From the Rolls-Royce experimental archive: a quarter of a million communications from Rolls-Royce, 1906 to 1960's. Documents from the Sir Henry Royce Memorial Foundation (SHRMF).
Decline in sales of higher-priced cars, American market trends, and potential competition from General Motors.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 128\1\ scan0251 | |
| Date | 21th August 1936 | |
| To Sg.{Arthur F. Sidgreaves - MD} from Rm.{William Robotham - Chief Engineer} X1104 Hs{Lord Ernest Hives - Chair}/Rm.{William Robotham - Chief Engineer}10/KW.21.8.36. I do not know whether you read "Automotive Industries", but they have some rather interesting statistics from time to time. During the last two or three years there has been a rapid decline in the sales of the higher priced motor cars. We attributed this to the slump and anticipated that with better times the sales of the more expensive motor cars might improve to a certain extent. The attached list, which was published in the issue of "Automotive Industries" dated August 8th, indicates that the American public are refusing to buy expensive cars at a steadily increasing rate. Whilst England does not - and we hope never will - favour the mass-produced article to the exclusion of everything else, we still believe that the trend in America may to a certain extent be followed over here. At the present moment we have the advantage that nobody produces a cheap, big, good car in this country which can compete with our 20/25, and probably the market will never justify such a car being created. It would be rather unpleasant if General Motors decided to produce a car on the lines of the Buick "Roadmaster" model in England, however. We think it very essential that costs on the Wraith may be such that we shall be in a less vulnerable position. Hs{Lord Ernest Hives - Chair}/Rm.{William Robotham - Chief Engineer} | ||