Back with a Roar

Nowhere did the rapid pace of the steel comeback have a more salutary effect than on Detroit's sorely tried auto industry.

General Motors Corp., hardest hit, with 215,000 workers laid off and all production at a halt, was moving faster last week than even its own executives expected. G.M. expects to have all divisions operating at full speed by Dec. 18. Chevrolet plans to have 63,000 workers back, producing 40,000 cars a week, by about Dec. 16. The 13 Chevy assembly plants are shooting to break the alltime record of 188,410 cars produced last December. Chrysler Corp. finally had to shut down this week for lack of steel, but plans to start up again next week, will recall 38,000 laid-off production workers. Ford Motor Co. is confident that it will be able to get by without a major stoppage.

Demand for the new models is strong. One big factor is the powerful sales appeal of the compact cars, which account for 25% of total 1960 models produced so far. The orders are pouring in so fast that Ford last week made plans to shift over its Metuchen (N.J.) Mercury plant to produce Ford's Falcon and the new Comet, scheduled to make its appearance next spring. Ford will not cut back on Mercury --other Mercury plants will take up the slack. It just needs a third production facility to turn out all the compacts the U.S. public apparently wants.

This file is automatically generated by a robot program, so reader's discretion is required.