Radio today (Sept 1935-Dec 1936)

AUTOMOBILE RADIO — popularity of car-receivers increases ; dealers benefit — auto-makers shy away from "initial" radio equipment — Detroit opinion is, adds too much to list price of car * IN spite of the tremendous recent increase in the sale of automobile radios, last minute reports from Detroit indicate that the introduction of 1937 car models will find no major change in the present situation as regards initial radio equipment, thus leaving the radio dealer's opportunity as great as before, with an expanding market ahead. While, of course, virtually every make of car is wired for radio today, the installation of the radio set itself is still under the control of the dealer in each particular line. A few makes such as Hudson-Essex have recently arranged their production lines in such a manner that radios can be installed during final assembly of the ear when specified by the dealer. The majority of manufacturers, however, have not followed this trend, and radio assembly, even when carried out at the factory, is in operation scheduled subsequent to final assembly of the car. Cannot standardize The reasons for this are quite simple. Car manufacturers cannot hope to standardize on any one type of unit or installation that would be ideal from a sales standpoint. The demand for different types of installa tions is becoming even more diversified than it has been in the past. One step taken by automobile manufacturers to try to meet this condition is in the offering of two different models of radio equipment, one a single unit and the other a two-unit assembly installed at the option of the dealer. Ford continues to offer a single type. In the case of the latter company it is estimated that in the past year 30 per cent of all new cars sold were equipped with "standard equipment" radio, either at the factory on dealers' orders, or by the dealers themselves. All makes of radios offered by car manufacturers during the coming year will be of the six-tube variety, it is expected. In the units themselves there is little of major novelty, although some improvement will be found in clarity and selectiveness of reception. This improvement is traceable not to one or two single developments, but to a large variety of detailed improvements. These improvements in the radio sets have all had a tendency to increase their cost and it is now virtually certain that there will be no reduction anywhere along the line in the cost of original-equipment radios installed at the factory or by the dealer. If anything, prices will have a tendency to be somewhat higher than in 1936. AUTOMOBILE PRODUCTION THOUSANDS OF CARS RCMAINDCR or YEAR 1930 1931 1932 1933 1934 1935 I93»* * PRCUUIHABY 14 $50 difference in car price This is another reason why car manufacturers look askance at making radios a standard part of an automobile. The average difference in delivered price between a car with radio and one without it is around $50. No car manufacturer would want to throw so large an amount into the list price of an automobile, as this would automatically result in a considerable decrease in sales of that particular car. They prefer to continue to handle radios as an accessory just like heaters or defrosters. Naturally, this leaves the field wide open to the radio and automobile dealer, particularly in view of the fact that the dealer has readily accessible, through his jobber, almost any kind of an installation to suit the widest varieties of public foibles and fancies in automobile radio. As to the car factory types of installations, the overhead speaker apparently does not seem to be gaining headway at present and probably won't unless or until public demand should lean in that direction more universally than at present. In the meantime mass production and assembly problems mitigate against its popularity at the car factories. Fish-pole antenna as accessory One recent development, however, is at present forming the basis of a great deal of discussion in the factories as regards its adoption by the car makers as an accessory. We are referring to the fish-pole type of antenna which has recently come on the market. The fish-pole aerial, which was introduced chiefly to overcome antenna difficulties with steel-roofed cars, seems to offer a number of other desirable characteristics. Engineers have found in many installations that the fish-pole aerial is less susceptible to noises than other types of antennae. Moreover, the public seems to like the fact that they "advertise" the car as being radio equipped. Automotive interest will peak Nov. 11-16, when the Auto Show will be held at New York. The Auto-Servicing Show, Navy Pier, Chicago, Dec. 9-13, will particularly interest autoradio men. Car manufacturers today do not as yet recognize automobile radio as a selling point for individual car makes. They do feel that radio has helped to stimulate a new "pleasureinterest" in the automobile itself, but that practically all manufacturers gain from this development, with no particular advantage accruing to any one producer. Radio Today