Automobiles are motor vehicles that transport people over long distances. Typically they have four wheels, a motor or engine to make them move, and carry one to eight passengers. While there are different types of cars, most automobiles use gasoline and are powered by an internal combustion engine.
The automobile embodies both the promise and the peril of modern life. By making travel over vast distances possible, it has opened up new opportunities for commerce and culture. At the same time, it has created environmental problems ranging from air pollution and noise to global warming.
In the United States, where it emerged in the 1920s, the automobile was a key force for change in a new consumer goods-oriented society. By the 1970s it was a major employer, a main source of energy and a significant buyer of industrial products such as steel and petroleum. Many of these ancillary industries developed rapidly to meet the needs of the automobile industry.
Although automobiles have been around for centuries, it was not until the early 1900s that they became commonplace in the United States. The first automobiles were imported from Europe, but the advent of the Ford Model T in 1908 revolutionized car production and made it affordable to the middle classes. The automobile was a key component of American economic growth in the 1920s and became a symbol of the prosperity that characterized that decade.
Who invented the automobile is a matter of opinion, but most historians agree that Nicolas-Joseph Cugnot of France was responsible for the first true automobile in 1769. His vehicle used steam power to propel it, but he claimed that it could run for 20 minutes without rest and then recover enough energy to resume movement.
While steam-powered road vehicles continued to be produced throughout the 1860s and ’70s, most manufacturers switched to gas engines by the end of the century. At the same time, the American manufacturing methods introduced by Henry Ford revolutionized car production. Ford’s assembly lines allowed him to produce cars inexpensively and in large quantities, thus lowering the price until it was within reach of most Americans.
During the 1920s and 1930s, advances in engineering and design helped to increase the speed, safety, and comfort of automobiles. In the postwar period, however, engineering began to be subordinated to questions of aesthetics, and quality deteriorated to the point that by 1960 most American-made cars were delivered to retail buyers with an average of twenty-four defects per vehicle.
Having a car allows individuals to live an active lifestyle and explore new places on their own schedule. They can go shopping, visit friends and family, or participate in social activities without the limitations of public transportation schedules. Moreover, the freedom that a car provides can help to develop a sense of independence and self-reliance in an individual. In addition, it enables them to take spontaneous road trips or travel to remote destinations. Lastly, it can be a convenient way to transport luggage and other heavy items.
