BRITISH MOTOR TRADE IN THE EAST [To the Editor of
the SPECTATOR.] SIR,—I have been interested in reading Major Forbes-Leith's letter on the subject of British Motor Trade in the East. Some experience of my own, from still farther East, may interest British manufacturers. I have been driving a British-built car for the past two years, chiefly over the desperate roads into and out of Peking, covering some 11,000 miles of non-city travel. I will back my British car against anything in the city of equivalent power and cost for work on English roads or the like ; yet I should be strongly inclined when buying again to buy an American car, though I should much prefer to give work to my own fellow-country.. men. My two years' experience with a thoroughly good make of English car is' that in those parts of the car where English road conditions admit of light construction the English car is too light for road conditions in such countries as this ; and, I imagine, in most other countries of Asia between Suez and Sakhalin the conditions are much the same as we have here. Life, the scientists tell us, depends upon adaptation to environment. An English car will have a long life in its original habitat. Transplant it, without adaptation, to conditions such as prevail probably over the greater part of the East, Near and Far, and you immediately begin to pile up a not negligible monthly bill "for minor repairs. This arises not only from the necessity for the original repairs themselves. There is -such a preponderance of American cars out here that it is difficult to get the best attention for repairs to 'an English car. American standards prevail so completely that the average repairer makes the scarcity of English cars, spares, parts, &c., an excuse for botched woz k. An American agent will sell you an English car, but he will male no bones about telling you, when later on' some, repair is required, teat " we are always ttaving trouble with these English cars,
partly because they are not built for heavy roads and partly' because it is not easy to get English spares and standards."
Now, this is not all excuse ; it has a large basis of fact. Recently published figures show that only twenty per cent. of the cars imported into this country are of U.K. manufacture ; and of these I imagine the great majority stay in Shanghai where there are excellent roads. Here in Peking, where there are some 1,800 cars, the number having doubled within the past two years, I doubt whether there are twenty English cars. Going round two or three of the local dealers' showrooms a few days ago, I saw practically no English accessories, speedo- meters, lamps, batteries, wind-screens, &c. ; and in the largest local dealer's there was only one English car out of a stock of between thirty and forty. The one English car, though in itself a thoroughly good car, the one that probably, were I at home, I should buy for my own use, as being within my means and suitable to my needs, was of a type quite unsuited to this country, even to this city.—I am; Sir, &c.,
Previous page
