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| 74 Mustang - Young Car With a Tradition and a Future |
| THE SPECIALTY MARKET | |||||||||||
Imported sporty little cars have enjoyed a sales increase of more than 300 per cent in the past seven years. Main entries in this group include:
Their main characteristics: Small size, sporty design, nimble handling qualities, and quality workmanship extending to fine interiors. The first imported small specialty car available in America was the MG TC, introduced here in 1946. It enjoyed little initial success; for example, in 1949 only 823 were registered. In 1952, this car and a few other entries notched 8,000 sales. The beginnings were slow during that heyday of standard-sized cars. In 1965, however, imported small specialty cars began a significant sales climb, rising from an estimated 83,000 sales that year to about 311,000 in 1972. This increase came despite the fact that several of these cars were sold through a variety of dealer networks often lacking organization to handle nationwide distribution, parts and service. There now is no American entry in this portion of the market. The U.S. car closest to the foreign small specialty offerings is the Chevrolet Vega with its optional GT handling and appearance package. About 75,000 Vega buyers in 1972 paid the $340 premium for this option. A comparison can be made between the Vega GT and Cheverolet's Monza, an early 1960's version of the Corvair Its success gave Ford an early indication of the significant market for small, sporty cars. The "low specialty market" (small and sporty) could reach nearly 790,000 sales in the 1973 model year. Included in the estimate are 311,000 domestic small specialty cars (including the current Mustang, Camaro, etc.), 378,000 sporty imports, and 100,000 Vega GT's. |
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