The Good Oil: Down memory lane

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A "Century of Cars" in the latest Popular Mechanics magazine makes good reading. Examples from the time-line: French company De Dion-Bouton et Cie was the world's biggest carmaker in 1900, selling more than 1500 vehicles. In 1904 the French Gobron-Brillie became the first car to top 100 mph (162 km/h). In 1908, five years after it was formed, the Ford Motor Co built the Model T. In 1914 the city of Cleveland, Ohio, installed the first traffic lights. In 1916 Willys-Knight introduced mechanical windscreen wipers. Duesenberg in 1921 showed off four-wheel hydraulic brakes and the straight-eight engine. In 1926 Mercedes-Benz AG set up shop in Stuttgart, Germany. A year later Volvo produced its first car, the model P4, and in 1928 BMW did likewise with the Austin 7-derived BMW-Dixi.

In 1934 the Nissan Motor Co was formed and the first drive-in movie theatre opened in Camden, New Jersey. In 1939 Oldsmobile launched Hydra-Matic transmission and in 1947 Goodrich unveiled the tubeless tyre. The Jaguar XK120 sports car appeared in 1948, and a year later Cadillac introduced the overhead-valve V8 engine. Saab built its first car, the two-cylinder model 92, in 1950.

In 1958 Toyota entered the American market, Fuji Heavy Industries built the first Subaru, and in 1959 Volvo came up with the three-point seatbelt. Honda began car production in 1962, Ford launched the Mustang in 1964, and in 1966 consumer-advocate Ralph Nader highlighted sloppy design and building standards with his book Unsafe At Any Speed. In 1970 Japan became the second-largest carmaker. In 1973 the Arab oil embargo took effect and in 1974, partly as a result, the United States adopted a nationwide 55 mph (90 km/h) speed limit. In 1980 Chrysler avoided bankruptcy with Government-backed private loans, and in 1990 Congress told American carmakers they had to put seatbelts in their cars.

Porsche most-admired

A magazine asked 2500 German business executives to name the German company they believed had the best image. A Frankfurt publishing company received a few votes, so did camera-maker Leica, carmakers DaimlerChrysler, BMW, Audi, Volkswagen, and mobile phone company Mannesmann. But the winner was sports car specialist Porsche. "Who would have predicted this six or seven years ago when we were literally standing in the water up to our necks," said Porsche chief Dr Wendelin Wiedeking, referring to a sales slump in the early 90s. "But through our economic turnaround we have obviously also succeeded in further enhancing the social acceptance of our products and the brand as a whole." A senior Porsche man from Germany turned up in Auckland the other day to tell its New Zealand general manager, Grant Smith, that the company is indeed going places.

Keep on truckin'

Porsche is often referred to as an economic yardstick. If sales are up, the world's in good shape. If they're down, the world's struggling. New Zealand must be in halfway decent shape because sales of Porsche cars have gained ground over the past few years. Mitsubishi believes in the yardstick theory too, certainly with trucks. "Truck sales are generally a good barometer of economic activity," said its heavy commercial manager Roger White. Sales of 2239 units in 1999 were up 11 per cent on 1998. Mitsubishi led the way for the seventh successive year, selling 638 new trucks for 28.5 per cent of the market. It has started strongly this year, too. "But it is difficult at this stage to gauge how the year will develop," said White. "The lift in gross domestic product signalled at the end of last year appears positive, but the exchange rate will have a significant effect on new truck prices." Do we hear a price rise, good buddy?

Follow the signs

Some observers believe that while American carmakers are enjoying record sales, they are leaving the vital domestic niche markets open to Japanese and European carmakers. There is a lesson in history for America's Big Three. In 1959, imported cars accounted for less than 1 per cent of the American market. Twelve months later, imports made up 10 per cent. Why the huge jump? Because Americans went bananas over the Volkswagen Beetle. More than 600,000 Beetles were sold in America in 1960. You do the weekly and monthly sales figures.