Vehicles of the 1930's (Chapter 1-10 Assignment D)

The automobile industry experienced its best year ever in 1929, selling over five million vehicles. However, the 1930's reversed the growth of car manufacturers with the economic downturn from the great depression. By 1932, only 1.3 million cars were being sold yearly, a near 80% decline from three years before. The sudden decrease of consumers also hit the smaller car manufacturers the most, who could not afford the drop in sales. Ford, GM, and Chrysler jumped to owning 90% of the market in the 30's when in the previous decade they only had 75%. This put many of the less wealthy companies out of work, leaving the biggest companies with much more of the market. With less competition, the few remaining dealerships could control the entire industry.

In The Grapes of Wrath, chapter 7 is from the point of view of a cheap car salesman trying to sell old broken cars for a very inflated price. Oklahoma, where Joad's family is located in chapter 7, was hit especially hard in the depression from the dust bowl, and most of the cars left there were in very bad condition. The cars sold at dealerships were meant to only run until the family was out of the city and could not hold the dealership responsible. In chapter 8, the car that Joad's family is planning to take to California is said to be a hudson super six sedan. It looked something like this:

 

Source

These cars, with the back of a truck, would hold all the possessions of a family and all the family members. In the bottom picture, multiple people can be seen hanging off the back of the car. It clearly was not the ideal way to cross the country, but it was the best that the farmers could afford. 

Sources: 1930's vehicle industry , Encyclopedia 1930's Cars