Throughout the history of the world, the automobile has had a profound effect on our lives. As 1.2 billion vehicles roam the streets worldwide, we’re left speechless. In 2016 alone, 88 million new cars were sold. So, how did such a humble invention change global transportation? Well, we are going to discuss the history of the automobile industry with Car Detailing Tampa. They are our great friends, and they wrote an amazing blog post for y’all.. Enjoy!
Within this blog post, we are going to discuss the history of the automobile. As you may know, the first attempts to develop an automobile were devoted to obtaining a reliable power source. In the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries, steam power was the main area of interest. By the mid to late 1800s, some steam vehicles obtained minor success. Although they weren’t popular around the globe, they provided mass transport in the United Kingdom. In 1870, Siegfried Marcus powered a vehicle with a gasoline powered internal combustion engine. In 1885, Karl Benz built the first practical vehicle powered by gasoline. For the next 30 years, the steam engine electric motor and the internal combustion engine fought to become the dominant form of automoviles.
France and the United States began producing vehicles in 1900, and Henry Ford began production of the Model T in 1908. The Model T was the first affordable (and reliable) car for the emerging American middle-class. By 1915, the development of petroleum fields and widespread drilling ensured that the internal combustion engine began to dominate the electric and steam engines. After World War One ended in 1918, the economic boom in the United States led to an explosion in the automobile industry. As the market competition was increasing, the number of car manufacturers decreased from 175 5o 70 between 1922 and 1925.
After 1925, the widely available automobile began to change the way that society behaved. In the United States, modern concepts such as suburban living and road trips became possible for more of the population. However, this era of prosperity came to a screeching halt with the start of the Great Depression in 1929. Unfortunately, this economic downturn put more automobile companies out of business.
Automobiles in the 30s bore a striking resemblance to modern cars, as they possessed similar mechanical features with cars in 2020. Most manufacturers offered V12 engines – an option that wouldn’t reappear for several decades.
World War Two started in 1939, and the automobile industry was impacted again. Fortunately for the United States, most automobile manufacturers started producing military vehicles. With greater government regulation, the automobile industry didn’t have much of a choice. As WWII came to an end, there was a time of unbounded prosperity and optimism in the United States and Wester Europe. The 1950s saw the production of faster vehicles. Additionally, they included extravagant styling based on the space age. Fortunately for the middle class, automatic transmissions and air conditioning became standard features in cars.
As the 1960s approached, foreign competitors began emerging. German and Japanese firms attracted cost-conscious consumers with smaller fuel-efficient cars. Since American manufacturers were losing business, they began developing the muscle car. The Ford Mustang and the Chevrolet Camaro were developed in the United States. These vehicles were affordable, speedy, and stylish. They’re standard with V8 engines, and consumers loved them.
The 1970s marked the end of cheap fuel… Due to the oil crisis in 1973, oil prices quadrupled. When the automobile industry combined this with the passage of automobile safety laws and environmental regulations, consumers began purchasing smaller, slower, and more fuel efficient vehicles. This led to an erosion of market share for American firms as the Japanese and German competitors gained ground. In the 1980s and 1990s, the automobile industry saw the rise of computer simulations and digital ECUs. With these advantages, cars were more aerodynamic and fuel-efficient. Additionally, both manufacturers and third-party organizations began to use crash tests to analyze the effectiveness of airbags.
Today, the automobile market is dominated by machines that have undergone a century of continuous refinement. Advanced technologies have allowed fuel efficiency, engine power, acceleration, and car handling to improve simultaneously. In combination with modern safety measures, cars are faster, more agile, more fuel efficient, more comfortable, more reliable, and safer than historical counterparts.
