What Was The Use Of Smaller Cars In The 1960's

In 1960, many car buyers requested smaller vehicles. This lead to many car companies producing such vehicles. The focus on producing smaller cars dramatically dropped import sales. The Big Three which were General Motors, Ford Chrysler, and American Motors were the top selling car companies in the United States at that time. However, back in the 1950s, Volkswagen and soon followed by Fiat, Renault, Datsun, and Hillman,imports began to squeeze ther way into the American market. These import cars were generally small and interested the American public. The Big Three responded by building their own small cars. General Motors created the Corvair, Ford created the Falcon, and Chrysler created the Valiant. Later, Lincoln-Mercury released the Comet, and Dodge introduced the Dart. General Motors then announced that they would be releasing 3 smaller cars, the Buick Special, the Oldsmobile F-85 and the Pontiac Tempest.

The 4-door sedan still emerged as the best seller, however, station wagons were starting to catch up and ranked second over the sportier 2-door vehicles. Most engineering improvements were focused on improving economic stats. Aluminum replaced iron and steel (making cars lighter but also more expensive). Some adjustments were made to combustion chamber design and compression ratios that helped fuel economy. Some of these advances were on display as well as the first rear-engine car, whichwas made in America, the Chevy Corvair. Even so, the very first alternator was used in a production car. Alternators have been used repeatedly in taxis, police cars, and other vehicles, but installing one in a family car was a