the spring
upturn was seen by Pratt in an
increase of 20 percent in the com
pany’s United States retail deliv
eries for the week ending Mar. 23
over the previous week. Domestic
factory shipments to date of the
1940 models already exceed the en
tire 1939 season by 17,187 cars,
Pratt stated.
“In view of the generally unsea
sonable weather now prevailing
over the country, last week’s gain
of 20 percent over the week before,
coupled with the swift public re
sponse at the outset of our spring
sales drive, seems to presage one
of the best spring selling seasons
the company has experienced in
years,” Pratt declared.
Ford, Mercury
Lincoln Show
i Strong Gains
DEARBORN. Strong gains in
retail sales of cars and trucks
manufactured by the Ford and
Lincoln Motor companies were
scored during the second 10 days
of March, it is announced.
Sales of Ford cars and trucks
and Mercury cars, totaled 26,250
units during this period, an in
crease of 31 percent over the same
period a year ago. The total also
represents a strong seasonal gain,
being 47 percent higher than the
total for the 10-day sales period
during the middle of February.
Truck and commercial car sales
during the 10 days totaled 5,481,
a gain of 34 percent over the same
1939 period.
Lincoln-Zephyr sales made a still
larger percentage gain during the
mid-March period, with an increase
of 55 percent over the first 10-day
period of the month.
IAA Sets Conclave
NEW YORK.—Apr. 10-12, Milwaukee,
will be the scene of the 40th annual
convention of the International Acetyl
ene Assn. Headquarters will be at the
Schroeder Hotel.
I £ jrSWSt
OLDSMOBILE CONVERTIBLE coupe, with automatic top control, in the
Cnatom “8" Crulaer aeriea la one of the two new convertible model* Just
announced by Oldamobile. A full width neat In the rear compartment provide*
room for additional passenger*. Thi* new model haa an overall length of more
than tIO ihchea and feature* Oldamoblle’a 8-cyllnder 110-horaepower engine.
year are showing strong advances
over the same period a year ago.
Basing his estimates on these
optimistic reports for first quarter
operations, W. S. Knudsen, presi
dent of General Motors, speaking
in Boston this week, predicted that
1940 would be the third best year
in the history of the industry.
Knudsen declared that the corpora
tion’s activities were now at a
high peak, but slightly below the
1937 level. Approximately 221,000
are now employed by the corpora
tion, he stated.
R. H. Grant, vice-president in
charge of sales for GM, who spoke
at the same meeting, declared that
the high point in dealer new car
stocks, so far as the corporation is
concerned, had now been reached
and passed. Stocks of new cars
among GM dealers, he said, are
being reduced at the present time.
Grant declared that stocks of GM
dealers, so far as new cars were
concerned, had never aggregated
more than 200,000 units this year
which was approximately 15,000
units above the corresponding
period a year ago. In view of a 38
percent increase in sales this year
over last, he declared that such
stocks were not excessive.
The same picture he pointed out
was true in the used car field,
where used car sales were reported
approximately 25 percent above
those of last year. Grant stated
that, in his opinion, there is no
serious threat of used car stocks
rising dangerously this year.
Chrysler Sales
For Week Best
In Three Years
DETROIT.—RetaiI deliveries of
Chrysler cars in the week ending
March 23 were the largest record
ed since the week of May 29, 1937,
a period of nearly three years.
This represents an increase of 14.5
percent over the preceding week,
which in turn had been substantial
ly larger than that of the week be
fore. It was an advance of 34.9
percent over the corresponding
week of 1939.
Combined deliveries of Chrysler
and Plymouth cars by Chrysler
dealers for the week of Mar. 23
were up 15.3 percent over the pre
ceding week. This figure was 16.5
percent greater than that of the
corresponding week of 1939.
GMC Truck Sales
Up 34% in March
PONTIAC. —Truck sales to con
sumers in the United States by
General Motors Truck and Coach
during the second period in March
were 34 percent above the corre
sponding period in 1939, it is an
nounced by J. P. Little, vice-presi
dent in charge of truck sales.
Little also stated that sales for
this period were 27 percent above
the first period in March, 1940, and
37 percent above the second period
in February. Sales for the first
nine 10-day periods in 1940 were 24
percent above the same nine pe
riods in 1939, he said.
AUTOMOTIVE NEWS, MARCH 30, 1940
Graham Ready to Go . . .
■»' her
VIEW LAST WEEK In the body plant of the Graham-Paige Motor* t’orp.,
where more than 800 bodie* were on their way to completion Saturday in
preparation for final a*Memhlie« neat week of a new Merle* of car*. Workmen
from the left are Bernard Covrico, Le«ter Evan* and Leater Covrico.
W 'iMffjft fly & 28*
R. E. STONE, vice-president in charge of manufacturing at Graham-l'alge,
Inspect* the work of William McCann, who i* boring the rrosa-Nhaft hole and
facing the supercharger housing on the supercharger line of the Orahain plant
in Detroit, where new model* are scheduled for final assemblies next week.
Buick Deliveries are Highest
On Record for Mid-March
FLINT.-Deliveries of new Buick
cars during the second 10 days of
March totaled 9,866 units, accord
ing to W. F. Hufstader, general
sales manager. The volume com
pared with 5,184 in the correspond
ing period of last month and with
5,943 in the second 10 days of
Chevrolet Shows
55% Increase in
Mid-March Sales
DETROIT. Continued gains
over the second-best February in
the history of the company are
reported by Chevrolet, with release
of its dealers' new passenger car
and truck sales figures for the
second 10 days of March.
The increase totaled 55.8 percent
over the same period last month,
total sales being 33,510, according
to William E. Holler, general sales
manager. New car sales gained
23.4 percent over the first 10 days
of March, he said.
The period showed a 38.4 percent
gain over the second 10 days of
March, 1939, when 9,303 fewer
units were retailed.
Used car sales also showed a
strong upward trend, with a gain
of 26.2 percent over the compar
able period last year, a total of
52,853 used cars being retailed.
Used car sales for the second pe
riod of the month also surpassed
the showing made during the first
10 days, with a gain of 30.4 percent
over the 40,528 used cars sold dur
ing that period.
New Firm in Buffalo
Making Stewart Trucks
BUFFALO. —Taking the name of
the former Buffalo company now
in liquidation, the Stewart Motor
Corp., backed by some Indianapolis
capital, has started manufacture
of motor trucks under the Stewart
name in a plant at 201 Urban St.
The company’s personnel, ac
cording to John A. Lux, general
manager, is made up of former
Stewart employes. The new com
pany will concentrate principally
on the manufacture of three large
models similar to the larger units
formerly produced at the old
plant here. President of the new
Stewart company is E. E. Letzter,
Indianapolis Machinery Supply Co.
March a year ago, representing a
gain of 3,923 units or 66 percent.
Buick deliveries showed a sharp
upturn during the period, Hufsta
der said, reflecting seasonal fluc
tuations and the beginning of
spring sales activity by the na
tionwide dealer organization. It
was the largest March 20 period in
the company’s history, he said, and
continued the record-breaking vol
ume maintained by Buick during
the 1940 model season.
He announced that since the first
of the month there has been a sub
stantial increase in the backlog of
orders in the hands of dealers,
which amounts to nearly 11,000
units, against 6,200 at this time last
year.
Improvement of used car busi
ness was reported, with 15,487 units
delivered during thb second 10
days of the month, against 11,052 in
the corresponding period of 1939.
Pontiac Sales
In MarclT Top
Feb. By 46%
PONTIAC.--Pontiac retail auto
mobile sales for the first 20 days
of March totaled 12,990, a gain of
55.7 percent over the same period
of March, 1939, and 46 percent
ahead of the first 20 days of Feb
ruary, 1940.
Unfilled retail orders on file went
up 639 units during the second 10
days and were 4.2 times greater
than on the same date a year ago.
Used car sales by Pontiac dealers
continued to break all records.
* ■# *>•>* xl. if
J mi m, | siji Jwfljßl
iti nnMS in THIS PHOTO arc almond blossom*. ihe locale i* Calif of* 1 *
and the car C hfvrolet * new cabriolet with vacuum operated top
Dodge Dealers
Report Gains in
New Car Sales
DETROIT. —Passenger car an c
truck deliveries made by
dealers of the Detroit region
which includes parts of Indi&m
and Ohio- during the week endin,
March 23, came close to dupli
eating the increase that h«
marked their deliveries for the
week ending March 16, accordini
to L. F. VanNortwick, manager of
the Detroit region of the Dods
organization.
Whereas the dealers’ deiiveria
for the week ending March 16 hid
| been 12.2 percent greater than it
the week ending March 9. deliver
ies for the week ending March E
advanced another 11.6 percent
Comparison of deliveries in the
week ending March 23, 1940, with
sales recorded for the correspond
ing week of 1939 shows Dodp
dealers of the Detroit region to br
18.6 percent ahead.
Sizable sales increases are re
ported also by Dodge dealers o!
other regions, in some of whlck
weather conditions have undoubt
edly influenced deliveries.
Thus, Dodge dealers reporting ot
the business of the week endinj
March 23 in comparison with de
liveries of the preceding week,
registered regional sales gains o!
29.7 percent in the Boston region
37.5 percent in the Greensboro re
gion, 15.9 percent In the New York
region, 25.5 percent in Pittsburgh
31.5 percent in Kansas City, and
19.8 percent in the Philadelphii
region.
Oldsmobile Sales
Top 1939 by 49%
In March Period
LANSlNG.—Oldsmobile sales a'
sixes and eights for the second
10-day period of March 'totaled 5-
968 cars, a gain of more than l>
percent over t-he 3,999 cars sold
during this period last year, ac
cording to D. E. Ralston, genera
salesmanager.
Oldsmobile sales from Jan. 1 ta
Mar. 20, inclusive, now total 31
472 cars for an increase of 37 per
cent over the 26,680 cars sold b)
Oldsmobile dealers during thi
period of the preceding year.
“Oldsmobile has made consisteb
sales gains over last year durinj
every 10-day period since the nei
cars were announced last fall
said Ralston. “These increase
have not been confined to any par
ticular section of the nation, n«
have they been limited to any o«
of Oldsmobile’s three lines of can
a record which points to improve
ment in business generally-as weii
as to one of the biggest years ii
Oldsmobile history,” he added.
Ralston also stated that dr
liveries of Oldsmobiles equippd
with the Hydra-Matic Drive, which
eliminates entirely the clutch ad
shifting of gears, have been ms
terially increased during recent
weeks.
Correa Heads Assn.
NEW YORK. William H. Corrt*
general manager, lubricating depan
ment of Socony-Vaouum Oil Co., iw
was elected president of the
York Oil Trades Assn, at its annul
meeting here Mar. 19 at the Hon
Waldorf-Astoria.