In the initial, joyful period after the Second World War, there emerged a hard economic crisis, when the theretofore flourishing defense industries lost their orders. The lack of raw material and gasoline added to those woes, both the winning and losing countries felt the effect. It’s not a coincidence that the short heyday of the micro cars began at the end of the 1940’s in Europe. Along with France and Germany, on the far side of the globe, microcars were also proliferating in Japan. The reason was the same as in Europe: the citizens, who were struggling to attain the basic necessities of life, were not able to afford heavily taxed conventional cars. Instead, they choose cheaper motorcycles or, where available, micro cars. This was also good for the manufacturers, who were able to utilize their previously defense-centered capacity building microcars without a lot of heavy retooling, as these vehicles were assembled from simple and inexpensive components....
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