[2] The introduction of the Essex Six in 1924, targeting budget-minded buyers, increased the combined sales of Hudson Motors from seventh to third place in the U.S. automobile market by 1925.

[8] For 1931, the automaker renamed the line to Hudson Greater Eight – implying that the new models "were even better than" the previous year because of additional engineering and styling advances.

[12] The "T-Series" chassis riding on solid front and rear axles with semi-elliptic leaf springs and four-wheel mechanical brakes.

The 1931 models featured a 233.7 cu in (3.8 L) cast iron L-head inline eight-cylinder (I8) engine producing 87 brake horsepower (65 kW) mated to a three-speed sliding gear manual transmission.

The Greater Eight offered many stylish attributes that included a distinctive fine mesh grille-work that set it apart from other contemporary marques.

[15] Standard features included adjustable seats in front and rear as well as a steering column that could be lowered or raised to suit driver's preferences.

[6] Hudson's engineering stylist, Frank S. Spring, made the fenders more graceful and gave the car's body gentler curves.

In May 1933, Roy D. Chapin returned to Hudson after serving as the United States Secretary of Commerce during the last months of President Herbert Hoover's administration and spent his final three years of life trying to save the automaker from the effects of the Great Depression.

[21] Hudson had fared poorly during the Great Depression (1929–36) compared with other domestic automakers with its rank falling back from third to eight in terms of production.

[21] During the 1930s, automobile production by the Big Three (General Motors, Ford, and Chrysler) increased, while all the other domestic automakers were damaged and saw their total market share drop from 25% in 1929 to 10% by 1939.