The automobile has a long history of development and has had a significant impact on the way society functions. It is one of the most important inventions in modern times and has affected every aspect of our lives, including transportation, culture, social relations, the economy, and the environment.
The early automobiles were essentially horse-drawn carriages with engines added, but over the last century they have become a sophisticated system that combines fuel efficiency and speed to meet an enormous variety of demands. They are an essential element of modern life and have become deeply woven into the fabric of our culture, mobility patterns, and the structure of cities.
Automobiles are made up of thousands of individual parts that work together to create a functioning vehicle. These systems include engine components, cooling system components, and lubricating oil and fuel delivery systems. They also include a body and other structural parts that make up the car’s overall shape and appearance.
Each system requires specific arrangement and control, as does the engine itself. The most common arrangement for a front-wheel-driven automobile is an overhead valve engine with a single cylinder; rear-wheel-driven cars use an engine mounted in the frame of the vehicle. The design of each system is critical for the safety and performance of the automobile.
Most automobiles have a gasoline engine; some have an electric motor. A hybrid automobile may use a gas-electric engine and an electric motor, or the two engines can be used separately. Hybrids are often more expensive to buy and run, but can offer better fuel efficiency than a traditional gasoline-only vehicle.
New automobile models generally take three to five years from conception to assembly and are designed to respond to public needs and preferences. Using computer-aided design equipment, designers create basic concept drawings that can be studied by styling experts and aerodynamic engineers. They also construct clay models to simulate how a particular vehicle will look when it is in motion.
An automaker’s designs also must conform to standards set by the government in areas such as pollution-control, safety, size and weight, and aerodynamics or ways to reduce air friction. Manufacturers must also consider how an automobile’s appearance will affect the public and whether it can be built in a cost-effective manner.
A large number of companies produce automobiles, many of them foreign-owned. Most began as non-automotive manufacturers before World War II, when they started building automobiles to capitalize on the postwar demand for more and more affordable vehicles.
By the 1920s Ford, General Motors, and Chrysler had dominated the industry, but the 1930s depression and World War II resulted in the collapse of many independent automobile manufacturers. Only American Motors (formed from Nash-Kelvinator and Hudson in 1954) survived to challenge the Big Three.
Mass production techniques enabled the American automobile industry to compete in a global market. These innovations, coupled with the development of a consumer culture that prized speed, encouraged the automobile as a mode of transport. The United States became the world’s leading automobile nation, with a large share of the world’s population driving cars and trucks for leisure or business purposes.