Although the first real automobile was not produced before 1886, attempts were on from 1700 AD to design automated vehicles. By 1850 there were many independent designs that came up for patent throughout Europe and especially Germany and France. By 1860 many inventors had taken patents on internal combustion engine. However all of these attempts were isolated and did not benefit the development of automobiles in a utilitarian product.
In 1886 Karl Benz of Germany got the patent for his automobile that was designed to run on internal combustion engine based on gasoline. This marked the beginning of the modern automobile industry. By 1895 Benz was producing vehicles in large numbers. Meanwhile Daimler had also designed his independent vehicle that went to large scale production by 1899.
In 1905 Henry Ford patented his design of automobiles and soon capitalized on the concept of assembly line production to produce vehicles on mass scale. Ford Motors Company had become largest automobile company in world by 1925 though it was overtaken by General Motors, founded in 1910, by 1928. Meanwhile European automobile industry was consolidated by merger of Benz and Daimler in 1926.
Throughout this era, development of automotive technology was rapid, due in part to a huge number (hundreds) of small manufacturers all competing to gain the world's attention. Key developments included electric ignition (by Robert Bosch, 1903) and the electric self-starter (by Charles Kettering, for the Cadillac Motor Company in 1910-1911), independent suspension, and four-wheel brakes. Leaf springs were widely used for suspension, though many other systems were still in use, with angle steel taking over from armored wood as the frame material of choice. Transmissions and throttle controls were widely adopted, allowing a variety of cruising speeds, though vehicles generally still had discrete speed settings rather than the infinitely variable system familiar in cars of later eras.
Automobile design finally emerged from the shadow of World War II in 1949, the year that in the United States saw the introduction of high-compression V8 engines and modern bodies from General Motors' Oldsmobile and Cadillac brands. The unibody/strut-suspended 1951 Ford Consul joined the 1948 Morris Minor and 1949 Rover P4 in waking up the automobile market in the United Kingdom. In Italy, Enzo Ferrari was beginning his 250 series just as Lancia introduced their revolutionary V6-powered Aurelia.
Throughout the 1950s, engine power and vehicle speeds rose, designs became more integrated and artful, and cars spread across the world. Alec Issigonis' Mini and Fiat's 500 mini cars swept Europe, while the similar keicar class put Japan on wheels for the first time. The legendary VW Beetle survived Hitler's Germany to shake up the small car market in the Americas. Ultra luxury, exemplified in America by the Cadillac Eldorado Brougham, reappeared after a long absence, and GT cars, like the Ferrari Americas, swept across Europe.
The era from 1960 to 2006 has seen automobiles going for more luxury, style and comfort. New technology has integrated computers with automobiles making them safer and more secure. Rising environmental concerns and steeping price of gasoline has forced automobiles makers to introduce fuel efficient technologies and light weight vehicles. |
