(Pic) Sales figures

very interesting Mike. Sad to see Hudson and Packard down to where they were. Nash's 83400+ figures would have indicated they were holding their own though? Do u know what the Metropolitan at 9068 is please?

As I understand it, the Nash Metropolitan was a combination between a British automobile manufacturer's body combined with the Nash Motors small motor..... but it may have been the other way around.The engine was a 4 -cylinder, I think, although perhaps a small straight-six may have been an option, too.

I think Nash's Chairman, George Mason, met the British car manufacturers President on board a European-bound ocean liner and a deal was struck to use and mate the small American and the small British parts to make a compact automobile.

@michaeldetorrice thanks Mike I was thinking maybe that was the car. Intriguing how Nash is not included in the name title.

While the Nash, Hudson, American Motors and finally just Metropolitan ( in 1957) was an American design based on a  Nash Kelvinator NXI Concept car and tweaked initially by Pinin Farina, the first car to be aimed at women buyers and intended as a family second car.
The Metropolitan had no American parts but Nash owned selling rights. It was built in England by Austin, later BMC. It was sold initially just in North America but later in Britain also. The motor was an Austin from the Austin A40. It was made from 1953 to 1962 with 94,000 made in total.

Several friends owned it when I was in high school. The seats went flat which was great when you were on a date or at the drive in. It rode and accelerated better than my MGTD which I had at that time.

A restored Metropolitan automobile made an appearance at one of our local summer cruise nights/auto shows. A very interesting and attractive little car and those fold-down seats/beds are definitely a Nash feature !

Picking up your girl/date at her parents house for a trip to the drive-in movie with one of these cars (or a big Nash) must have frightened the parents no end, lol !

What surprises me most about these sales numbers is the fact that twice as many Plymouths were sold than Dodges.  Very strange.  Really sad to see the Hudson decline.

@david-green David; in my hometown of Victoria, British Columbia there were very many Nash Metropolitans on the roads back in the day.  I never realized until decades later that it wasn't built in North America.

really interesting car history tale. Thanks gents.

What's amazing about the Metropolitan is the amount of room it has inside for such a small car. Something unique about these cars is that the doors are the same on both sides. Naturally the hinges and handles would have to be moved.

Interesting ! That would be good for repairs and general parts count needed for fixes.

@geoff-jowett Geoff, there was also a Hudson Metropolitan but very few were badged.

Posted by: @bob-jackman

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@geoff-jowett Geoff, there was also a Hudson Metropolitan but very few were badged.

Thanks for the extra info

https://www.shopmetropolitanparts.com/t-history.aspx

That is an excellent and comprehensive overview of this automobile. Thanks !