RECORD YEAR ANTICIPATED

Evening Star, Issue 22450, 22 September 1936, Page 8

RECORD YEAR ANTICIPATED

MOTOR GAR SALES INCREASING DEMAKD EXCEEDS SUPPLY “It is going to be a record year—there’s no doubt about that,” said a motor agent this morning when speaking of the increase in the number of motor cars sold recently. In support of his statement, he quoted the comparative figures of 1929, the previous peak year, when 1,549 cars were sold during August, while during August of this year 1,803 were sold. The August figures showed a gradual decline from 1929 to 1932, when only 243 cars were sold during the month. Dealers were looking forward, he went on, to experiencing the greatest year in motor sales that the industry had ever known. Several agents for British cars were finding difficulty in meeting the demand on account of the factories having been turned_ to the production of munitions and aircraft, but American and Canadian makes were reported to be offering in ample numbers. In fact, one assembly plant in the Dominion was designed for a maximum output of 450 units a month, but, by increasing the staff and working more shifts, the output had been raised to 850 a month, and it was still six weeks behind with its orders. From January 1, 1934, to June 30, 1936, that company put through £4,500,000 worth of business, of which 55 per cent, was spent in New Zealand, 1/ per cent, in England, Canada, or Australia, and the balance of 28 per cent, in America. The prospects for the motor industry looked extremely bright, said the agent, and one thing that made it so was the good demand for used cars valued at from £BO to £l5O. This ho attributed to the increased wages which were being paid and the more definite prospects of permanent positions. It was also noticeable that the hire purchase system, which had not proved so popular during the depression, was being taken advantage of by greater numbers of purchasers again.