FATHER OF AUTOMOBILE

Father of the Modern Automobile Industry: Henry Ford Everybody knows his name and major accomplishments: Ford developed the modern assembly line. He built and sold a lot of cars. He was good to his workers (at least until they wanted to organize) and put millions of everyday Americans on the path of prosperity.

The year 1886 is redarded as birth year of morden cars when german inventor KarL Benz patented his benz Patent-Motorwagen...Electric cars,which were invented early in the History of the car,became commercially available in the 2000s and are predicted to cost less to buy than gasoline cars before 2050.

The automobile was first invented and perfected in Germany and France in the late 1800s, though Americans quickly came to dominate the automotive industry in the first half of the twentieth century. Henry Ford innovated mass-production techniques that became standard, and Ford, General Motors and Chrysler emerged as the “Big Three” auto companies by the 1920s.

Manufacturers funneled their resources to the military during World War II, and afterward automobile production in Europe and Japan soared to meet growing demand. Once vital to the expansion of American urban centers, the industry had become a shared global enterprise with the rise of Japan as the leading automaker by 1980. Although the automobile was to have its greatest social and economic impact in the United States, it was initially perfected in Germany and France toward the end of the nineteenth century by such men as Gottlieb Daimler, Karl Benz, Nicolaus Otto and Emile Levassor. When Were Cars Invented?

The 1901 Mercedes, designed by Wilhelm Maybach for Daimler Motoren Gesellschaft, deserves credit for being the first modern motorcar in all essentials. Its thirty-five-horsepower engine weighed only fourteen pounds per horsepower, and it achieved a top speed of fifty-three miles per hour. By 1909, with the most integrated automobile factory in Europe, Daimler employed some seventeen hundred workers to produce fewer than a thousand cars per year.

1900s: Cars Are Marketed to the Average Family

During the first few years of the twentieth century, automobiles had a fairly limited audience. Because they were expensive and time consuming to produce, most cars were too costly for the general public. However, between 1904 and 1908, 241 different firms began producing cars aimed at the American consumer. In 1908, Ford Motor Company created the Model T, the first car aggressively marketed to the average family. By widening the sales base for the automobile, Ford did a great deal to create an industry for cars and car products.

1910s: The Assembly Line Lowers Car Prices The Model T, which was originally built individually, was the first car to be mass-produces on the assembly line. When Henry Ford invented the assembly line in 1913, he was able to make the Model T even more affordable and accessible. Bryant University reports that by 1918 half of American car consumers owned Model Ts. Meanwhile, William C. Durant established General Motors in 1908, combining Buick, Oakland, and Oldsmobile. Later, he added Cadillac and Chevrolet. The Dodge brothers, both bicycle builders, created the four-cylinder Dodge Model 30 in 1914.

The 1950s were pivotal for the American automobile industry. The post-World War II era brought a wide range of new technologies to the automobile consumer, and a host of problems for the independent automobile manufacturers. The industry was maturing in an era of rapid technological change; mass production and the benefits from economies of scale led to innovative designs and greater profits, but stiff competition between the automakers. By the end of the decade, the industry had reshaped itself into the Big Three, Studebaker, and AMC. The age of small independent automakers was nearly over, as most of them either consolidated or went out of business. A number of innovations were either invented or improved sufficiently to allow for mass production during the decade: air conditioning, automatic transmission, power steering, power brakes, seat belts and arguably the most influential change in automotive history, the overhead-valve V8 engine. The horsepower race had begun, laying the foundation for the muscle car era.

Automobile manufacturing became the largest industry segment in the US, and the largest ever created; the US auto industry was many times larger than the automotive industries of the rest of the world combined. By 1960, one-sixth of working Americans were employed directly or indirectly by the industry, but automation and imports eroded the need for such a large workforce within a couple of decades. The 1950s were the pinnacle of American automotive manufacturing and helped shape the United States into an economic superpower.

Similar to old-school turbochargers, the 2000s took a little while to get going as the world faced new threats, battles and challenges beyond the streets, and racetracks—but get going the Aughts did. While major advancements in safety, fuel economy, and in-vehicle electronics were in the works that would bring about major gains in life-saving traction control, fuel mileage, and battery life, automakers were also showing off their renewed commitment to automotive performance. The 2005 C6 Corvette introduced the Gen. IV Chevy small-block V8—the latter half and more-advanced members of the LS engine family. Jeep launched a new era of Wrangler with the JK release for model-year 2007, which included a four-door option for the first time Jeep Wrangler history. Throwback styling was en vogue as well, with Chrysler launching its PT Cruiser and 300, and Chevy its retro-pickup the SSR. Old names were resurrected, as Pontiac pulled the wraps off a new GTO (technically a re-branded Holden Commodore), Nissan unveiled a new Z-car, and Honda brought back the S-Series. The supercar wars were alive with nostalgia too—Ford’s GT was heavily inspired by the legendary GT-40, and Ferrari lovingly christened its latest triumph the “Enzo,” after the company’s founder.

The Ford GT hearkened back to the legendary GT-40, which terrorized road courses back in the 1960s. (Image/Autoblog.com) But for many of us, the highlight of the 21st century’s first decade was the resurgence of muscle-car magic cooked up by the Detroit Big Three—spawning what would become a second Muscle Car Era, chock full of horsepower gains, aggressive vehicle designs, and overall performance advancements. First, it was the 2005 Ford Mustang on Ford’s D2C platform which borrowed design elements from the beloved first generation of Mustang. Next came the 2008 Dodge Challenger which features a timeless retro muscle design reminiscent of the iconic 1970 Dodge Challenger R/T. And then in 2009, Chevrolet started selling the 2010 Gen 5 Camaro based off the 2006 concept which lit up the big screen in the movie “Transformers” a few years prior.

2003’s Mustang GT concept paved the way for the resurgence of the modern muscle car. (Image/MuscularMustangs.com) These three vehicles—Mustang, Challenger, and Camaro—blending old and new in the best of ways, reinvigorated the competitive spirit between the Big Three automakers in the performance market, and to a large extent, among the many brand-loyal auto enthusiasts sitting behind the wheel of one of these modern-muscle beasts, whether it be on the street or at the racetrack. Not unlike the 1960s, where power and style seduced us into ignoring safety and performance inefficiencies, these modern muscle beauties shine as the undisputed automotive stars of the 2000s and—combined with their significant safety and efficiency advantages over their ‘60s-era predecessors—stake their claim as the high-octane trinity of the BestDecade in Automotive History.