Editor’s note: This article originally appeared in the Feb., 1930 issue of Fortune.
Picturesque and profitable is the exportation of the automobile to the Orient. Fords in the Himalayas, Chevrolets in the Sudan, filling stations next to temples and punctures in the shadow of the Sphinx. Here, too, waiting for roads to travel on, is the Next Great Market. No point of saturation and a thousand miles between the bumpers. “Ship me somewhere east of Suez,” is the current automotive theme song. Below are sketched a few points of interest along the auto-road to Mandalay, a few characteristic items in the colorful and remunerative process of teaching the Orient that sixes do beat fours.
India
With a population of approximately 300,000,000, India has some 125,000 motor cars—about one car for every small town or big village.
India’s Satan is Black Yama and Mohammedans consider green an unlucky color. Therefore black cars and green cars are unpopular.
Elephants have caused many auto accidents, but now wear tail-lights, and—like tail-lighted London Bobbies—possess a high visibility.
Indian Rajahs love spot-lights, thus princely cars may carry ten or a dozen lamps.
Religious pilgrimages stimulate traffic, so also does the Hindu taboo upon a man’s marriage with a girl from his home-town.
But it is considered unlucky to travel East on Monday, North on Tuesday or Wednesday, South on Thursday, West on Friday or Saturday. Evil days for starting journeys are Tuesday, presaging fire at home; Saturday, foreshadowing loss by thieves; Sunday, portending sickness. Misfortune results from payments or deliveries on Tuesday or Saturday, and all bargaining, buying, selling and paying are suspended at Vishagadi, the poisonous hour of the day.
Taxis in the Dutch East Indies cost $1 an hour. A round, white painted spot distinguishes them from private cars.
Persia
Motor trucks in Persia must compete with camel caravans, which charge only one-half the automobile figure, but cover only 25 miles in 24 hours.
Pilgrimages help Persian motor traffic, as the business man traveling by motor can complete in two weeks a religious duty otherwise requiring two months.
Officers and couriers, who once rode fiery stallions, now travel via sputtering motorcycles.
Persia’s almost impassable roads have been improved by Colonel Alfred F. Morris, American engineer formerly employed by the Persian government.
Syria
Henry Ford opened up the Syrian market in 1921, sold 700 Fords. Now about 90% of Syria’s 4,822 passenger cars are American built.
Syrian women do not drive and Syrian men consider it beneath their dignity to operate their own cars. Most Syrian automobiles are for public hire. Syrians are notoriously reckless and rapid drivers.
When the Ruwallah tribe of Bedouins breaks camp, the camel of its chief, Nuri Shalaan, ceremoniously leads the caravan. But Nuri Shalaan himself rides in a Buick, driven by a Bedouin chauffeur. Like other Syrian motorists, Nuri Shalaan hangs blue beads on the radiator cap to ward off the evil eye.
Japan
There are almost 50,000 passenger cars in Japan, of which 94% are American made.
Japanese who suspect that a demon may be following them, run in front of motor cars, believe that the closer the car comes to them, the surer it is to run over the demon behind them.
Collisions are amicably settled. First there is much ceremony in the street. Then the driver of the larger car takes the blame, sends the driver of the small car apologies, flowers, fruit, money.
Japanese taxi men drive American cars. But Japanese traffic keeps to the left. So Japanese taxis carry one driver and one watcher. Japanese taxi men do not take tips.
Passenger car trade has recently been almost stagnant, with many dealers in bad financial condition.
China
There are about 18,000 passenger cars in China. Outside of Hongkong, American makers supply about 75% of Chinese cars. The percentage in British-ruled Hongkong falls to about two-thirds.
The first motor car came to Hongkong in 1910. Others followed and ran down many pedestrians accustomed to dodging only jinrikishas. For some years Hongkong automobiles were restricted to a few roads near the water’s edge. The leading foreign car is the (English) Austin.
Total vehicular traffic in Tibet is 1 motorcycle.
In Mukden, citizens heard that American policemen and firemen rode free on common carriers. Therefore they accoutred themselves in miscellaneous uniforms, stormed busses, would pay no fare, disrupted bus service.
In Szechwan, remote Chinese province about the size of Texas and with a population of 50,000,000, motor roads are being opened even before railroads. Existing roads are extremely circuitous as they wind around ancestral graves, lest spirits be disturbed. Gasoline in Szechwan is $2 a gallon.
Exports and imports
Department of Commerce automobile export figures gave a total of 560,102 automobiles completely built in United States territory and exported during 1929.
At an average price of $750 each, these cars had a money value of some $420,000,000. Automotive exports were valued at about half a billion.
It should be added, however, that a very much larger figure, both of units and of value, is obtained by counting all American-designed cars sold abroad. This total, adding to the Department of Commerce statistics the Canadian-built and foreign-assembled cars of American origin, gave a 1929 sales abroad figure of 1,015,000 cars.
The value of these foreign sold cars, plus parts and tires, was $757,400,000.
Foreign cars imported during 1929 totalled 710.
Although the automobile industry went all over the world for the material out of which its cars were built, the value of the completed automobiles far exceeded the value of the materials imported to make them.
Greatest import was rubber, of which 913,-920,000 pounds, valued at approximately $186,-000,000, were used. Source of most rubber was British Malaya.
Tin from Malay States, and nickel from Canada were other major imports.
Australia supplied tantalum used in steel-alloys. From Canada came asbestos and from Ceylon came graphite. Chinese tungsten, Spanish cork and German barium are other foreign items in U. S. automobiles.
On the whole, it appeared that imported materials approximated a value of $250,000,000, or about one half the value of automotive products actually exported from the U.S.
