Automobiles changed the world in the 20th Century. They have given people the freedom to live, work, and travel almost anywhere they want. The automobile industry has caused the suburbs to grow, and made the development of road and highway systems necessary. The manufacture, sale, and repair of automobiles are very important to the countries that produce large amounts of manufactured goods.
Early Automobiles
Before the invention of railroads, streetcars, and automobiles, people traveled to work by horse or horse and carriage. A streetcar was a public passenger car operated by rails through the streets of the city. Traveling by horse was a slow means of transportation, so people had to live close to where they worked. People tended to live on farms or in the city where the businesses were located. In the late 1800’s, when railroads and streetcars were developed, people could live farther from work.
In 1891, William Morrison built the first successful electric-powered automobile in the United States. Electric-powered automobiles were an improvement over steam-powered automobiles because they were quiet, cost less, and they did not produce smelly fumes. .
In 1860, Jean Lenoir of France patented an internal- combustion engine that is similar to the type of engine used in automobiles today. Internal-combustion engines run on gasoline or diesel (oil) fuel.
During the early part of the 20th Century, the United States became one of the leading countries in automobile production.
Another reason that the automobile industry grew in the United States was because gasoline prices dropped in the United States when oil was discovered in Texas in 1901. Gasoline is made from oil, so fuel .
The first automobiles built for sale to the public in the United States were made by Charles and J. Frank Duryea in Springfield, Massachusetts in 1893. The brothers founded a company in 1895 called the Duryea Motor Wagon Company
Detroit soon became the Automobile Capital of the World. Henry Ford founded the Ford Motor Company in 1903, and five years later introduced the famous Model T. This automobile was popular, because it was the first affordable automobile made for the average American. Originally, the Model T sold for $825 and over 17,000 were sold in the first year.
In 1913, Ford introduced the moving assembly line, which allowed his company to build automobiles faster and at a lower cost. The frame of the car was pulled through the plant by a chain and workers on each side added parts that were brought to them by conveyor belts. Up until this time, workers assembled each automobile on one spot on the factory floor. With the assembly line, Ford was able to drop the time needed to build a Model T from 12.5 hours to 2 hours and 38 minutes.
Automobile Companies
By the late 1920’s, there were three major automobile companies in the United States, all based in Michigan – General Motors Company, Ford Motor Company, and the Chrysler Corporation. The giant automobile companies wanted to produce and sell automobiles in all price ranges for people of all ages and lifestyles. Automobiles are made in various styles – two-door, four-door, small, large, sporty, and luxurious.
In 1923, when Alfred Sloan was the president of General Motors Company, he introduced the concept of changing model styling each year. This meant that, even though an automobile had the same name, the body design or features offered would be changed and improved. Eventually, this practice was used by the other automobile companies.
