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G.M.'s new Camaro has not exactly taken off with a Mustang gait, partly because of some shortage, which G.M. is curing with overtime production. Sales in November's first ten days were just under 5,000, or 371% of Mus tang's rate, and Pete Estes' prediction of 100,000 Camaros built by year-end 1966 will probably be a shade high. As for the other Mustang-like new car, Mercury has sold 12,500 Cougars so far, and supplies are so short that any Cougars in dealers' hands are practically nailed to the floor. Almost the entire industry's inventory is healthily lean, running to an average 33-day supply. Glaring exception: American Motors, whose Ambassador is at 57 days' supply and Rambler American 87 days (including leftover '66 models).
Still Very Good. Going against the higher-priced trend is the surprising surge of lower-tagged imports, which are racing 27% ahead of last year and should easily crack the record of 614,000 sold in 1959. In the first nine months of 1966, Volkswagen spurted from 277,000 sales to 308,000, while G.M.'s "German Opel climbed from fifth place to second among imports, with sales of 25,000, followed by Sweden's Volvo, Britain's MG and Japan's Datsun. The Japanese cars are rising fast: Toyota is now the second best-selling import in California, where the Japanese are driving hard prior to a nationwide push, and Honda will soon introduce a car in the U.S.
Behind the slight fall-off in industry sales are many factors: the armed forces' draft of almost 400,000 young potential buyers, the stock market drop, the slower expansion in consumer credit caused by tight money. Detroit's experts figure that, excluding imports, production will dip from last year's 8,700,000 to 8,350,000 this year, and to 8,000,000 in calendar 1967—which would still make it a very good year.