It is so good to find Spring upon us. There probably is no greater time of year for optimism and renewed faith in whatever we are doing. It is the time when we shed our topcoats and tweeds and roll down the windows on our jaunts.
There have been some, very refreshing and encouraging signs that indicate that our industry is emerging out of a long lean winter . . . one most of ns will remember for awhile. Dealers are relating to me that fleet orders are again opening up; the used ear market has finned markedly; purchasing men tell me they are now having problems getting some of the models that they want right now; and the factories are finally increasing their output schedules to meet a growing consumer demand.
Let's hope that these arc not only signs but a firmly established trend toward a prosperous economy that is based on business and consumer confidence . . . and with good reason.
Let us also hope that we can shed some of our current psychological burdens as we do with our topcoats. We have been influenced perhaps, too strongly, by the safety exponents, by the bearers of gloom, and some of our own sociological problems developed in so many phases of our society.
The power of positive thinking, the power of individual optimism, and a renewed effort on the part of each of us can relate substantially to the realistic facts that savings deposits, gross national product index, and economic indices show a robust ground swell toward a stronger confident economy.
In direct relation to our market there has been ample evidence that the nation's businesses have curtailed normal fleet buying during this model year. We happen to be in an industry where maintenance costs develop as surely as Spring when cars are left in service beyond the point of wise fleet management judgment.
Therefore, it would seem from here that 1968 will see a resumption of the historic strong increases in fleet buying. We can readily predict that it will be the largest volume new car registration year for fleets (that includes leasing and rental) that we have ever seen. And that accounts for more than 800,000 new ones or one out of every twelve that comes off the lines in Detroit.
Usually our readers ask us for one service or another. This time we would urge each reader to assess the road ahead and then determine for himself if good fleet management dictates a continuation of sound replacement in his overall program. It is his-the fleet manager's-responsibility to sell this program, with its documentation, to his own management . . . and with optimism, we hope.
