Automobiles (or cars) are the vehicles we use to get around. They make life much more convenient than it was before we had them, especially in big cities where the public transportation system is not very good. Most people think that having a car is essential to modern life and they have a hard time imaging a world without them.
The automobile industry is a very big business. Over 4.25 million people work in the automotive industry around the world. It is a big employer and a big contributor to the economy. It is also the source of a lot of pollution. The oil that fuels cars can cause environmental problems if it is not used responsibly. There is a movement to make automobiles run on clean energy, such as electricity.
Before we had cars, most people got from place to place by horse or carriage. But these vehicles were slow and expensive to operate. In the 1700s, people began to build vehicles that were powered by steam or electricity. They had three wheels and looked like elongated tricycles. They were heavy and moved slowly, but they allowed people to travel long distances quickly.
Towards the end of the 19 th century, the automobile really took off. German engineers Gottlieb Daimler, Karl Benz and Nikolaus Otto built gasoline engines that made these new vehicles much faster and more reliable. It was at this point that the automobile started to resemble what we have today.
In the United States, Henry Ford introduced the assembly line. This made it easy to produce many cars very fast. Workers stood in one place doing only one task while car parts passed by them on a conveyor belt. This revolutionized the manufacturing process and made automobiles affordable for many middle-class families.
After the two world wars people wanted cars that were more comfortable and easy to operate. Features such as air conditioning and power steering became popular. People were concerned about the amount of fuel these large cars consumed. They did not want to run out of it while driving in crowded areas. This led to the development of smaller, more fuel-efficient cars.
Today, most countries have laws that require people to wear seat belts while riding in an automobile. These laws are meant to prevent injury and death to passengers in case of a crash or other emergency on the road. In addition, many nations have rules that require children to be in special seats and adults to sit in the back seat. The body of an automobile is usually made of steel. The hood, trunk and the front and rear doors are all part of it. Some cars have more than two doors, for example the Coupe which has a fixed roof and two seats. Other types of cars include a hatchback, station wagon and minivan which have combined passenger and cargo space and the more traditional sedan.