... efficiency and strive towards obtaining economies of scale. Automobiles were still only available to a minority, the middle classes, who were prepared to pay higher prices for quality, aesthetic appeal and performance. In the inter-war period mass production was never reached (stage three on the diffusion curve) but by the end of the 1930s a large component industry had established itself which supplied parts to the motor industry on a mass scale. Production costs were also reduced by improved methods of manufacture which was greatly aided by new industrial technology and techniques used over the First World War. Advancements revealed were the standardisation of components for industry and the ability to use a semi-skilled work-force. This led to: 'The advanced deployment of machinery on a line system to achieve a high degree of continuity in production for annual output levels of 10000 cars in the late 1920s.1' However, by ...

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