An automobile is a motor vehicle that is powered by an internal combustion engine. It uses a transmission system to deliver power from the engine to the wheels of the car. This system can be run on gasoline, diesel fuel, or other liquids and solids. The car can be driven on roads or off-roads. The car can also be used to carry people and cargo. It is the most common mode of transportation worldwide.
Automobiles have profoundly changed modern life. They have brought more freedom of movement to individuals, opened up new work and recreational opportunities, and triggered the growth of many other industries that depend on the automobile for their own survival. They have also caused environmental harm due to their exhaust and consumption of dwindling world oil supplies. But automobiles have been among the most important inventions in history.
Initially perfected in Germany and France in the late 1800s, the automobile became dominant in America by the 1920s. Henry Ford’s mass production techniques became standard and he, General Motors, and Chrysler emerged as the Big Three auto manufacturers. The automobile was a key industry in twentieth-century America, the backbone of a new consumer goods-oriented society, and the largest user of steel, petroleum, and other raw materials. Its popularity drove the development of highways, cities, and towns, and it created a number of jobs in the automotive manufacturing sector and related services like gas stations and convenience stores.
The word “automobile” is derived from the Latin words for self and move, and it describes an object that is capable of being moved independently. In the 1700s, Johann Gottlieb Zwicker built a self-propelled carriage for hauling heavy loads over long distances. This was a precursor to the modern automobile, and it prompted the development of other similar vehicles.
Karl Benz is often given credit for inventing the modern automobile, which was a four-cylinder, internal combustion engined machine that used a belt to drive a crankshaft to turn the wheels. The Benz Patent-Motorwagen was completed in 1885, but it did not become commercially successful until the early 1900s.
A modern automobile is a complex machine with several parts. Its chassis, or frame, is the base that supports all other components. The body is the shell that covers the interior and exterior. The engine can be powered by gasoline, diesel fuel, air (balloon gas), or electricity. The transmission is the system that translates torque from the engine to the axles of the car’s wheels. The wheels themselves are made from a variety of different types of tires. Modern cars are also equipped with electronic systems that control the vehicle’s functions. This includes safety features, entertainment systems, and navigation and mapping systems. Today, an estimated 5 to 59 million various cars are produced worldwide each year. Some are assembled in factories, while others are handmade by individuals or small shops. The automobile is a popular mode of transport, and in regions where public transportation is limited or nonexistent, it can make financial sense to own a car.
