Fleets Buy More - Bigger Cars

Sixty per cent of the firms responding to the survey said they allow drivers of company vehicles to select the make and color of car they want. Half of the firms give their men a choice of accessories to be installed on the company car.

The most widely requested accessories are radios, power steering and power brakes, white wall tires, air conditioning and tinted glass.

Even in this area, fleets are ordering cars with many of these extra cost options as standard equipment.

Automatic transmission, radios and power steering are the ones most often specified.

Here are the things professionals look for when they buy cars for their firms:

A large food company: "Safe, economical transportation with a hoped-for good resale value."

A major drug company that is ordering top line hardtops: "Appearance, resale value, prestige."

An insurance company operating a fleet of more than 3,000 cars: "total costs-actual depreciation plus operating expense."

An industrial organization: "Best resale value, low operating costs, availability of sizeable number of dealers who operate fleet departments."

A large industrial firm: "Economy, life expectancy, resale value, safety and appearance."

A building material manufacturer: "Company image policy calls for full-size standard car, top-line hardtops."

A major public utility: "Maintenance history and cost, availability of parts, mechanics' training, and original cost."

The survey on 1966 purchasing plans was one of a continuing series prepared by the National Association of Fleet Administrators, a professional organization of more than 200 company executives who control a quarter million passenger cars.

The traditional fleet car-a stripped down, two-door sedan-has gone the way of the rumble seat and running boards.

Fleet administrators throughout the country have upgraded their company cars in size, power, and accessories. A survey by the National Association of Fleet Administrators released October 15^th reveals that most 1966 purchases will be middle line, standard size (119" wheelbase) vehicles powered by V-8 engines with automatic transmission.

Not only are fleet men ordering bigger, more powerful cars, they are buying more of them. The survey reveals that fleet administrators are planning to buy ten per cent more cars in 1966 than they did in 1965, a record year for automobile production and sales.

In the survey, 56 fleet administrators said they were buying standard size cars while 19 were ordering intermediate size vehicles (115 to 118" wheelbase), and only 7 were staying with compacts (a car with less than 115" wheelbase).

Among buyers of standard size cars, 34 planned to use the middle line; 19 were ordering the top line; 19 were ordering the top line model, and only 7 were purchasing bottom line vehicles.

Nearly twice as many fleet men were planning to use eight cylinder engines as compared to those cars equipped with six cylinder engines. Forty-four out of 47 fleets getting cars with V-8 engines planned to have them equipped with automatic transmission.

Another major shift in fleet buying is away from two-door sedans. While the survey figures are not conclusive, it is apparent that more and more fleet men are ordering hardtops and four door sedans. This is in keeping with a trend to allow more personal use of the company car.