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His astounding sales and profits have spurred the Big Three to ready their own compact cars. General Motors is pressing its suppliers in hopes of getting into pilot production in May, is expected to be the first to introduce its compact car, a rear-engine job, in August or early September. Ford's economy car is scheduled for December introduction, Chrysler's for February, although both are considering bringing out their cars on a small scale in the fall to take the edge off G.M.'s lead.
G.M. is tentatively planning to call its compact car the "Invader." Both Ford and Chrysler, unknown to each other, had tentatively decided on the "Falcon." When they found this out, they had an amiable discussion; now Chrysler is thinking of giving Ford the bird and finding another name.
When the new cars wheel on to the market, what will become of American Motors? Some Big Three officials who wrote off the compact and small foreign cars only two years ago now have their own pat answer. Says one high-ranking automan: "Give the Big Three a year or so in the economy market, and Romney will be flat against the wall." But such crapehangers underestimate Romney's passion and skill in battling against odds.
Loyal Owners. Though Romney has loudly condemned annual styling changes (the Rambler has changed little in two years), he will meet the threat of the Big Three's new compact cars by giving Rambler a fresh, crisp look for 1960. If his sales should be hurt, no one doubts that he would completely restyle the Rambler in 1961 to make it competitive with anything that the Big Three can throw at him.
Moreover, Romney has a more subtle factor working in his favor. The success of his long crusade has made him a symbolic figure—a sort of Johnny Appleseed of the auto industry. He is besieged by pleas for help, love letters, poetry, suggestions that he run for Governor of Michigan or President of the U.S. Wrote a Los Angeles admirer: "With you as President, America would once again become a great power."
Around Romney has grown up an army of surprisingly loyal and enthusiastic Rambler owners. Some of them go so far as to call the Rambler "the most reliable car since the model T." Others take their pleasure in less rhapsodic praise. Women like it because its compact size (15.9 ft. long, 6 ft. wide, 108-in. wheelbase v. 17.3 ft. long, 6.4 ft. wide, 118-in. wheelbase for the standard Ford) makes it easy to handie in traffic, easy to park. The Rambler's unitized frame construction, in which body and frame are welded into a single unit (Ford, G.M. and Chrysler will also use this construction in their compact cars), eliminates most of the rattles and squeaks that often occur in other cars. With detachable front fenders and parts that are easily accessible, Rambler is easy and comparatively cheap to repair.