the 1920s: desire for automobiles in adverse conditions

Following World War I, several factors adversely affected the popularization of car ownership in Germany, which lagged behind that of other Western countries. In the mid-1920s, there was one car for every 250 Germans. In France and Britain, in contrast, the figure was half of that. The reason for Germany's lower rate of car ownership was primarily economic. Quite unlike in the United States, the cost of purchasing and operating automobiles in Germany was simply far too expensive. The portion of the population able to afford personal motorized transportation was comparatively small, increasing significantly, if only gradually, in the second half of the decade. The inflation crisis of 1922-3, reparations, and the precarious situation of the German economy were among the factors that negatively influenced car ownership. The disposable income of most families was not high enough to operate even a modestly priced motor vehicle.