Car: Difference between revisions

Revision as of 13:17, 16 May 2006

Latest revision as of 05:56, 20 August 2025

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{{short description|Motorised passenger road vehicle}}

{{redirect|Car}}

{{other uses}}

{{redirect2|Passenger car|Automobile|other uses|Passenger car (disambiguation)|and|Automobile (disambiguation)|and|Passenger railroad car}}

<noinclude>{{pp-move}}

{{pp-vandalism|small=yes}}</noinclude>

{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2024}}

{{Use British English|date=September 2022}}

{{Infobox machine

| name = Car

| image = 2019 Toyota Corolla XSE (MZEA12L) in Blue Flame, front left.jpg

| image_upright = 1.15

| caption = The [[Toyota Corolla]], which has been in production since 1966, is the [[List of best-selling automobiles|best-selling series of automobile of all time]].

| classification = [[Vehicle]]

| industry = Various

| application = [[:Transportation]]

| fuel_source = {{unbulleted list

| [[Petrol]]

| [[Diesel fuel|Diesel]]

| [[Natural gas]]

| [[Hydrogen]]

| [[Biodiesel]]

| [[Battery electric vehicle|Battery]]

| [[Fuel cell]]

| [[Solar energy|Solar cell]]

| [[Hybrid car|Hybrids]] of the above

}}

| powered = Yes

| self-propelled = Yes

| wheels = 3–6, most often 4

| axles = 2, less commonly 3

| invented = {{start date and age|1886|df=y|p=y}}

| inventor = [[Carl Benz]]

}}

A '''car''', or an '''automobile''', is a [[motor vehicle]] with [[wheel]]s. Most definitions of cars state that they run primarily on [[road]]s, [[Car seat|seat]] one to eight people, have four wheels, and mainly transport [[private transport#Personal transport|people]] rather than [[cargo]].<ref>{{cite book|title=Pocket Oxford Dictionary|url=https://archive.org/details/australianpocket00john|url-access=registration|year=1976|publisher=Oxford University Press|isbn=978-0198611134|editor-last=Fowler|editor-first=H.W.|editor-last2=Fowler|editor-first2=F.G.}}</ref><ref name="OEDmotrcar"/> There are around one billion cars in use worldwide.{{Cn|date=June 2025|reason=cite in body seems to be number of vehicles - not all vehicles are cars}}

[[Image:zzz-Velo-1894.jpg|thumb|right|213px|Karl Benz's "Velo" model (1894) - entered into the first automobile race]]

The French inventor [[Nicolas-Joseph Cugnot]] built the first steam-powered road vehicle in 1769, while the Swiss inventor [[François Isaac de Rivaz]] designed and constructed the first internal combustion-powered automobile in 1808. The modern car—a practical, marketable automobile for everyday use—was invented in 1886, when the German inventor [[Carl Benz]] patented his [[Benz Patent-Motorwagen]]. Commercial cars became widely available during the 20th century. The 1901 [[Oldsmobile Curved Dash]] and the 1908 [[Ford Model T]], both American cars, are widely considered the first mass-produced<ref>{{Cite news |date=1986-01-26 |title=Some milestones of the auto age |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1986/01/26/automobiles/some-milestones-of-the-auto-age.html |access-date=2023-06-01 |work=[[The New York Times]] |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Birch |first=Ryan |date=2024-06-14 |title=Best American cars of all time - Oldsmobile Curved Dash |url=https://www.autoexpress.co.uk/best-cars/96471/oldsmobile-curved-dash |access-date=2024-08-10 |website=[[Auto Express]] |language=en}}</ref> and mass-affordable<ref>{{Cite news |title=1926 Ford Model T Sports Touring Car |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/business/2002/09/01/1926-ford-model-t-sports-touring-car/810e313f-4370-44b7-bb76-3282f9de945e/ |access-date=2023-06-01 |newspaper=[[Washington Post]] |language=en-US |issn=0190-8286}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2024-03-13 |title=Model T ‑ Ford, Car & Invented |url=https://www.history.com/topics/inventions/model-t |access-date=2024-08-10 |website=[[History.com|History]] |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Hoekstra |first=Kyle |date=2022-04-25 |title=Ford Model T: The Invention of the World's First Affordable Car |url=https://www.historyhit.com/ford-model-t-the-invention-of-the-worlds-first-affordable-car/ |access-date=2024-08-10 |website=History Hit |language=en-GB}}</ref> cars, respectively. Cars were rapidly adopted in the US, where they replaced [[carriage|horse-drawn carriage]]s.<ref>{{Cite web|title=The Motor Vehicle, 1917|url=https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/the-motor-vehicle-1917-slide-show/|website=[[Scientific American]]|date=January 2017 |access-date=16 January 2023|archive-date=26 October 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221026010646/https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/the-motor-vehicle-1917-slide-show/|url-status=live}}</ref> In Europe and other parts of the world, demand for automobiles did not increase until [[Aftermath of World War II|after World War II]].<ref name="history.com">{{Cite web|title=Automobile History|url=https://www.history.com/.amp/topics/inventions/automobiles|url-status=live|access-date=29 August 2021|website=[[history.com|www.history.com]]|date=21 August 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181127171255/https://www.history.com/.amp/topics/inventions/automobiles|archive-date=27 November 2018}}</ref> In the 21st century, car usage is still increasing rapidly, especially in China, India, and other [[newly industrialised countries]].<ref name="plunkettresearch.com22">{{cite web |title=Automobile Industry Introduction |url=http://www.plunkettresearch.com/Industries/AutomobilesTrucks/AutomobileTrends/tabid/89/Default.aspx |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110722031051/http://www.plunkettresearch.com/automobiles%20trucks%20market%20research/industry%20overview |archive-date=22 July 2011 |publisher=Plunkett Research}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Smith |first=Matthew Nitch |date=2016-04-22 |title=The number of cars worldwide is set to double by 2040 |url=https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2016/04/the-number-of-cars-worldwide-is-set-to-double-by-2040/ |website=[[World Economic Forum]]}}</ref>

{{portal}}

Cars have controls for [[driving]], [[parking]], [[passenger]] comfort, and a variety of [[electric lamp|lamp]]s. Over the decades, additional features and controls have been added to vehicles, making them progressively more complex. These include [[rear view camera|rear-reversing cameras]], [[Automobile air conditioning|air conditioning]], [[Automotive navigation system|navigation systems]], and [[in-car entertainment]]. Most cars in use in the early 2020s are propelled by an [[internal combustion engine]], fueled by the [[combustion]] of [[fossil fuel]]s. [[Electric car]]s, which were invented early in the [[History of the automobile|history of the car]], became commercially available in the 2000s and widespread in the 2020s. The transition from fossil fuel-powered cars to electric cars features prominently in most [[climate change mitigation scenarios]],<ref>{{Cite web|date=13 May 2019|title=Factcheck: How electric vehicles help to tackle climate change|url=https://www.carbonbrief.org/factcheck-how-electric-vehicles-help-to-tackle-climate-change|access-date=28 July 2020|website=Carbon Brief|language=en|archive-date=25 August 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210825135817/https://www.carbonbrief.org/factcheck-how-electric-vehicles-help-to-tackle-climate-change|url-status=live}}</ref> such as [[Project Drawdown]]'s 100 actionable solutions for climate change.<ref>{{Cite web|date=6 February 2020|title=Electric Cars @ProjectDrawdown #ClimateSolutions|url=https://www.drawdown.org/solutions/electric-cars|access-date=20 November 2020|website=Project Drawdown|language=en|archive-date=27 November 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201127115601/https://www.drawdown.org/solutions/electric-cars|url-status=live}}</ref>

An '''automobile''' is a [[wheel]]ed [[passenger]] [[vehicle]] that carries its own [[car engine|motor]]. Different types of automobiles include cars, [[bus]]es, [[truck]]s, and [[van]]s. Some include [[motorcycles]] in the category, but cars are the most typical automobiles. The term "automobile" is derived from Greek "autos" (''self'') and Latin "movére" (''move''), referring to the fact that it "moves by itself." Earlier terms for automobile include ''motorwagen'', ''horseless carriage'', and ''motor car''. Although the term "car" is presumed to be derived through the shortening of the term "carriage", the word has its origin before 1300 A.D. in English as, "carr"—derived from similar words in French and much earlier Latin words—for a vehicle that moves, especially on wheels, that was applied to [[chariots]], small carts, and later—to [[carriages]] that carried more people and larger loads. [[As of 2005]] there were 600 million cars worldwide (93 cars per 1,000 persons).

There are [[Economics of car use|costs and benefits to car use]]. The costs to the individual include acquiring the vehicle, interest payments (if the car is financed), repairs and [[Service (motor vehicle)|maintenance]], fuel, [[depreciation]], driving time, parking fees, taxes, and [[Vehicle insurance|insurance]].<ref name="racv">{{cite web|url=http://www.racv.com.au/wps/wcm/connect/racv/Internet/Primary/my+car/advice+_+information/vehicle+operating+costs/|title=Car Operating Costs|publisher=RACV|access-date=22 December 2009|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091007121101/http://www.racv.com.au/wps/wcm/connect/racv/Internet/Primary/my%2Bcar/advice%2B_%2Binformation/vehicle%2Boperating%2Bcosts/|archive-date=7 October 2009}}</ref> The costs to society include resources used to produce cars and fuel, maintaining roads, [[land use|land-use]], [[road congestion]], [[air pollution]], [[noise pollution]], [[public health]], and [[Vehicle recycling|disposing of the vehicle at the end of its life]]. [[Traffic collisions]] are the largest cause of injury-related deaths worldwide.<ref name="who_stats">{{cite book|url=http://who.int/violence_injury_prevention/publications/road_traffic/world_report/en/|access-date=24 June 2008|editor1-last=Peden|editor1-first=Margie|editor2-last=Scurfield|editor2-first=Richard|editor3-last=Sleet|editor3-first=David|editor4-last=Mohan|editor4-first=Dinesh|editor5-last=Hyder|editor5-first=Adnan A.|editor6-last=Jarawan|editor6-first=Eva|editor7-last=Mathers|editor7-first=Colin|title=World report on road traffic injury prevention|year=2004|publisher=World Health Organization|isbn=92-4-156260-9|archive-date=4 May 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080504041955/http://www.who.int/violence_injury_prevention/publications/road_traffic/world_report/en/|url-status=live}}</ref> Personal benefits include on-demand transportation, mobility, independence, and convenience.<ref name="setright"/> Societal benefits include economic benefits, such as job and wealth creation from the [[automotive industry]], transportation provision, societal well-being from leisure and travel opportunities. People's ability to move flexibly from place to place has [[Societal impacts of cars|far-reaching implications for the nature of societies]].<ref name="parking">{{cite book|title=Lots of Parking: Land Use in a Car Culture|first1=John A.|last1=Jakle|first2=Keith A.|last2=Sculle|year=2004|isbn=0-8139-2266-6|publisher=University of Virginia Press}}</ref>

The automobile was hailed as an environmental improvement over horses when it was first introduced in the 1880s. Before its introduction, in New York City alone, over 10,000 tons of manure had to be removed from the streets daily. The manure was used as natural fertilizer for crops and to build top soil. Another benefit often overlooked is that horses instinctively avoid running into one another or obstacles in their path, so there were few accidents. Ironically, in [[2006]], the automobile now is recognized as a primary source of world-wide [[air pollution]] and a cause of substantial [[noise]] and [[health effects]] that far exceeds the adverse effects of using horse-drawn vehicles.

==Etymology==

<!-- The derivation below has been revised to agree with the information on the Wiktionary page. -->

The [[English language|English]] word ''car'' is believed to originate from [[Latin]] {{Wikt-lang|la|carrus}}/{{Wikt-lang|la|carrum}} "wheeled vehicle" or (via [[Old Norman|Old North French]]) [[Middle English]] ''{{Lang|enm|carre}}'' "two-wheeled cart", both of which in turn derive from [[Gaulish]] ''{{Lang|xtg|karros}}'' "[[chariot]]".<ref>{{cite web|title=Car|work=(etymology)|publisher=Online Etymology Dictionary|url=http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=car|access-date=2 June 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080306042326/http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=car|archive-date=6 March 2008|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="Carrus">{{cite web|url=http://www.lib.wayne.edu/resources/special_collections/local/cfai/index.php|title=Wayne State University and The Detroit Public Library Present "Changing Face of the Auto Industry"|publisher=Wayne State University|date=28 June 2003|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20030628171058/http://www.lib.wayne.edu/resources/special_collections/local/cfai/index.php|archive-date=28 June 2003}}</ref> It originally referred to any wheeled [[horse-drawn vehicle]], such as a [[cart]], [[carriage]], or [[wagon]].<ref name="OEDcar">{{cite web|url=http://www.oed.com/view/Entry/27674?rskey=Bp4Ib4&result=1&isAdvanced=false#eid|title=car, n.1|publisher=Oxford University Press|work=OED Online|date=September 2014|access-date=29 September 2014|archive-date=8 December 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141208001003/http://www.oed.com/view/Entry/27674?rskey=Bp4Ib4&result=1&isAdvanced=false#eid|url-status=live}}</ref> The word also occurs in other Celtic languages.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.wales.ac.uk/geiriadur/pdf/GPC0018-02.pdf|title=A dictionary of the Welsh language|publisher=University of Wales|access-date=15 June 2016|archive-date=6 October 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141006071719/http://www.wales.ac.uk/geiriadur/pdf/GPC0018-02.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref>

"Motor car", attested from 1895, is the usual formal term in [[British English]].<ref name="OEDmotrcar">{{cite web|url=http://www.oed.com/view/Entry/122742#eid35698343|title=motor car, n.|publisher=Oxford University Press|work=OED Online|date=September 2014|access-date=29 September 2014|archive-date=8 December 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141208000946/http://www.oed.com/view/Entry/122742#eid35698343|url-status=live}}</ref> "Autocar", a variant likewise attested from 1895 and literally meaning "[[wikt:self-propelled|self-propelled]] car", is now considered archaic.<ref name="OEDautocar">{{cite web|url=http://www.oed.com/view/Entry/13368?redirectedFrom=autocar#eid32737946|title=auto-, comb. form2|publisher=Oxford University Press|work=OED Online|date=September 2014|access-date=29 September 2014|archive-date=8 December 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141208000942/http://www.oed.com/view/Entry/13368?redirectedFrom=autocar#eid32737946|url-status=live}}</ref> "[[Horseless carriage]]" is attested from 1895.<ref>{{cite web|title=Definition of horseless carriage|url=http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/horseless+carriage|access-date=23 November 2015|publisher=Merriam-Webster|archive-date=13 June 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150613031330/http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/horseless+carriage|url-status=live}}</ref>

"Automobile", a [[classical compound]] derived from [[Ancient Greek]] ''{{Lang|grc-latn|autós}}'' ({{Lang|grc-Grek|αὐτός|italic=no}}) "self" and Latin ''{{Lang|la|mobilis}}'' "movable", entered English from [[French language|French]] and was first adopted by the [[Royal Automobile Club|Automobile Club of Great Britain]] in 1897.<ref>{{cite news|title=Prospective Arrangements|periodical=The Times|date=4 December 1897|page=13}}</ref> It fell out of favour in Britain and is now used chiefly in [[American English|North America]],<ref name="OEDautomob">{{cite web|url=http://www.oed.com/view/Entry/13480?rskey=9jBC3i&result=1&isAdvanced=false#eid|title=automobile, adj. and n.|publisher=Oxford University Press|work=OED Online|date=September 2014|access-date=29 September 2014|archive-date=8 December 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141208001009/http://www.oed.com/view/Entry/13480?rskey=9jBC3i&result=1&isAdvanced=false#eid|url-status=live}}</ref> where the abbreviated form "auto" commonly appears as an adjective in compound formations like "[[auto industry]]" and "[[auto mechanic]]".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/auto|title=Definition of "auto"|work=Cambridge Dictionary|access-date=19 August 2015|archive-date=15 September 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150915173557/http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/auto|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Definition of auto|url=http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/auto|access-date=23 November 2015|publisher=Merriam-Webster|archive-date=10 September 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150910031842/http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/auto|url-status=live}}</ref>

==History==

{{Main|History of the automobile}}{{Overly detailed|section|details=detail should be moved to main article and summarized here|date=September 2022}}[[File:SteamMachineOfVerbiestIn1678.jpg|thumb|Steam machine of Verbiest, in 1678 ([[Ferdinand Verbiest]])]]

{{main|History of the automobile}}

[[File:FardierdeCugnot20050111.jpg|thumb|Cugnot's 1771 ''fardier à vapeur'', as preserved at the [[Musée des Arts et Métiers]], Paris]]

[[File:Carl-Benz coloriert.jpg|150px|thumb|[[Carl Benz]], the inventor of the modern car]]

[[File:1885Benz.jpg|thumb|The original [[Benz Patent-Motorwagen]], the first modern car, built in 1885 and awarded the patent for the concept]]

[[File:Berthabenzportrait.jpg|thumb|upright|[[Bertha Benz]], the first long distance driver]]

[[File:1888 Flocken Elektrowagen.jpg|thumb|The [[Flocken Elektrowagen]] was the first four-wheeled electric car]]

[[File:20210808 Panorama Stuttgart-West.jpg|thumb|200px|[[Stuttgart]], a cradle of the car<ref>{{cite web|url=https://goeasyberlin.de/en/blog/trips/stuttgart-automobile-empire/|title=Dimitris' Diary: Stuttgart, cradle of the automobile and the imperial family|author=Dimitris|website=Go Easy Berlin|___location=Germany|date=16 July 2016|access-date=22 November 2023}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://installations.militaryonesource.mil/in-depth-overview/usag-stuttgart|title=USAG Stuttgart|website=Military One Source|___location=US|date=17 August 2023|access-date=22 November 2023}}</ref> with [[Gottlieb Daimler]] and [[Wilhelm Maybach]] working there at the [[Daimler-Motoren-Gesellschaft|Daimler Motoren Gesellschaft]] and place of the modern day headquarters of [[Mercedes-Benz Group]] and [[Porsche]]]]

In 1649, [[Hans Hautsch]] of [[Nuremberg]] built a clockwork-driven carriage.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Barker |first=Theo |author-link=Theo Barker |title=The Economic and Social Effects of the Spread of Motor Vehicles: An International Centenary Tribute |publisher=Palgrave Macmillan |year=1987 |isbn=978-1349086269 |edition=1st |page=55}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=A broadside on a clockwork carriage built by Hans Hautsch |url=https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/object/P_1880-0710-922 |access-date=2024-05-28 |publisher=British Museum}}</ref> The first steam-powered vehicle was designed by [[Ferdinand Verbiest]], a [[Flemish people|Flemish]] member of a [[Jesuit China missions|Jesuit mission in China]] around 1672. It was a {{convert|65|cm|in|-long|adj=mid}} scale-model toy for the [[Kangxi Emperor]] that was unable to carry a driver or a passenger.<ref name="setright">{{cite book|last=Setright|first=L. J. K.|title=Drive On!: A Social History of the Motor Car|publisher=Granta Books|year=2004|isbn=1-86207-698-7}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=1679-1681–R P Verbiest's Steam Chariot|work=History of the Automobile: origin to 1900|publisher=Hergé|url=http://users.skynet.be/tintinpassion/VOIRSAVOIR/Auto/Pages_auto/Auto_001.html|access-date=8 May 2009|archive-date=3 March 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303185735/http://users.skynet.be/tintinpassion/VOIRSAVOIR/Auto/Pages_auto/Auto_001.html|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref name="CuriousExp">{{cite web|title=A brief note on Ferdinand Verbiest|publisher=Curious Expeditions|date=2 July 2007|url=http://curiousexpeditions.org/?p=52|access-date=18 April 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130310071024/http://www.curiousexpeditions.org/?p=52|archive-date=10 March 2013}}&nbsp;– The vehicle pictured is the 20th century diecast model made by Brumm, of a later vehicle, not a model based on Verbiest's plans.</ref> It is not known with certainty if Verbiest's model was successfully built or run.<ref name="CuriousExp"/>

The automobile powered by the Otto gasoline engine was invented in [[Germany]] by [[Karl Benz]] in [[1885]]. Benz was granted a [[patent]] dated [[29 January]], [[1886]] in [[Mannheim]] for that automobile. Even though Benz is credited with the invention of the modern automobile, several other German engineers worked on building automobiles at the same time. In 1886, [[Gottlieb Daimler]] and [[Wilhelm Maybach]] in [[Stuttgart]] patented the first motor bike, and in 1889 they built a converted horse-drawn stagecoach. In 1870, [[Germany|German]]-[[Austria|Austrian]] inventor [[Siegfried Marcus]] assembled a motorized handcart, though Marcus's vehicle didn't go beyond the experimental stage.

{{Automobile history eras}}

[[Nicolas-Joseph Cugnot]] is widely credited with building the first full-scale, self-propelled mechanical vehicle in about 1769; he created a steam-powered tricycle.<ref name="Encyclopædia Britannica">{{cite encyclopedia|title=Nicolas-Joseph Cugnot|url=https://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/145966/Nicolas-Joseph-Cugnot|encyclopedia=Encyclopædia Britannica|access-date=2 June 2022|archive-date=29 April 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150429131542/http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/145966/Nicolas-Joseph-Cugnot|url-status=live}}</ref> He also constructed two steam tractors for the French Army, one of which is preserved in the [[Conservatoire National des Arts et Métiers|French National Conservatory of Arts and Crafts]].<ref name="Encyclopædia Britannica"/> His inventions were limited by problems with water supply and maintaining steam pressure.<ref name="Encyclopædia Britannica"/> In 1801, [[Richard Trevithick]] built and demonstrated his [[The Puffing Devil|Puffing Devil]] road locomotive, believed by many to be the first demonstration of a steam-powered road vehicle. It was unable to maintain sufficient steam pressure for long periods and was of little practical use.

The development of external combustion (steam) engines is detailed as part of the history of the car but often treated separately from the development of cars in their modern understanding. A variety of steam-powered road vehicles were used during the first part of the 19th century, including [[steam car]]s, [[steam bus]]es, [[phaeton (carriage)|phaetons]], and [[steam roller]]s. In the United Kingdom, sentiment against them led to the [[Locomotive Acts]] of 1865.

=== Internal combustion engine powered vehicles ===

[[Image:4-Stroke-Engine.gif|thumb|250px|Animation of a 4-stroke internal combustion engine]]In 1806 [[François Isaac de Rivaz]], a Swiss, designed the first [[internal combustion engine]] (sometimes abbreviated "ICE" today). He subsequently used it to develop the world's first vehicle to run on such an engine that used a mixture of [[hydrogen]] and [[oxygen]] to generate [[energy]]. The design was not very successful, as was the case with the British inventor, [[Samuel Brown]], and the American inventor, [[Samuel Morey]], who produced vehicles powered by clumsy internal combustion engines about 1826.

In 1807, [[Nicéphore Niépce]] and his brother Claude created what was probably the world's first [[internal combustion engine]] (which they called a [[Pyréolophore]]), but installed it in a boat on the river [[Saone]] in France.<ref name="NieMus">{{cite web|author=speos.fr|url=http://niepce.house.museum/pagus/pagus-other.html|title=Niepce Museum, Other Inventions|publisher=Niepce.house.museum|access-date=26 August 2010|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20051220092838/http://niepce.house.museum/pagus/pagus-other.html|archive-date=20 December 2005}}</ref> Coincidentally, in 1807, the Swiss inventor [[François Isaac de Rivaz]] designed his own "[[De Rivaz engine|de Rivaz internal combustion engine]]", and used it to develop the world's first vehicle to be powered by such an engine. The Niépces' Pyréolophore was fuelled by a mixture of [[Lycopodium powder]] (dried spores of the [[Lycopodium]] plant), finely crushed coal dust and resin that were mixed with oil, whereas de Rivaz used a mixture of [[hydrogen]] and [[oxygen]].<ref name="NieMus"/> Neither design was successful, as was the case with others, such as [[Samuel Brown (engineer)|Samuel Brown]], [[Samuel Morey]], and [[Etienne Lenoir]],<ref name="Ford-Lenoir">{{cite web|url=https://digitalcollections.detroitpubliclibrary.org/islandora/object/islandora%3A248374/|title=Henry Ford posing in Ford-Lenoir automobile|last=Lazarnick|first=Nick|publisher=detroit public library|date=30 July 1907|access-date=20 February 2023|archive-date=20 February 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230220131139/https://digitalcollections.detroitpubliclibrary.org/islandora/object/islandora:248374/|url-status=live}}</ref> who each built vehicles (usually adapted carriages or carts) powered by internal combustion engines.<ref name="stein">{{cite book|title=The Automobile Book|publisher=Paul Hamlyn|year=1967|first=Ralph|last=Stein}}</ref>

[[Etienne Lenoir]] produced the first successful stationary internal combustion engine in 1860, and within a few years, about four hundred were in operation in [[Paris]]. About 1863, Lenoir installed his engine in a vehicle. It seems to have been powered by city lighting-gas in bottles, and was said by Lenoir to have ''"travelled more slowly than a man could walk, with breakdowns being frequent."'' Lenoir, in his patent of 1860, included the provision of a [[carburettor]], so liquid fuel could be substituted for gas, particularly for mobile purposes in vehicles. Lenoir is said to have tested liquid fuel, such as alcohol, in his stationary engines; but it doesn't appear that he used them in his own vehicle. If he did, he most certainly didn't use gasoline, as this was not well-known and was considered a waste product.

In November 1881, French inventor [[Gustave Trouvé]] demonstrated a three-wheeled car powered by electricity at the [[International Exposition of Electricity]].<ref>{{cite book|last=Wakefield|first=Ernest H.|title=History of the Electric Automobile|publisher=Society of Automotive Engineers|year=1994|isbn=1-56091-299-5|pages=2–3}}</ref> Although several other German engineers (including [[Gottlieb Daimler]], [[Wilhelm Maybach]], and [[Siegfried Marcus]]) were working on cars at about the same time, the year 1886 is regarded as the birth year of the modern car—a practical, marketable automobile for everyday use—when the German [[Carl Benz]] patented his [[Benz Patent-Motorwagen]]; he is generally acknowledged as the inventor of the car.<ref name="stein"/><ref name="Daimler8586">{{Cite web|title=1885–1886. The first automobile|url=https://www.daimler.com/company/tradition/company-history/1885-1886.html|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181021003344/https://www.daimler.com/company/tradition/company-history/1885-1886.html|archive-date=21 October 2018|access-date=30 July 2021|publisher=Daimler}}</ref><ref name="GarrisonEG">{{Cite book|last=Garrison|first=Ervan G.|title=History of Engineering and Technology: Artful Methods|publisher=Routledge|year=2018|isbn=978-1351440486|pages=272}}</ref>

The next innovation occurred in the late 1860s, with [[Siegfried Marcus]], a German working in [[Vienna]], Austria. He developed the idea of using gasoline as a fuel in a two-stroke internal combustion engine. In 1870, using a simple handcart, he built a crude vehicle with no seats, steering, or brakes, but it was remarkable for one reason: it was the world's first internal-combustion-engine-powered vehicle fueled by [[gasoline]]. It was tested in Vienna in September of 1870 and put aside. In 1888 or 1889, he built a second automobile, this one with seats, brakes, and steering, and included a four-stroke engine of his own design. That design may have been tested in 1890. Although he held patents for many inventions, he never applied for patents for either design in this category.

In 1879, Benz was granted a patent for his first engine, which had been designed in 1878. Many of his other inventions made the use of the internal combustion engine feasible for powering a vehicle. His first ''Motorwagen'' was built in 1885 in [[Mannheim]], Germany. He was awarded the patent for its invention as of his application on 29 January 1886 (under the auspices of his major company, [[Benz & Cie.]], which was founded in 1883). Benz began promotion of the vehicle on 3 July 1886, and about 25 Benz vehicles were sold between 1888 and 1893, when his first four-wheeler was introduced along with a cheaper model. They also were powered with [[Four-stroke cycle|four-stroke]] engines of his own design. Emile Roger of France, already producing Benz engines under license, now added the Benz car to his line of products. Because France was more open to the early cars, initially more were built and sold in France through Roger than Benz sold in Germany. In August 1888, [[Bertha Benz]], the wife and business partner of Carl Benz, undertook the first [[road trip]] by car, to prove the road-worthiness of her husband's invention.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Bertha Benz Hits the Road, 125 Years Ago – History in the Headlines |url=http://www.history.com/news/bertha-benz-hits-the-road-125-years-ago |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924041731/http://www.history.com/news/bertha-benz-hits-the-road-125-years-ago |archive-date=24 September 2015 |access-date=13 October 2015 |website=History.com}}</ref>

The four-stroke engine already had been documented and a patent was applied for in 1862 by the Frenchman [[Beau de Rochas]] in a long-winded and rambling pamphlet. He printed about three hundred copies of his pamphlet and they were distributed in Paris, but nothing came of this, with the patent application expiring soon afterward—and the pamphlet disappearing into total obscurity. In fact, its existence mostly was unknown and Beau de Rochas never built a single engine.

In 1896, Benz designed and patented the first internal-combustion [[flat engine]], called ''boxermotor''. During the last years of the 19th century, Benz was the largest car company in the world with 572 units produced in 1899 and, because of its size, Benz & Cie., became a [[joint-stock company]]. The first motor car in central Europe and one of the first factory-made cars in the world, was produced by Czech company Nesselsdorfer Wagenbau (later renamed to [[Tatra (company)|Tatra]]) in 1897, the [[Präsident]] automobil.

Most historians agree that [[Nikolaus Otto]] of Germany built the world's first four-stroke engine although his patent was voided. He knew nothing of Beau de Rochas's patent or idea, and came upon the idea entirely on his own. In fact, he began thinking about the concept in 1861, but abandoned the concept until the mid-1870s.

Daimler and Maybach founded [[Daimler Motoren Gesellschaft]] (DMG) in [[Cannstatt]] in 1890, and sold their first car in 1892 under the brand name ''Daimler''. It was a horse-drawn stagecoach built by another manufacturer, which they retrofitted with an engine of their design. By 1895, about 30&nbsp;vehicles had been built by Daimler and Maybach, either at the Daimler works or in the Hotel Hermann, where they set up shop after disputes with their backers. Benz, Maybach, and the Daimler team seem to have been unaware of each other's early work. They never worked together; by the time of the merger of the two companies, Daimler and Maybach were no longer part of DMG. Daimler died in 1900 and later that year, Maybach designed an engine named ''Daimler-Mercedes'' that was placed in a specially ordered model built to specifications set by [[Emil Jellinek]]. This was a production of a small number of vehicles for Jellinek to race and market in his country. Two years later, in 1902, a new model DMG car was produced and the model was named Mercedes after the Maybach engine, which generated 35&nbsp;hp. Maybach quit DMG shortly thereafter and opened a business of his own. Rights to the ''Daimler'' brand name were sold to other manufacturers.

There is some evidence, although not conclusive, that [[Christian Reithmann]], an Austrian living in Germany, had built a four-stroke engine entirely on his own by 1873. Reithmann had been experimenting with internal combustion engines as early as 1852.

In 1890, [[Émile Levassor]] and [[Armand Peugeot]] of France began producing vehicles with Daimler engines, and so laid the foundation of the [[Automotive industry in France#1900 to 1950|automotive industry in France]]. In 1891, [[Auguste Doriot]] and his Peugeot colleague Louis Rigoulot completed the longest trip by a petrol-driven vehicle when their self-designed and built Daimler powered [[Peugeot Type 3]] completed {{convert|2100|km|mi}} from [[Valentigney]] to Paris and Brest and back again. They were attached to the first [[Paris–Brest–Paris]] bicycle race, but finished six days after the winning cyclist, [[Charles Terront]].

In 1883, [[Edouard Delamare-Deboutteville]] and [[Leon Malandin]] of France installed an internal combustion engine powered by a tank of city gas on a tricycle. As they tested the vehicle, the tank hose came loose, resulting in an explosion. In 1884, Delamare-Deboutteville and Malandin built and patented a second vehicle. This one consisted of two four-stroke, liquid-fueled engines mounted on an old four-wheeled horse cart. The patent, and presumably the vehicle, contained many innovations, some of which wouldn't be used for decades. However, during the vehicle's first test, the frame broke apart, the vehicle literally ''"shaking itself to pieces,"'' in Malandin's own words. No more vehicles were built by the two men. Their venture went completely unnoticed and their patent unexploited. Knowledge of the vehicles and their experiments was obscured until years later.

The first design for an American car with a petrol internal combustion engine was made in 1877 by [[George Baldwin Selden|George Selden]] of [[Rochester, New York]]. Selden applied for a patent for a car in 1879, but the patent application expired because the vehicle was never built. After a delay of 16 years and a series of attachments to his application, on 5 November 1895, Selden was granted a US patent ({{US patent|549160}}) for a [[two-stroke cycle|two-stroke]] car engine, [[George B. Selden#The Selden patent|which hindered, more than encouraged]], development of cars in the United States. His patent was challenged by [[Henry Ford]] and others, and overturned in 1911.

Supposedly in the late 1870s, an Italian named [[Murnigotti]] patented the idea of installing an internal combustion engine on a vehicle, although there is no evidence that one was built. In 1884, [[Enrico Bernardi]], another Italian, installed an internal combustion engine on his son's tricycle. Although merely a toy, it is said to have operated somewhat successfully in one source, but another says the engine's power was too feeble to make the vehicle move.

In 1893, the first running, petrol-driven [[Automotive industry in the United States|American car]] was built and road-tested by the [[Duryea brothers]] of [[Springfield, Massachusetts]]. The first public run of the [[Duryea Motor Wagon]] took place on 21 September 1893, on Taylor Street in [[Metro Center, Springfield, Massachusetts|Metro Center]] Springfield.<ref name="ausbcomp.com">{{cite web|url=http://www.ausbcomp.com/~bbott/cars/carhist.htm|title=The First Car – A History of the Automobile|publisher=Ausbcomp.com|access-date=17 July 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110716152705/http://www.ausbcomp.com/~bbott/cars/carhist.htm|archive-date=16 July 2011|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://inventors.about.com/od/dstartinventors/a/DuryeaBrothers.htm|archive-url=https://archive.today/20120710163343/http://inventors.about.com/od/dstartinventors/a/DuryeaBrothers.htm|url-status=dead|archive-date=10 July 2012|title=The Duryea Brothers – Automobile History|publisher=Inventors.about.com|date=16 September 2010|access-date=17 July 2011}}</ref> [[Studebaker]], subsidiary of a long-established wagon and coach manufacturer, started to build cars in 1897<ref name="Longst">{{cite book|title=A Century on Wheels: The Story of Studebaker|last=Longstreet|first=Stephen|publisher=Henry Holt|___location=New York|page=121|id=1st edn., 1952}}</ref>{{rp||page=66}} and commenced sales of electric vehicles in 1902 and petrol vehicles in 1904.<ref>{{cite book|last=Clymer|first=Floyd|title=Treasury of Early American Automobiles, 1877–1925|___location=New York|publisher=Bonanza Books|year=1950|page=178}}</ref>

=== Production of automobiles begins ===

In Britain, there had been several attempts to build steam cars with varying degrees of success, with [[Rickett (car)|Thomas Rickett]] even attempting a production run in 1860.<ref name="V&VCars">{{cite book|last=Burgess Wise|first=D.|title=Veteran and Vintage Cars|year=1970|publisher=Hamlyn|___location=London|isbn=0-600-00283-7}}</ref> [[Santler (car)|Santler]] from Malvern is recognised by the Veteran Car Club of Great Britain as having made the first petrol-driven car in the country in 1894,<ref name="Beaulieu">{{cite book|last=Georgano|first=N.|title=Beaulieu Encyclopedia of the Automobile|year=2000|publisher=HMSO|___location=London|isbn=1-57958-293-1}}</ref> followed by [[Frederick William Lanchester]] in 1895, but these were both one-offs.<ref name="Beaulieu"/> The first production vehicles in Great Britain came from the [[Daimler Company]], a company founded by [[Harry J. Lawson]] in 1896, after purchasing the right to use the name of the engines. Lawson's company made its first car in 1897, and they bore the name Daimler.<ref name="Beaulieu"/>

If all of the above experiments hadn't taken place, however, the

jeremy apple was here

In 1892, German engineer [[Rudolf Diesel]] was granted a patent for a "New Rational Combustion Engine". In 1897, he built the first [[diesel engine]].<ref name="stein"/> Steam-, electric-, and petrol-driven vehicles competed for a few decades, with petrol internal combustion engines achieving dominance in the 1910s. Although various [[pistonless rotary engine]] designs have attempted to compete with the conventional [[piston]] and [[crankshaft]] design, only [[Mazda Wankel engine|Mazda]]'s version of the [[Wankel engine]] has had more than very limited success. All in all, it is estimated that over 100,000&nbsp;patents created the modern automobile and motorcycle.<ref name="TICCIHturin">{{cite web|url=http://ticcih.org/turin-charter-ratified-by-fiva-federation-internationale-des-vehicules-anciens/|title=Turin Charter ratified by FIVA|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180311151521/http://ticcih.org/turin-charter-ratified-by-fiva-federation-internationale-des-vehicules-anciens/|archive-date=11 March 2018|url-status=live|last=Jerina|first=Nataša G.|date=May 2014|publisher=TICCIH|access-date=11 March 2018}}</ref>

jake stern sucks and he is gay

===InnovationMass production===

{{See also|Automotive industry}}

[[Image:Late model Ford Model T.jpg|thumb|[[Ford Model T]], 1927]]

[[File:Olds2.jpg|thumb|[[Ransom E. Olds]] founded [[Olds Motor Vehicle Company]] (Oldsmobile) in 1897.]]

The first automobile [[patent]] in the [[United States]] was granted to [[Oliver Evans]] in 1789 for his "Amphibious Digger". It was a harbor dredge scow designed to be powered by a [[steam engine]] and he built wheels to attach to the bow. In 1804 Evans demonstrated his first successful self-propelled vehicle, which not only was the first automobile in the US but was also the first [[amphibious vehicle]], as his steam-powered vehicle was able to travel on [[wheel]]s on land as he demonstrated once, and via a [[paddle wheel]] in the water. It was not successful and eventually was sold as spare parts.

[[File:Ford Motor Company assembly line.jpg|thumb|Ford Motor Company automobile assembly line in the 1920s]]

[[File:1966 Toyota Corolla 02.jpg|thumb|right|The [[Toyota Corolla]] is the [[List of best-selling automobiles|best-selling car of all-time]].]]

Large-scale, [[production-line]] manufacturing of affordable cars was started by [[Ransom Olds]] in 1901 at his [[Oldsmobile]] factory in [[Lansing, Michigan]], and based upon stationary [[assembly line]] techniques pioneered by [[Marc Isambard Brunel]] at the [[Portsmouth Block Mills]], England, in 1802. The assembly line style of mass production and interchangeable parts had been pioneered in the US by [[Thomas Blanchard (inventor)|Thomas Blanchard]] in 1821, at the [[Springfield Armory]] in [[Springfield, Massachusetts]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.engr.sjsu.edu/pabacker/industrial.htm|title=Industrialization of American Society|publisher=Engr.sjsu.edu|access-date=17 July 2011|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100919085515/http://www.engr.sjsu.edu/pabacker/industrial.htm|archive-date=19 September 2010}}</ref> This concept was greatly expanded by [[Henry Ford]], beginning in 1913 with the world's first ''moving'' assembly line for cars at the [[Highland Park Ford Plant]].

The Benz Motorwagen, built in [[1885]], was patented on [[29 January]] [[1886]] by [[Karl Benz]] as the first automobile powered by an [[internal combustion engine]]. In [[1888]], a major breakthrough came with the historic drive of [[Bertha Benz]]. She drove an automobile that her husband had built for a distance of more than 106 km (i.e. - approximately 65 miles). This event demonstrated the practical usefulness of the automobile and gained wide publicity, which was the promotion she thought was needed to advance the invention. The Benz vehicle was the first automobile put into production and sold commercially. Bertha Benz's historic drive is celebrated as an annual [[holiday]] in [[Germany]] with rallies of antique automobiles.

As a result, Ford's cars came off the line in 15-minute intervals, much faster than previous methods, increasing productivity eightfold, while using less manpower (from 12.5&nbsp;manhours to 1&nbsp;hour 33&nbsp;minutes).<ref name="Georgano">{{cite book|last=Georgano|first=G. N.|title=Vintage Cars 1886 to 1930|year=2000|publisher=AB Nordbok|___location=Sweden|isbn=1-85501-926-4}}</ref> It was so successful, [[paint]] became a bottleneck. Only [[Japan black]] would dry fast enough, forcing the company to drop the variety of colours available before 1913, until fast-drying [[Duco]] [[lacquer]] was developed in 1926. This is the source of Ford's [[apocryphal]] remark, "any color as long as it's black".<ref name="Georgano"/> In 1914, an assembly line worker could buy a Model T with four months' pay.<ref name="Georgano"/>

In [[1892]] [[Rudolf Diesel]] gets a patent for a "New Rational Combustion Engine" by modifying the [[Carnot Process]]. And in [[1897]] he builds the first [[Diesel Engine]].

Ford's complex safety procedures—especially assigning each worker to a specific ___location instead of allowing them to roam about—dramatically reduced the rate of injury.<ref>{{Cite book|url=|title=The encyclopedia of the industrial revolution in world history|publisher=Rowman & Littlefield Publishers|year=2014|isbn=978-0-8108-8888-3|editor-last=Hendrickson|editor-first=Kenneth E.|___location=Lanham|oclc=913956423}}</ref> The combination of high wages and high efficiency is called "[[Fordism]]" and was copied by most major industries. The efficiency gains from the assembly line also coincided with the economic rise of the US. The assembly line forced workers to work at a certain pace with very repetitive motions which led to more output per worker while other countries were using less productive methods.

On [[5 November]] [[1895]], [[George B. Selden]] was granted a United States patent for a [[two-stroke cycle|two-stroke]] automobile engine ({{US patent|549160}}). This patent did more to hinder than encourage development of autos in the USA. Steam, electric, and gasoline powered autos competed for decades, with gasoline internal combustion engines achieving dominance in the 1910s.

In the automotive industry, its success was dominating, and quickly spread worldwide seeing the founding of Ford France and Ford Britain in 1911, Ford Denmark 1923, Ford Germany 1925; in 1921, [[Citroën]] was the first native European manufacturer to adopt the production method. Soon, companies had to have assembly lines, or risk going bankrupt; by 1930, 250 companies which did not, had disappeared.<ref name="Georgano"/>

[[Image:Olds2.jpg|thumb|right|250px|[[Ransom E. Olds]], the creator of the first automobile assembly line]]

The large-scale, [[production-line]] manufacturing of affordable automobiles was debuted by [[Ransom Eli Olds]] at his [[Oldsmobile]] factory in 1902. This assembly line concept was then greatly expanded by [[Henry Ford]] in the 1910s. Development of automotive technology was rapid, due in part to the hundreds of small manufacturers competing to gain the world's attention. Key developments included electric [[ignition system|ignition]] and the electric self-starter (both by [[Charles Kettering]], for the [[Cadillac (automobile)|Cadillac]] Motor Company in 1910-19111910–1911), independent [[Suspension (vehicle)|suspension]], and four-wheel brakes.

Since the 1920s, nearly all cars have been mass-produced to meet market needs, so marketing plans often have heavily influenced car design. It was [[Alfred P. Sloan]] who established the idea of different makes of cars produced by one company, called the [[General Motors Companion Make Program]], so that buyers could "move up" as their fortunes improved.

[[Felix Wankel]] invented the [[Wankel engine]] in [[1954]], which had a very unconventional structure that would reduce the wear the engine effected upon itself as it worked.

Reflecting the rapid pace of change, makes shared parts with one another so larger production volume resulted in lower costs for each price range. For example, in the 1930s, [[LaSalle (automobile)|LaSalle]]s, sold by [[Cadillac]], used cheaper mechanical parts made by [[Oldsmobile]]; in the 1950s, [[Chevrolet]] shared bonnet, doors, roof, and windows with [[Pontiac (automobile)|Pontiac]]; by the 1990s, corporate [[powertrain]]s and shared [[Automobile platform|platforms]] (with interchangeable [[brake]]s, suspension, and other parts) were common. Even so, only major makers could afford high costs, and even companies with decades of production, such as [[Apperson]], [[Cole Motor Car Company|Cole]], [[Dorris Motors Corporation|Dorris]], [[Haynes Automobile Company|Haynes]], or Premier, could not manage: of some two hundred American car makers in existence in 1920, only 43 survived in 1930, and with the [[Great Depression]], by 1940, only 17 of those were left.<ref name="Georgano"/>

===Model changeover and design change===

<!-- Image with unknown copyright status removed: [[Image:1989 Ford Sierra GLS.jpg|thumb|250px|An English 1989 [[Ford Sierra]] GLS Sports Saloon.]] -->

Cars are not merely continually perfected mechanical contrivances; since the 1920s nearly all have been mass-produced to meet a market, so marketing plans and manufacture to meet them have often dominated automobile design. It was [[Alfred P. Sloan]] who established the idea of different makes of cars produced by one firm, so that buyers could "move up" as their fortunes improved. The makes shared parts with one another so that the larger production volume resulted in lower costs for each price range. For example, in the 1950s, [[Chevrolet]] shared hood, doors, roof, and windows with [[Pontiac]]; the LaSalle of the 1930s, sold by [[Cadillac]], used the cheaper mechanical parts made by the Oldsmobile division.

In Europe, much the same would happen. [[Morris Motors|Morris]] set up its production line at [[Cowley, Oxford|Cowley]] in 1924, and soon outsold Ford, while beginning in 1923 to follow Ford's practice of [[vertical integration]], buying [[Automobiles Hotchkiss|Hotchkiss']] British subsidiary (engines), [[EG Wrigley and Company|Wrigley]] (gearboxes), and Osberton (radiators), for instance, as well as competitors, such as [[Wolseley Motors|Wolseley]]: in 1925, Morris had 41&nbsp;per cent of total British car production. Most British small-car assemblers, from [[Abbey (1922 automobile)|Abbey]] to [[Xtra (automobile)|Xtra]], had gone under. Citroën did the same in France, coming to cars in 1919; between them and other cheap cars in reply such as [[Renault]]'s 10CV and [[Peugeot]]'s [[Peugeot 5CV|5CV]], they produced 550,000 cars in 1925, and [[Mors (automobile)|Mors]], [[Hurtu]], and others could not compete.<ref name="Georgano"/> Germany's first mass-manufactured car, the [[Opel Laubfrosch|Opel 4PS ''Laubfrosch'']] (Tree Frog), came off the line at [[Rüsselsheim]] in 1924, soon making Opel the top car builder in Germany, with 37.5&nbsp;per cent of the market.<ref name="Georgano"/>

== Design ==

'' Main article: [[Automobile design]]''

In Japan, car production was very limited before World War II. Only a handful of companies were producing vehicles in limited numbers, and these were small, three-wheeled for commercial uses, like [[Daihatsu]], or were the result of partnering with European companies, like [[Isuzu]] building the [[Wolseley Motors|Wolseley A-9]] in 1922. [[Mitsubishi]] was also partnered with [[Fiat S.p.A.|Fiat]] and built the [[Mitsubishi Model A]] based on a Fiat vehicle. [[Toyota]], [[Nissan]], [[Suzuki]], [[Mazda]], and [[Honda]] began as companies producing non-automotive products before the war, switching to car production during the 1950s. Kiichiro Toyoda's decision to take [[Toyoda Loom Works]] into automobile manufacturing would create what would eventually become [[Toyota Motor Corporation]], the largest automobile manufacturer in the world. [[Subaru]], meanwhile, was formed from a conglomerate of six companies who banded together as [[Fuji Heavy Industries]], as a result of having been broken up under ''[[keiretsu]]'' legislation.

Nowadays, [[CAVE]] and [[Ray Tracing]] are used for car design using virtual reality.

==Alternative fuelsComponents and batteriesdesign ==

{{main|Alternative fuel cars}}

With heavy [[tax]]es on fuel, particularly in [[Europe]] and tightening environmental [[law]]s, particularly in [[California]], and the possibility of further restrictions on [[greenhouse gas]] emissions, work on alternative power systems for vehicles continues.

=== Propulsion and fuels ===

[[Diesel]]-powered cars can run with little or no modification on 100% pure [[biodiesel]], a fuel that can be made from [[vegetable oil]]s but require modifications if you drive in cold weather countries. The main plus of Diesel combustion engines is its 50% fuel burn advantage over 23% in the best gasoline engines. This makes Diesel engines capable of achieving an average of 6 L/100km fuel efficiency. Many cars that currently use gasoline can run on [[Ethanol|ethanol]], a fuel made from plant sugars. Most cars that are designed to run on gasoline are capable of running with up to 15% ethanol mixed in. With a small amount of redesign, gasoline-powered vehicles can run on ethanol concentrations as high as 85%. All petrol fuelled cars can run on [[Liquified petroleum gas|LPG]]. There has been some concern that the ethanol-gasoline mixtures prematurely wear down seals and gaskets. Theoretically, the lower energy content of alcohol should lead to considerably reduced efficiency and range when compared with gasoline. However, EPA testing has actually shown only a 20-30% reduction in range. Therefore, if your vehicle is capable of doing 750 kilometers on a 50 liter tank (15 kilometers per liter), its range would be reduced to approximately 600 kilometers (12 kilometers per liter). Of course, certain measures are available to increase this efficiency, such as different camshaft configurations, altering the timing/spark output of the ignition, increasing compression, or simply using a larger fuel tank.

{{See also|Alternative fuel vehicle}}

[[File:2011 Nissan Leaf SL -- 10-28-2011.jpg|thumb|2011 [[Nissan Leaf]] [[electric car]]]]

[[File:Electric car diagram.svg|thumb|right|The weight of the low battery stabilises the car.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Are Electric Vehicles Safe? |url=https://www.recurrentauto.com/research/are-electric-vehicles-safe |access-date=22 January 2024 |website=www.recurrentauto.com |quote=EVs are mostly all built like a skateboard, with the battery pack on the bottom of the car. This gives them amazing cornering and handling, and makes them very hard to flip.}}</ref> This is a [[dual-motor, four-wheel-drive layout]] but many cars only have one motor.]]

==== Fossil fuels ====

In the [[United States]], alcohol fuel was produced in corn-alcohol [[still]]s until [[Prohibition]] criminalized the production of alcohol in 1919. Interest in alcohol as an automotive fuel lapsed until the oil price shocks of the 1970s. Reacting to the high price of oil and its growing dependence on imports, in 1975 [[Brazil]] launched a huge government-subsidized effort to manufacture ethanol fuel (from its sugar cane crop) and ethanol-powered automobiles. These ethanol-only vehicles were very popular in the 1980's, but became economically impractical when oil prices fell - and sugar prices rose - late in that decade. In recent years Brazil has encouraged the development of [[Flexible-fuel vehicle|flex-fuel automobiles]], where the owner can use any mixture of ethanol and gasoline based on their individual cost and performance goals. In 2005, 70% of the cars sold in Brazil were flex-fuel.

Most cars in use in the mid 2020s run on [[petrol]] burnt in an [[internal combustion engine]] (ICE). Some cities ban older more polluting petrol-driven cars and some countries plan to ban sales in future. However, some environmental groups say this [[phase-out of fossil fuel vehicles]] must be brought forwards to limit climate change. Production of petrol-fuelled cars peaked in 2017.<ref name="IEA2019">{{Cite web|url=https://www.iea.org/newsroom/news/2019/october/growing-preference-for-suvs-challenges-emissions-reductions-in-passenger-car-mark.html|title=October: Growing preference for SUVs challenges emissions reductions in passenger car mark|website=IEA|access-date=18 October 2019|archive-date=18 October 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191018134053/https://www.iea.org/newsroom/news/2019/october/growing-preference-for-suvs-challenges-emissions-reductions-in-passenger-car-mark.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Bloomberg NEF Electric Vehicle Outlook 2019|url=https://about.bnef.com/electric-vehicle-outlook//|agency=Bloomberg NEF|date=15 May 2019|access-date=3 June 2019|archive-date=3 June 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190603211619/https://about.bnef.com/electric-vehicle-outlook//|url-status=live}}</ref>

Other hydrocarbon fossil fuels also burnt by [[deflagration]] (rather than [[detonation]]) in ICE cars include [[Diesel fuel|diesel]], [[autogas]], and [[Compressed natural gas|CNG]]. Removal of [[fossil fuel subsidies]],<ref>{{cite news|title=Govt to completely lift fuel subsidies in 2020: minister|url=https://www.egyptindependent.com/govt-to-completely-lift-fuel-subsidies-in-2020-minister/|work=Egypt Independent|date=8 January 2019|access-date=17 March 2019|archive-date=2 February 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190202215550/https://ww.egyptindependent.com/govt-to-completely-lift-fuel-subsidies-in-2020-minister/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Why the Rouhani administration must eliminate energy subsidies|publisher=Al-Monitor|date=9 December 2018}}</ref> concerns about [[energy security|oil dependence]], tightening [[environmental law]]s and restrictions on [[greenhouse gas emissions]] are propelling work on alternative power systems for cars. This includes [[hybrid vehicle]]s, [[plug-in electric vehicle]]s and [[hydrogen vehicle]]s. As of 2025 one in four cars sold is electric but,<ref>{{Cite web |last= |date=2025-06-18 |title=Global Electric Vehicle Sales Set for Record-Breaking Year, Even as US Market Slows Sharply, BloombergNEF Finds |url=https://about.bnef.com/insights/clean-energy/global-electric-vehicle-sales-set-for-record-breaking-year-even-as-us-market-slows-sharply-bloombergnef-finds/ |access-date=2025-06-21 |website=BloombergNEF |language=en-US}}</ref> despite rapid growth, less than one in twenty cars on the world's roads were [[Battery electric vehicle|fully electric]] and [[plug-in hybrid]] cars by the end of 2024.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Share of cars currently in use that are electric |url=https://ourworldindata.org/grapher/share-car-stocks-electric |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20250427192525/https://ourworldindata.org/grapher/share-car-stocks-electric |archive-date=2025-04-27 |access-date=2025-05-25 |website=Our World in Data |language=en}}</ref> Cars for racing or [[land speed record|speed records]] have sometimes employed [[jet car|jet]] or [[rocket car|rocket]] engines, but these are impractical for common use. [[Oil consumption]] has increased rapidly in the 20th and 21st centuries because there are more cars; the [[1980s oil glut]] even fuelled the sales of low-economy vehicles in [[OECD]] countries.{{Citation needed|date=April 2025}}

Attempts at building viable [[battery (electricity)|battery]]-powered electric vehicles continued throughout the 1990s (notably [[General Motors Corporation|General Motors]] with the [[EV1]]), but cost, speed and inadequate driving range made them uneconomical. Battery powered cars have primarily used [[lead-acid batteries]] and [[Nickel metal hydride|NiMH batteries]]. Lead-acid batteries' recharge capacity is considerably reduced if they're discharged beyond 75% on a regular basis, making them a less-than-ideal solution. NiMH batteries are a better choice, but are considerably more expensive than lead-acid. [[Lithium-ion battery]] powered vehicles such as the [[Venturi Fetish]] have recently demonstated excellent performance and range, but they remain very expensive.

==== Batteries ====

[[Image:TOYOTA Prius.jpg|thumb|left|250px|Toyota [[Prius]], a hybrid vehicle. Museum of Toyota of [[Aichi Prefecture]], [[Japan]]]]Current research and development is centered on "[[Hybrid electric vehicle|hybrid]]" vehicles that use both electric power and internal combustion. The first hybrid vehicle available for sale in the USA was the [[Honda Insight]]. As of 2006, the car is still in production and achieves around 3.92 L/100km.

{{Main|Electric vehicle battery}}

{{See also|Electric car#Batteries|Automotive battery}}

In almost all hybrid (even [[mild hybrid]]) and pure electric cars [[regenerative braking]] recovers and returns to a battery some energy which would otherwise be wasted by friction brakes getting hot.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Cline|first=Amanda|date=25 December 2021|title=What Is a Mild Hybrid Vehicle?|url=https://www.motorbiscuit.com/what-mild-hybrid-vehicle/|access-date=16 January 2023|website=MotorBiscuit|language=en-US|archive-date=16 January 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230116082921/https://www.motorbiscuit.com/what-mild-hybrid-vehicle/|url-status=live}}</ref> Although all cars must have friction brakes (front [[disc brake]]s and either disc or [[Drum brake|drum rear brakes]]<ref>{{Cite web|last=|first=|title=Why Drum Brakes Works on EVs|url=https://www.news.benevelli-group.com/index.php/en/110-why-drum-brakes-works-on-evs.html|access-date=16 January 2023|website=Benevelli|language=en-gb|archive-date=16 January 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230116085512/https://www.news.benevelli-group.com/index.php/en/110-why-drum-brakes-works-on-evs.html|url-status=live}}</ref>) for emergency stops, regenerative braking improves efficiency, particularly in city driving.<ref>{{Cite web|last=|first=|date=31 May 2022|title=Regenerative Braking: Benefits and Limitations|url=https://thebrakereport.com/regenerative-braking-benefits-and-limitations/|access-date=16 January 2023|website=The Brake Report|language=en-US|archive-date=16 January 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230116085744/https://thebrakereport.com/regenerative-braking-benefits-and-limitations/|url-status=live}}</ref>

=== User interface ===

Other R&D efforts in alternative forms of power focus on developing [[fuel cells]], alternative forms of combustion such as [[Gasoline Direct Injection|GDI]] and [[HCCI]], and even the stored energy of compressed air (see [[water Engine]]).

{{Main|Car controls}}

[[File:1923 Ford Model T UPS interior.jpg|thumb|In the [[Ford Model T]] the left-side hand lever sets the rear wheel parking brakes and puts the transmission in neutral. The lever to the right controls the throttle. The lever on the left of the steering column is for ignition timing. The left foot pedal changes the two forward gears while the centre pedal controls reverse. The right pedal is the brake.]]

Cars are equipped with controls used for driving, passenger comfort, and safety, normally operated by a combination of the use of feet and hands, and occasionally by voice on 21st-century cars. These controls include a [[steering wheel]], pedals for operating the brakes and controlling the car's speed (and, in a manual transmission car, a clutch pedal), a shift lever or stick for changing gears, and a number of buttons and dials for turning on lights, ventilation, and other functions. Modern cars' controls are now standardised, such as the ___location for the accelerator and brake, but this was not always the case. Controls are evolving in response to new technologies, for example, the [[electric car]] and the integration of mobile communications.

==Safety==

[[Automobile accident]]s are almost as old as automobiles themselves. [[Joseph Cugnot]] crashed his steam-powered "Fardier" against a wall in 1771. One of the earliest recorded automobile fatalities was [[Mary Ward (scientist)|Mary Ward]], on [[1869-08-31]] in [[Parsonstown, Ireland]], an early victim in the [[United States]] was [[Henry Bliss]] on [[1899-09-13]] in [[New York City, NY]].

Some of the original controls are no longer required. For example, all cars once had controls for the choke valve, clutch, [[ignition timing]], and a crank instead of an electric [[Starter (engine)|starter]]. However, new controls have also been added to vehicles, making them more complex. These include [[Automobile air conditioning|air conditioning]], [[Automotive navigation system|navigation systems]], and [[in-car entertainment]]. Another trend is the replacement of physical knobs and switches by secondary controls with touchscreen controls such as [[BMW]]'s ''[[iDrive]]'' and [[Ford Motor Company|Ford]]'s ''[[MyFord Touch]]''. Another change is that while early cars' pedals were physically linked to the brake mechanism and throttle, in the early 2020s, cars have increasingly replaced these physical linkages with electronic controls.

Cars have two basic safety problems: They have human drivers who make mistakes, and the wheels lose traction near a half gravity of deceleration. [[Automated highway system|Automated control]] has been seriously proposed and successfully prototyped. Shoulder-belted passengers could tolerate a 32[[acceleration due to gravity|G]] emergency stop (reducing the safe intervehicle gap 64-fold) if high-speed roads incorporated a steel rail for emergency braking. Both safety modifications of the roadway are thought to be too expensive by most funding authorities, although these modifications could dramatically increase the number of vehicles that could safely use a high-speed highway.

=== Electronics and interior ===

Early safety research focused on increasing the reliability of brakes and reducing the flammability of fuel systems. For example, modern engine compartments are open at the bottom so that fuel vapors, which are heavier than air, vent to the open air. Brakes are hydraulic so that failures are slow leaks, rather than abrupt cable breaks. Systematic research on crash safety started in 1958 at [[Ford Motor Company]]. Since then, most research has focused on absorbing external crash energy with crushable panels and reducing the motion of human bodies in the passenger compartment.

[[File:Blade fuses on Citroen Jumper.JPG|thumb| [[Fuse (automotive)#Mount|Panel]] for fuses and circuit breakers ]]

Cars are typically equipped with interior lighting which can be toggled manually or be set to light up automatically with doors open, an [[in-car entertainment|entertainment system]] which originated from [[car radio]]s, sideways [[car window|windows]] which can be lowered or raised electrically (manually on earlier cars), and one or multiple [[automobile auxiliary power outlet|auxiliary power outlets]] for supplying portable appliances such as [[mobile phone charger|mobile phones]], portable fridges, [[power inverter]]s, and electrical air pumps from the on-board electrical system.<ref>{{cite web|title=VW Golf: Innenleuchten|url=https://www.cautos.org/innenleuchten-915.html|access-date=26 October 2021|language=de|archive-date=25 October 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211025210416/https://www.cautos.org/innenleuchten-915.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=[…] Kühlboxen im Test […]|url=https://www.auto-motor-und-sport.de/verkehr/kuehlboxen/|website=auto motor und sport|access-date=26 October 2021|language=de|date=24 May 2017|archive-date=26 October 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211026192622/https://www.auto-motor-und-sport.de/verkehr/kuehlboxen/|url-status=live}}</ref>{{efn|Auxiliary power outlets may be supplied continuously or only when the ignition is active depending on electrical wiring.}} More costly upper-class and [[luxury car]]s are equipped with features earlier such as massage seats and [[collision avoidance system]]s.<ref>{{cite web|title=Alle Infos von der neuen Mercedes S-Klasse 2013 (W222)|url=https://auto.oe24.at/neuvorstellung/alle-infos-von-der-neuen-mercedes-s-klasse-2013-w222/104195226|website=auto.oe24.at|access-date=26 October 2021|language=de|date=16 May 2013|archive-date=26 October 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211026192620/https://auto.oe24.at/neuvorstellung/alle-infos-von-der-neuen-mercedes-s-klasse-2013-w222/104195226|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Mercedes-Benz S-Klasse 2013: Alle Details und Fotos des neuen Alphatiers|url=https://www.speedheads.de/auto-news/mercedes-benz-s-klasse-2013-alle-details-und-fotos-des-neuen-alphatiers-0007467.html|website=Speed Heads|access-date=26 October 2021|language=de|date=2013|archive-date=26 October 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211026184511/https://www.speedheads.de/auto-news/mercedes-benz-s-klasse-2013-alle-details-und-fotos-des-neuen-alphatiers-0007467.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

There are standard tests for safety in new automobiles, like the [[EuroNCAP]] and the [http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/cars/testing/ncap/ US NCAP] tests. There are also tests run by organizations such as [http://www.hwysafety.org/ IIHS] and backed by the insurance industry.

[[Fuse (automotive)|Dedicated automotive fuses and circuit breakers]] prevent damage from [[electrical overload]].

Despite technological advances, there is still significant loss of life from car accidents: About 40,000 people die every year in the [[U.S.]], with similar figures in [[Europe]]. This figure increases annually in step with rising population and increasing travel if no measures are taken, but the rate [[per capita]] and per mile travelled decreases steadily. The death toll is expected to nearly double worldwide by 2020. A much higher number of accidents result in injury or permanent [[disability]]. The highest accident figures are reported in China and India. The European Union has a rigid program to cut the death toll in the EU in half by 2010 and member states have started implementing measures.

==Current= ProductionLighting ===

{{main|Automotive lighting}}

[[Image:toyotacelica1.jpg|thumb|250px|A 1999 [[Toyota]] [[Celica]], a modern automobile.]]

[[File:LED DaytimeRunningLights.jpg|thumb|[[Audi A4]] daytime running lights]]

In 2005 63 million cars and light trucks were produced worldwide. The world's biggest car producer (including light trucks) is the [[European Union]] with 29% of the world's production. In non-EU Eastern Europe another 4% are produced. The second largest manufacturer is [[NAFTA]] with 25.8%, followed by Japan with 16.7%, China with 8.1%, [[MERCOSUR]] with 3.9%, India with 2.4% and the rest of the world with 10.1%. (vda-link)

Cars are typically fitted with multiple types of lights. These include [[headlight]]s, which are used to illuminate the way ahead and make the car visible to other users, so that the vehicle can be used at night; in some jurisdictions, [[daytime running lights]]; red brake lights to indicate when the brakes are applied; amber turn signal lights to indicate the turn intentions of the driver; white-coloured reverse lights to illuminate the area behind the car (and indicate that the driver will be or is reversing); and on some vehicles, additional lights (e.g., side marker lights) to increase the visibility of the car. Interior lights on the ceiling of the car are usually fitted for the driver and passengers. Some vehicles also have a boot light and, more rarely, an engine compartment light.

Large free trade areas like EU, NAFTA and MERCOSUR attract manufacturers worldwide to produce their products within them and without currency risks or customs, additionally to being close to customers. Thus the production figures do not show the technological ability or business skill of the areas. In fact much if not most of the Third World car production is used western technology and car models (and sometimes even complete obsolete western factories shipped to the country), which is reflected in the patent statistic as well as the locations of the r&d centers.

=== Weight and size ===

The automobile industry is dominated by relatively few large corporations (not to be confused with the much more numerous brands), the biggest of which (by numbers of produced cars) are currently [[General Motors Corporation|General Motors]], [[Toyota]] and [[Ford Motor Company]]. It is expected, that Toyota will reach the No.1 position in 2006. The most profitable per-unit car-maker of recent years has been [[Porsche]] due to its premium price tag.

[[File:07-08 Chevrolet Suburban LT.jpg|thumb|A [[Chevrolet Suburban]] extended-length SUV weighs {{convert|7200|lb|kg|order=flip}} (gross weight).<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.edmunds.com/chevrolet/suburban/2008/features-specs/|title=Used 2008 Chevrolet Suburban Features & Specs|work=Edmunds|access-date=25 November 2015|archive-date=25 November 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151125172157/http://www.edmunds.com/chevrolet/suburban/2008/features-specs/|url-status=live}}</ref>]]

During the late 20th and early 21st century, cars increased in weight due to batteries,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://evarchive.com/how-much-do-electric-cars-weigh/|title=How much do electric cars weigh?|website=EV Archive|language=en-US|access-date=1 December 2019|archive-date=16 July 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190716013628/https://evarchive.com/how-much-do-electric-cars-weigh/|url-status=live}}</ref> modern steel safety cages, anti-lock brakes, airbags, and "more-powerful—if more efficient—engines"<ref name="killing">{{cite news|url=http://www.slate.com/articles/business/moneybox/2011/06/your_big_car_is_killing_me.html|title=Your Big Car Is Killing Me|first=Annie|last=Lowrey|work=Slate|date=27 June 2011|access-date=25 November 2015|archive-date=25 November 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151125112043/http://www.slate.com/articles/business/moneybox/2011/06/your_big_car_is_killing_me.html|url-status=live}}</ref> and, {{As of|2019||df=|lc=y}}, typically weigh between {{convert|1|and|3|t|ST LT}}.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://mechanicbase.com/cars/car-weight/|title=How much does a Car Weigh? – [Weight List by Car Model & Type]|last=Sellén|first=Magnus|date=2 August 2019|website=Mechanic Base|language=en-US|access-date=1 December 2019|archive-date=22 December 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191222211237/https://mechanicbase.com/cars/car-weight/|url-status=live}}</ref> Heavier cars are safer for the driver from a crash perspective, but more dangerous for other vehicles and road users.<ref name="killing"/> The weight of a car influences fuel consumption and performance, with more weight resulting in increased fuel consumption and decreased performance. The [[Wuling Hongguang Mini EV]], a typical [[city car]], weighs about {{convert|700|kg|lb}}. Heavier cars include SUVs and extended-length SUVs like the [[Chevrolet Suburban|Suburban]]. Cars have also become wider.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Niranjan |first=Ajit |date=22 January 2024 |title=SUVs drive trend for new cars to grow 1cm wider in UK and EU every two years, says report |url=https://www.theguardian.com/business/2024/jan/22/cars-growing-wider-europe-report |access-date=22 January 2024 |work=The Guardian |language=en-GB |issn=0261-3077}}</ref>

The automotive industry at large still suffers from high under-utilization of its manufacturing potential.

Some places tax heavier cars more:<ref>{{Cite news |last=Niranjan |first=Ajit |date=22 January 2024 |title=SUVs drive trend for new cars to grow 1cm wider in UK and EU every two years, says report |url=https://www.theguardian.com/business/2024/jan/22/cars-growing-wider-europe-report |access-date=22 January 2024 |work=The Guardian |language=en-GB |issn=0261-3077 |quote=France has …. penalties that cover the weight of a car.}}</ref> as well as improving pedestrian safety this can encourage manufacturers to use materials such as recycled [[aluminium]] instead of steel.<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Shaffer|first1=Blake|last2=Auffhammer|first2=Maximilian|last3=Samaras|first3=Constantine|date=October 2021|title=Make electric vehicles lighter to maximize climate and safety benefits|url=https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-021-02760-8|journal=[[Nature (journal)|Nature]]|language=en|volume=598|issue=7880|pages=254–256|doi=10.1038/d41586-021-02760-8|pmid=34642477|bibcode=2021Natur.598..254S|s2cid=238747321|access-date=15 October 2021|archive-date=14 October 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211014133906/https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-021-02760-8|url-status=live | issn = 0028-0836 |url-access=subscription}}</ref> It has been suggested that one benefit of subsidising [[Electric vehicle charging network|charging infrastructure]] is that cars can use lighter batteries.<ref>{{Cite web|date=9 April 2022|title=How big a battery should you insist on for your electric car?|url=https://www.thestar.com/autos/2022/04/09/how-big-a-battery-should-you-insist-on-for-your-electric-car.html|access-date=2 October 2022|website=thestar.com|language=en|archive-date=2 October 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221002182830/https://www.thestar.com/autos/2022/04/09/how-big-a-battery-should-you-insist-on-for-your-electric-car.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

A typical family car costs about 25€ in raw materials in production. Higher line cars tend to cost 100€ up.

=== Seating and body style ===

==Economics==

{{See also|Car body style|Car classification|Truck classification|Vehicle size class}}

Most cars are designed to carry multiple occupants, often with four or five seats. Cars with five seats typically seat two passengers in the front and three in the rear. [[Full-size car]]s and large [[sport utility vehicle]]s can often carry six, seven, or more occupants depending on the arrangement of the seats. On the other hand, [[sports car]]s are most often designed with only two seats. Utility vehicles like [[pickup truck]]s, combine seating with extra cargo or utility functionality. The differing needs for passenger capacity and their luggage or cargo space has resulted in the availability of a large variety of body styles to meet individual consumer requirements that include, among others, the [[Sedan (automobile)|sedan/saloon]], [[hatchback]], [[station wagon|station wagon/estate]], [[coupe]], and [[minivan]].

Compared to other popular modes of passenger transportation, especially buses, the automobile is relatively uneconomic. There are a number of reasons for this:

==Safety==

* The typical private car spends most of its lifetime idling and [[depreciation]] is a significant proportion of the total cost.

{{Main|Car safety|Traffic collision|Low speed vehicle|Epidemiology of motor vehicle collisions}}

* Compared to bulk-carrying vehicles such as [[airplanes]], [[buses]] and [[trains]], individual vehicles have worse [[economies of scale]].

[[File:Car crash 2.jpg|thumb|Result of a serious car collision]]

* Capacity utilisation is low. The average occupancy of automobiles is below 1.5 passengers in most parts of the world. Measures such as [[HOV lanes]] try to address this issue.

Traffic collisions are the largest cause of injury-related deaths worldwide.<ref name="who_stats"/> [[Mary Ward (scientist)|Mary Ward]] became one of the first documented car fatalities in 1869 in [[Birr, County Offaly|Parsonstown]], Ireland,<ref name="ward">{{cite web|url=http://www.universityscience.ie/pages/scientists/sci_mary_ward.php|title=Mary Ward 1827–1869|publisher=Universityscience.ie|access-date=27 October 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080311122721/http://www.universityscience.ie/pages/scientists/sci_mary_ward.php|archive-date=11 March 2008}}</ref> and [[Henry Bliss (road accident victim)|Henry Bliss]] one of the US's first pedestrian car casualties in 1899 in New York City.<ref name="bliss">{{cite web|url=http://www.citystreets.org/plaque.html|website=CityStreets|title=Bliss plaque|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060826231629/http://citystreets.org/plaque.html|archive-date=26 August 2006}}</ref> There are now standard tests for safety in new cars, such as the [[Euro NCAP|Euro]] and [[US NCAP|US]] NCAP tests,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/cars/testing/ncap/|title=SaferCar.gov|publisher=NHTSA|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040727074610/http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/cars/testing/ncap/|archive-date=27 July 2004}}</ref> and insurance-industry-backed tests by the [[Insurance Institute for Highway Safety]] (IIHS).<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.iihs.org/|title=IIHS-HLDI|website=IIHS-HLDI crash testing and highway safety|access-date=1 December 2022|archive-date=23 January 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180123104825/https://www.iihs.org/|url-status=live}}</ref> However, not all such tests consider the safety of people outside the car, such as drivers of other cars, pedestrians and cyclists.<ref>{{Cite news |title=Americans' love affair with big cars is killing them |url=https://www.economist.com/interactive/united-states/2024/08/31/americans-love-affair-with-big-cars-is-killing-them |access-date=2024-09-21 |newspaper=The Economist |issn=0013-0613}}</ref> Some countries are tightening safety regulations for new cars, for example to mandate [[Accident data recorder|data recorders]] and automated braking.<ref>{{Cite web |title=New rules to improve road safety and enable fully driverless vehicles in the EU |url=https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/ip_22_4312 |access-date=2025-06-21 |website=European Commission - European Commission}}</ref>

According to the [[RAC_plc|RAC]] the average cost of running a new car in the UK is GBP 5,000 (US$ 9,000) per year, or roughly 1/3 of the average [[salary|net wage]], a situation reflected in most other Western nations. Nevertheless demand for automobiles remains high and inelasic, suggesting that its advantages, such as [[on-demand]] and door-to-door travel, are highly prized and not easily susbtituted by cheaper alternative modes of transport.

==Costs and benefits==

The costs of running a car can be broken down as follows (in approximate order of cost):

{{Main|Economics of car usage|Car costs|Effects of the car on societies}}

[[File:Chang'an avenue in Beijing.jpg|thumb|[[Road congestion]] is an issue in many major cities (pictured is [[Chang'an Avenue]] in [[Beijing]]).<ref name="ReferenceA">{{cite book|author=Fran Tonkiss|title=Space, the city and social theory: social relations and urban forms|publisher=Polity|year=2005}}</ref>]]

The costs of car usage, which may include the cost of: acquiring the vehicle, repairs and [[auto maintenance]], fuel, [[depreciation]], driving time, [[parking fee]]s, taxes, and insurance,<ref name="racv"/> are weighed against the cost of the alternatives, and the value of the benefits—perceived and real—of vehicle usage. The benefits may include on-demand transportation, mobility, independence, and convenience,<ref name="setright"/> and [[Emergency power system|emergency power]].<ref>{{Cite web|title=Ford's Affordable EV Charger Will Let an F-150 Power Your Home|url=https://www.reviewgeek.com/111145/fords-affordable-ev-charger-will-let-an-f-150-power-your-home/|access-date=7 March 2022|website=Review Geek|date=March 2022|language=en-US|archive-date=7 March 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220307141336/https://www.reviewgeek.com/111145/fords-affordable-ev-charger-will-let-an-f-150-power-your-home/|url-status=live}}</ref> During the 1920s, cars had another benefit: "[c]ouples finally had a way to head off on unchaperoned dates, plus they had a private space to snuggle up close at the end of the night."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/howaboutwe/dating-in-the-1920s_b_3239978.html|title=Dating in the 1920s: Lipstick, Booze and the Origins of Slut-Shaming &#124; HowAboutWe|first=Ariana|last=Anthony|work=[[The Huffington Post]]|date=9 May 2013|access-date=23 November 2015|archive-date=20 November 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151120002829/http://www.huffingtonpost.com/howaboutwe/dating-in-the-1920s_b_3239978.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

* '''[[Depreciation]]'''

* '''Fuel (including [[fuel tax]])'''

* '''Repairs'''

* '''Maintainance'''

* '''[[Vehicle insurance|Insurance]]'''

* '''[[Parking]]'''

* '''[[Tire|Tyre replacement]]'''

* '''[[Vehicle excise duty|Vehicle tax]]'''

* '''[[Interest|Financing]]'''

* '''[[MOT (test)|Roadworthiness Tests]]'''

* '''[[Vehicle registration plate|Registration]]'''

* '''Accessories'''

Similarly the costs to society of car use may include; [[maintaining road]]s, [[land use]], [[air pollution]], [[noise pollution]], [[road congestion]], [[public health]], health care, and of disposing of the vehicle at the end of its life; and can be balanced against the value of the benefits to society that car use generates. Societal benefits may include: economy benefits, such as job and wealth creation, of car production and maintenance, transportation provision, society wellbeing derived from leisure and travel opportunities, and revenue generation from the [[:Category:Vehicle taxes|tax]] opportunities. The ability of humans to move flexibly from place to place has far-reaching implications for the nature of societies.<ref name="parking"/>

==Environmental effects==

Despite rising oil prices the real cost of car travel has dropped steadily over the past 5 decades, in part due to cheaper manufacturing technologies, and in part due to engines becoming more fuel-efficient.

{{See also|Exhaust gas|Waste tires|Environmental effects of transport|Externalities of automobiles|Noise pollution|Environmental aspects of the electric car|Vehicle recycling|}}

[[File:1975- US vehicle production share, by vehicle type.svg|thumb|Trucks' share of US vehicles produced, has tripled since 1975. Though vehicle fuel efficiency has increased within each category, the overall trend toward less efficient types of vehicles has offset some of the benefits of greater fuel economy and reductions in pollution and carbon dioxide emissions.<ref name="EPA_AutomotiveTrends_202212">{{cite web|title=Highlights of the Automotive Trends Report|url=https://www.epa.gov/automotive-trends/highlights-automotive-trends-report|website=EPA.gov|publisher=U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230902145941/https://www.epa.gov/automotive-trends/highlights-automotive-trends-report|archive-date=2 September 2023|date=12 December 2022|url-status=live}}</ref> Without the shift towards SUVs, energy use per unit distance could have fallen 30% more than it did from 2010 to 2022.<ref name="GlobalFuelEfficInit_202311">{{cite web|last1=Cazzola|first1=Pierpaolo|last2=Paoli|first2=Leonardo|last3=Teter|first3=Jacob|title=Trends in the Global Vehicle Fleet 2023 / Managing the SUV Shift and the EV Transition|url=https://www.globalfueleconomy.org/media/792523/gfei-trends-in-the-global-vehicle-fleet-2023-spreads.pdf|publisher=Global Fuel Economy Initiative (GFEI)|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231126092826/https://www.globalfueleconomy.org/media/792523/gfei-trends-in-the-global-vehicle-fleet-2023-spreads.pdf|archive-date=26 November 2023|page=3|doi=10.7922/G2HM56SV|date=November 2023|url-status=live}}</ref>]]

[[File:Automobile exhaust gas.jpg|thumb|Car exhaust gas is one type of pollution|alt=close-up of 2 exhaust pipes with whitish smoke]]

Car production and use has a large number of environmental impacts: it causes local [[air pollution]] [[plastic pollution]] and contributes to [[greenhouse gas emissions]] and [[climate change]].<ref name=":0">{{Cite journal |last1=Miner |first1=Patrick |last2=Smith |first2=Barbara M. |last3=Jani |first3=Anant |last4=McNeill |first4=Geraldine |last5=Gathorne-Hardy |first5=Alfred |date=2024-02-01 |title=Car harm: A global review of automobility's harm to people and the environment |journal=Journal of Transport Geography |volume=115 |article-number=103817 |doi=10.1016/j.jtrangeo.2024.103817 |bibcode=2024JTGeo.11503817M |issn=0966-6923|doi-access=free }}</ref> Cars and vans caused 10% of energy-related [[carbon dioxide]] emissions in 2022.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Cars and Vans – Analysis |url=https://www.iea.org/reports/cars-and-vans |archive-url= |archive-date= |access-date=3 December 2024 |website=IEA |language=en-GB}}</ref> {{As of|2023}}, [[Electric car|electric cars]] produce about half the emissions over their lifetime as diesel and petrol cars. This is set to improve as countries produce more of their electricity from [[Low-carbon electricity|low-carbon sources]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Outlook for emissions reductions – Global EV Outlook 2024 – Analysis |url=https://www.iea.org/reports/global-ev-outlook-2024/outlook-for-emissions-reductions |access-date=2024-12-03 |website=IEA |language=en-GB}}</ref> Cars consume almost a quarter of world oil production as of 2019.<ref name="IEA2019" /> Cities planned around cars are often less dense, which leads to further emissions, as they are less [[Walkability|walkable]] for instance.<ref name=":0" /> A growing demand for large SUVs is driving up emissions from cars.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2024-05-28 |title=SUVs are setting new sales records each year – and so are their emissions – Analysis |url=https://www.iea.org/commentaries/suvs-are-setting-new-sales-records-each-year-and-so-are-their-emissions |access-date=2024-12-03 |website=IEA |language=en-GB}}</ref>

As opposed to [[public transport]], the automobile is characterised by high [[fixed cost|fixed costs]] and low [[variable costs]], making it most attractive for frequent travellers such as commuters, and least attractive for infrequent and/or flexible travellers, such as people who use their car for weekend trips only. This is the main reason why public transport companies try to increase competitiveness in the [[commuter]] market by raising fixed costs/ reducing variable costs to the consumer in the form of ''season tickets''. [[Carsharing]] significantly lowers fixed costs, hence it tends to be more popular with light users than commuters.

Cars are a major cause of [[air pollution]],<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2019/11/14/climate/car-ban-air-pollution.html|title=Cities Worldwide Are Reimagining Their Relationship With Cars|last1=Sengupta|first1=Somini|date=14 November 2019|work=The New York Times|access-date=1 December 2019|last2=Popovich|first2=Nadja|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331|archive-date=4 December 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191204155827/https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2019/11/14/climate/car-ban-air-pollution.html|url-status=live}}</ref> which stems from [[exhaust gas]] in diesel and petrol cars and from [[Non-exhaust emissions|dust from brakes, tyres, and road wear]]. Larger cars pollute more.<ref>{{Cite news |title=Electric vehicles also cause air pollution |url=https://www.economist.com/science-and-technology/2025/04/11/electric-vehicles-also-cause-air-pollution |access-date=2025-05-25 |newspaper=The Economist |issn=0013-0613}}</ref> [[Heavy metals]] and microplastics (from tyres) are also released into the environment, during production, use and at the end of life. Mining related to car manufacturing and oil spills both cause [[water pollution]].<ref name=":0" />

Since automobiles demand a high [[land use]], they become increasingly uneconomic with higher [[population densities]]. This can either manifest itself in higher costs of driving in densely populated areas (Parking fees and [[road pricing]]), or in the absence of a [[price mechanism]], in an [[economic shortage| shortage]] in the form of [[traffic jams]]. Public transport, by comparison, becomes increasingly uneconomic with lower population densities. Hence cars tend to dominate in rural and suburban environments, while only fulfilling a secondary role in city center transport.

Animals and plants are often negatively affected by cars via [[habitat destruction]] and [[Habitat fragmentation|fragmentation]] from the road network and pollution. Animals are also killed every year on roads by cars, referred to as [[roadkill]].<ref name=":0" /> More recent road developments are including significant environmental mitigation in their designs, such as green bridges (designed to allow [[wildlife crossing]]s) and creating [[wildlife corridor]]s.

==Future of the car==

''Main article : [[Future of the car]]''.

Governments use fiscal policies, such as [[road tax]], to discourage the purchase and use of more polluting cars;<ref>{{cite web|title=A Review and Comparative Analysis of Fiscal Policies Associated with New Passenger Vehicle CO2 Emissions|url=http://www.theicct.org/sites/default/files/publications/ICCT_fiscalpolicies_feb2011.pdf|work=International Council on Clean Transportation|access-date=15 October 2013|date=February 2011|archive-date=8 March 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210308122512/https://theicct.org/sites/default/files/publications/ICCT_fiscalpolicies_feb2011.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref> [[Vehicle emission standard]]s ban the sale of new highly pollution cars.<ref>{{Cite web |date=10 October 2022 |title=Tough Euro 7 pollution rules planned for adoption this month |url=https://europe.autonews.com/environmentemissions/tough-euro-7-pollution-rules-planned-adoption-month |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221024162130/https://europe.autonews.com/environmentemissions/tough-euro-7-pollution-rules-planned-adoption-month |archive-date=24 October 2022 |access-date=24 October 2022 |website=Automotive News Europe |language=en}}</ref> Many countries [[Phase-out of fossil fuel vehicles|plan to stop selling fossil cars altogether]] between 2025 and 2050.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Carroll |first=Sean Goulding |date=5 July 2022 |title=A seismic shift: Support for ICE melts as Europe warms to EVs |url=https://www.euractiv.com/section/transport/news/a-seismic-shift-support-for-ice-melts-as-europe-warms-to-evs/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220707101129/https://www.euractiv.com/section/transport/news/a-seismic-shift-support-for-ice-melts-as-europe-warms-to-evs/ |archive-date=7 July 2022 |access-date=7 July 2022 |website=www.euractiv.com |language=en-GB}}</ref> Various cities have implemented [[low-emission zone]]s, banning old fossil fuel and [[Amsterdam]] is planning to ban fossil fuel cars completely.<ref name="Sherwood">{{Cite news |last=Sherwood |first=Harriet |date=26 January 2020 |title=Brighton, Bristol, York ... city centres signal the end of the road for cars |url=https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2020/jan/26/city-entres-end-of-road-for-cars-brighton-bristol-york |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200126173710/https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2020/jan/26/city-entres-end-of-road-for-cars-brighton-bristol-york |archive-date=26 January 2020 |access-date=26 January 2020 |work=The Observer |language=en-GB |issn=0029-7712}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Boffey |first=Daniel |date=3 May 2019 |title=Amsterdam to ban petrol and diesel cars and motorbikes by 2030 |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/may/03/amsterdam-ban-petrol-diesel-cars-bikes-2030 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200907130427/https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/may/03/amsterdam-ban-petrol-diesel-cars-bikes-2030 |archive-date=7 September 2020 |access-date=18 May 2019 |work=The Guardian |language=en-GB |issn=0261-3077}}</ref> Some cities make it easier for people to choose other forms of transport, such as [[cycling]].<ref name="Sherwood" /> Many Chinese cities limit licensing of fossil fuel cars.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Lambert |first=Fred |date=6 June 2019 |title=China boosts electric car sales by removing license plate quotas |url=https://electrek.co/2019/06/06/china-boost-ev-sales-license-plate-quotas/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191108135117/https://electrek.co/2019/06/06/china-boost-ev-sales-license-plate-quotas/ |archive-date=8 November 2019 |access-date=11 June 2019 |website=Electrek |language=en-US}}</ref>

In order to limit deaths, there has been a push for self-driving automobiles. There have been many notable efforts funded by the [[NHTSA]], including the many efforts by the [http://www.ri.cmu.edu/labs/lab_28_inactive_projects.html NavLab ]group at Carnegie Mellon University. Recent efforts include the highly publicized [[DARPA]] [http://www.grandchallenge.org/ Grand Challenge] race.

==Social issues==

[[Image:TOYOTA FCHV 01.jpg|thumb|250px|[[Toyota]] FCHV (Fuel Cell Hybrid Vehicle). A fuel cell hybrid car which runs from the hydrogen which Toyota Motor developed,. 2005]]A current invention is [[Electronic Stability Program|ESP]] by [[Bosch]] that is claimed to reduce deaths by about 30% and is recommended by many lawmakers and carmakers to be a standard feature in all cars sold in the EU. ESP recognizes dangerous situations and corrects the drivers input for a short moment to stabilize the car.

Mass production of personal motor vehicles in the United States and other developed countries with extensive territories such as Australia, Argentina, and France vastly increased individual and group mobility and greatly increased and expanded economic development in urban, suburban, exurban and rural areas.{{citation needed|date=December 2022|reason=The next paragraph has US references but you need references for other developed countries. Note that other countries do not necessarily depend on cars as much as the US. Eg, I was quite content without a car while living in Hong Kong.}} Growth in the popularity of cars and [[commuting]] has led to [[traffic congestion]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Planning and the Complicated Causes and Effects of Congestion |url=https://www.planetizen.com/features/116834-planning-and-complicated-causes-and-effects-congestion |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221024175721/https://www.planetizen.com/features/116834-planning-and-complicated-causes-and-effects-congestion |archive-date=24 October 2022 |access-date=24 October 2022 |website=www.planetizen.com |language=en}}</ref> [[Moscow]], [[Istanbul]], [[Bogotá]], [[Mexico City]] and [[São Paulo]] were the world's most congested cities in 2018 according to INRIX, a data analytics company.<ref>{{cite news |last=Newman |first=Katelyn |date=12 February 2019 |title=Cities With the World's Worst Traffic Congestion |url=https://www.usnews.com/news/cities/articles/2019-02-12/these-cities-have-the-worlds-worst-traffic-congestion |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190318212120/https://www.usnews.com/news/cities/articles/2019-02-12/these-cities-have-the-worlds-worst-traffic-congestion |archive-date=18 March 2019 |access-date=16 March 2019 |work=US News}}</ref>

=== Access to cars ===

The biggest threat to automobiles is the declining supply of oil, which does not completely stop car usage but makes it significantly more expensive. In the beginning of 2006, 1 liter of gas costs approximately $1.60 USD in Germany and other European countries, and one US gallon of gas costs nearly $3.00 USD. If no cheap solution can be found in the relatively near future individual mobility might suffer a major setback. Nevertheless, individual mobility is highly prized in modern societies so the demand for automobiles is inelastic. Alternative individual modes of transport, such as [[Personal rapid transit]], could make the automobile obsolete if they prove to be cheaper and more energy efficient.

In the United States, the [[transport divide]] and [[car dependency]] resulting from domination of [[Automotive city|car-based transport systems]] presents barriers to employment in low-income neighbourhoods,<ref>{{Cite web|date=6 August 2018|title=Tackling transport-related barriers to employment in low-income neighbourhoods|url=https://www.jrf.org.uk/report/tackling-transport-related-barriers-employment-low-income-neighbourhoods|access-date=13 April 2021|website=JRF|language=en|archive-date=13 April 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210413162600/https://www.jrf.org.uk/report/tackling-transport-related-barriers-employment-low-income-neighbourhoods|url-status=live}}</ref> with many low-income individuals and families forced to run cars they cannot afford in order to maintain their income.<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Mattioli|first1=Giulio|title='Forced Car Ownership' in the UK and Germany: Socio-Spatial Patterns and Potential Economic Stress Impacts|journal=Social Inclusion|date=28 December 2017|volume=5|issue=4|pages=147–160|doi=10.17645/si.v5i4.1081|doi-access=free}}</ref> Dependency on automobiles by [[African Americans]] may result in exposure to the hazards of [[driving while black]] and other types of [[racial discrimination]] related to buying, financing and insuring them.<ref name="NYT121522">{{cite news|author1=Andrew Ross|author2=Julie Livingston|title=Once You See the Truth About Cars, You Can't Unsee It|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2022/12/15/opinion/car-ownership-inequality.html|access-date=16 December 2022|issue=New York Times|date=15 December 2022|quote=Andrew Ross and Julie Livingston are New York University professors, members of NYU's Prison Education Program Research Lab and authors of the book “Cars and Jails: Freedom Dreams, Debt, and Carcerality.”|archive-date=15 December 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221215234155/https://www.nytimes.com/2022/12/15/opinion/car-ownership-inequality.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

=== Health impact ===

[[Hydrogen vehicle|Hydrogen cars]], driven either by a combination of [[fuel cells]] and an [[electric motor]], or alternatively, a conventional combustion engine, are thought to replace fossil fuel powered cars in a few decades. The biggest obstacle for a mass market of hydrogen cars is the cost of hydrogen production by electrolysis, which is inefficient and requires a comparatively expensive source of electrical energy.

{{Further|Motor vehicle pollution and pregnancy}}

Hydrogen has a much higher [[energy density]] than gasoline or diesel. It is thought to become cheaper with mass production, but because its production is overall energy inefficient and requires other sources of energy, including fossil, it is unlikely to be a cheaper fuel than gasoline or diesel today. Also, its combustion produces only steam and virtually no local pollutants such as NOx, SOx, benzene and soot.

Air pollution from cars increases the risk of [[lung cancer]] and [[Cardiovascular disease|heart disease]]. It can also harm pregnancies: more children are [[Preterm birth|born too early]] or with lower [[birth weight]].<ref name=":0" /> Children are extra vulnerable to air pollution, as their bodies are still developing and air pollution in children is linked to the development of [[asthma]], [[childhood cancer]], and neurocognitive issues such as [[autism]].<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Brumberg |first1=Heather L. |last2=Karr |first2=Catherine J. |last3=Bole |first3=Aparna |last4=Ahdoot |first4=Samantha |last5=Balk |first5=Sophie J. |last6=Bernstein |first6=Aaron S. |last7=Byron |first7=Lori G. |last8=Landrigan |first8=Philip J. |last9=Marcus |first9=Steven M. |last10=Nerlinger |first10=Abby L. |last11=Pacheco |first11=Susan E. |last12=Woolf |first12=Alan D. |last13=Zajac |first13=Lauren |last14=Baum |first14=Carl R. |last15=Campbell |first15=Carla C. |date=2021-06-01 |title=Ambient Air Pollution: Health Hazards to Children |url=https://publications.aap.org/pediatrics/article/147/6/e2021051484/180283?utm_source=TrendMD&utm_medium=TrendMD&utm_campaign=Pediatrics_TrendMD_1&casa_token=_MBVKLYeNcIAAAAA:--gCo71LSrInCr42UbHcNQz4kA0ylUnsGP_OwCtCF6Af3VHMecKKhQYRHyJuxfzdEBm6opIao2oTh_Q?autologincheck=redirected |journal=Pediatrics |volume=147 |issue=6 |pages=e2021051484 |doi=10.1542/peds.2021-051484 |pmid=34001642 |issn=0031-4005|url-access=subscription }}</ref><ref name=":0" /> The growth in popularity of the car allowed cities to [[Urban sprawl|sprawl]], therefore encouraging more travel by car, resulting in inactivity and [[obesity]], which in turn can lead to increased risk of a variety of diseases.<ref>{{cite web |title=Our Ailing Communities |url=http://www.metropolismag.com/cda/story.php?artid=2353 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070208203942/http://www.metropolismag.com/cda/story.php?artid=2353 |archive-date=8 February 2007 |work=Metropolis Magazine}}</ref> When places are designed around cars, children have fewer opportunities to go places by themselves, and lose opportunities to become more independent.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Weir |first=Holly |date=2023-01-01 |title=Children's autonomous mobility and their well-being |journal=Wellbeing, Space and Society |volume=4 |article-number=100134 |doi=10.1016/j.wss.2023.100134 |issn=2666-5581|doi-access=free }}</ref><ref name=":0" />

BMW's engineering team promises a high horsepower hydrogen fuel engine in it's 7-series sedan before the next generation of the car makes its debut.

==Emerging car technologies==

[[Image:Lexus LF-A Pic 2.JPG|thumb|left|200px|Lexus LF-A concept car at the 2006 Greater Los Angeles Auto Show]]The [[electric car]] in general appears to be a way forward in principle; [[electric motor]]s are far more efficient than internal combustion engines and have a much greater [[power to weight ratio]]. They also operate efficiently across the full speed range of the vehicle and develop a lot of [[torque]] at zero speed, so are ideal for cars. A complex drivetrain and transmission would not be needed. However, despite this the electric car is held back by battery technology - so far a cell with comparable energy density to a tank of liquid fuel is a long way off, and there is no infrastructure in place to support it. A more practical approach may be to use a smaller internal combustion engine to drive a generator- this approach can be much more efficient since the IC engine can be run at a single speed, use cheaper fuel such as diesel, and drop the heavy, power wasting drivetrain. Such an approach has worked very well for railway locomotives, but so far has not been scaled down for car use.

Intensive development of conventional [[battery electric vehicle]]s is continuing into the 2020s,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://airqualitynews.com/2019/09/05/ev-battery-research-projects-get-55m-funding-boost/|title=EV battery research projects get £55m funding boost|date=5 September 2019|website=Air Quality News|access-date=5 September 2019|archive-date=5 September 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190905182327/https://airqualitynews.com/2019/09/05/ev-battery-research-projects-get-55m-funding-boost/|url-status=live}}</ref> for example [[lithium iron phosphate batteries]] are safer and cheaper.<ref>{{Cite news |date=2025-02-19 |title=New EV batteries are making electric cars cheaper and safer |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-solutions/2025/02/19/ev-batteries-lfp-safety/ |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20250407041433/https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-solutions/2025/02/19/ev-batteries-lfp-safety/ |archive-date=2025-04-07 |access-date=2025-06-21 |newspaper=The Washington Post |language=en}}</ref> Sensors such as [[lidar]] are more used.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Redondo |first=Mónica |date=2022-02-11 |title=LiDar sensors: how their use in the automotive industry is growing |url=https://www.drivingeco.com/en/lidar-sensors/ |access-date=2025-06-21 |website=Driving ECO |language=en}}</ref> Other car technologies that are under development include [[Inductive charging#Electronic devices|wireless charging]].<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/business-48913028|title=Wireless electric car charging gets cash boost|date=9 July 2019|access-date=3 January 2020|language=en-GB|archive-date=9 December 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191209032356/https://www.bbc.com/news/business-48913028|url-status=live}}</ref> Software is increasing and may have many new uses, for example automatically not hitting pedestrians.<ref>{{Cite news |title=Driving the future: 10 automotive industry trends and predictions |url=https://www.autodesk.com/design-make/articles/automotive-industry-trends |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20250123051732/https://www.autodesk.com/design-make/articles/automotive-industry-trends |archive-date=2025-01-23 |access-date=2025-06-21 |language=en-US}}</ref>

New materials which may replace steel car bodies include aluminium,<ref>{{Cite web|date=12 August 2020|title=Survey reveals aluminum remains fastest growing automotive material|url=https://www.automotiveworld.com/news-releases/survey-reveals-aluminum-remains-fastest-growing-automotive-material/|access-date=15 October 2021|website=Automotive World|language=en-GB|archive-date=21 October 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211021053144/https://www.automotiveworld.com/news-releases/survey-reveals-aluminum-remains-fastest-growing-automotive-material/|url-status=live}}</ref> [[fiberglass]], [[carbon fiber]], [[biocomposite]]s, and [[carbon nanotube]]s.<ref>{{cite news|title=This New Material Can Transform the Car Manufacturing Industry|url=https://interestingengineering.com/this-new-material-can-transform-the-car-manufacturing-industry|first=Kashyap|last=Vyas|work=Interesting Engineering|___location=Turkey|date=3 October 2018|access-date=16 March 2019|archive-date=16 September 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190916083121/https://interestingengineering.com/this-new-material-can-transform-the-car-manufacturing-industry|url-status=live}}</ref> [[Telematics]] technology is allowing more and more people to share cars, on a [[City Car Club|pay-as-you-go]] basis, through [[car share]] and [[carpool]] schemes. Communication is also evolving due to [[connected car]] systems.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.greenmotor.co.uk/2017/06/uniti-ev-lewis-horne-interview.html|title=Inside Uniti's plan to build the iPhone of EVs|website=GreenMotor.co.uk|access-date=26 June 2017|archive-date=3 July 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170703013456/http://www.greenmotor.co.uk/2017/06/uniti-ev-lewis-horne-interview.html|url-status=live}}</ref> [[Open-source car]]s are not widespread.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-6306814203245314335|title=Geek My Ride presentation at linux.conf.au 2009|access-date=11 July 2010|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110411075600/http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-6306814203245314335|archive-date=11 April 2011}}</ref> [[Directed-energy weapon#Microwave|Microwave weapons]] which can disable cars are being tested.<ref>{{Cite web |title=This giant microwave may change the future of war |url=https://www.technologyreview.com/2025/05/29/1117502/epirus-drone-zapping-microwave-us-military-defense/ |access-date=2025-06-21 |website=MIT Technology Review |language=en}}</ref>

Recently the automobile industry has determined that the biggest potential growth market (in terms of both revenue and profit), is software. Cars are now equipped with a stunning array of software; from voice recognition and vehicle navigation systems, [[vehicle tracking system]] like [[ESITrack]] to in-vehicle distributed entertainment systems (DVD/Games), to [[telematics]] systems such as [[GM]]s [[Onstar]] not to mention the control subsystems. Software now accounts for 35% of a cars value, and this percentage is only going to get larger. The theory behind this is that the mechanical systems of automobiles are now essentially a commodity, and the real product differentiation occurs in the software systems. Many cars are equipped with full blown 32bit real-time memory protected operating systems such as [[QNX]].

===Autonomous car===

A new invention by Carmelo Scuderi has the potential to permanently change the combustion engine. The engine is still in the process of patenting, raising capital, and developing a prototype. The invention has the ability to improve the efficiency of an engine from 33% to 40%, an unheardof improvement. In addition, toxic emissions will be reduced by as much as 80%. The new invention calls for dividing the four strokes of a normal engine over a combination of one compression cycle and one power cycle. The development will also create more power and will cost manufacturers less to produce.

{{Main|Autonomous car}}

[[File:Hands-free Driving.jpg|thumb|A robotic [[Volkswagen Passat]] shown at [[Stanford University]] is a [[driverless car]].]]

Fully autonomous vehicles, also known as driverless cars, already exist as [[robotaxi]]s<ref>{{Cite web|date=25 October 2022|title=China's Xpeng passes autonomous driving test in race to launch robotaxis|url=https://www.scmp.com/business/china-business/article/3197095/chinese-ev-maker-xpeng-passes-autonomous-driving-test-it-races-rivals-launch-robotaxi-services|access-date=24 October 2022|website=South China Morning Post|language=en|archive-date=24 October 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221024172642/https://www.scmp.com/business/china-business/article/3197095/chinese-ev-maker-xpeng-passes-autonomous-driving-test-it-races-rivals-launch-robotaxi-services|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=8 Ways Waymo's Autonomous Taxi Surprised Us on a Ride|url=https://www.consumerreports.org/cars/autonomous-driving/ways-a-waymo-autonomous-taxi-surprised-us-on-a-ride-a1160706497/|access-date=24 October 2022|website=Consumer Reports|date=4 October 2022|language=en-US|archive-date=24 October 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221024172927/https://www.consumerreports.org/cars/autonomous-driving/ways-a-waymo-autonomous-taxi-surprised-us-on-a-ride-a1160706497/|url-status=live}}</ref> but have a long way to go before they are in general use.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Mims|first=Christopher|date=5 June 2021|title=Self-Driving Cars Could Be Decades Away, No Matter What Elon Musk Said|language=en-US|work=[[The Wall Street Journal]]|url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/self-driving-cars-could-be-decades-away-no-matter-what-elon-musk-said-11622865615|access-date=2 September 2021|issn=0099-9660|archive-date=2 September 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210902182155/https://www.wsj.com/articles/self-driving-cars-could-be-decades-away-no-matter-what-elon-musk-said-11622865615|url-status=live}}</ref>

== See part of vehicles ==

===Car sharing===

*[[engine]]

[[Carsharing|Car-share]] arrangements and [[carpool]]ing are also increasingly popular, in the US and Europe.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.deloitte.com/content/dam/Deloitte/global/Documents/Manufacturing/gx-global-automotive-consumer-study-europe-final.pdf|title=Global Automotive Consumer Study – exploring consumer preferences and mobility choices in Europe|publisher=Deloitte|date=2014|access-date=23 November 2015|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150704135550/http://www2.deloitte.com/content/dam/Deloitte/global/Documents/Manufacturing/gx-global-automotive-consumer-study-europe-final.pdf|archive-date=4 July 2015}}</ref> Services like car sharing offer residents to "share" a vehicle rather than own a car in already congested neighbourhoods.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.greencarcongress.com/2007/04/flexcar_expands.html|title=Flexcar Expands to Philadelphia|date=2 April 2007|publisher=Green Car Congress|access-date=12 April 2007|archive-date=9 July 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070709062259/http://www.greencarcongress.com/2007/04/flexcar_expands.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

**[[carburetor]] or [[fuel injection]]

**[[fuel pump]]

**[[engine configuration]]: [[Wankel engine|Wankel]] or [[reciprocating engine|reciprocating]] ([[v engine|V]], [[inline engine|inline]], [[flat engine|flat]]).

**[[electronic control unit|engine management systems]]

**[[exhaust pipe|exhaust system]]

**[[ignition system]]

**[[Automobile self starter|self starter]]

**[[Automobile emissions control|emissions control]] devices

**[[turbocharger]]s and [[supercharger]]s

**[[front engine]]

**[[rear engine]]

**[[mid engine]]

==Industry==

Automobile ancillary power

{{Main|Automotive industry}}

*[[Automobile ancillary power|Ancillary power]] — mechanical, electrical, hydraulic, vacuum, air

{{expand section|date=March 2019}}

*[[drivetrain]]

[[File:Geely assembly line in Beilun, Ningbo.JPG|thumb|A car being assembled in a factory]]

**[[transmission (automobile)|transmission]] ([[gearbox]])

***[[manual transmission]]

The automotive industry designs, develops, manufactures, markets, and sells the world's [[motor vehicle]]s, more than three-quarters of which are cars. In 2020, there were 56&nbsp;million cars manufactured worldwide,<ref>{{Cite web|title=2020 Statistics|url=https://www.oica.net/category/production-statistics/2020-statistics/|access-date=2 September 2021|website=OICA|archive-date=2 April 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220402034602/https://www.oica.net/category/production-statistics/2020-statistics/|url-status=live}}</ref> down from 67&nbsp;million the previous year.<ref>{{Cite web|title=2019 Statistics|url=https://www.oica.net/category/production-statistics/2019-statistics/|access-date=2 September 2021|website=OICA|archive-date=20 November 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211120211457/https://www.oica.net/category/production-statistics/2019-statistics/|url-status=live}}</ref> The [[automotive industry in China]] produces by far the most (20&nbsp;million in 2020), followed by Japan (seven million), then Germany, South Korea and India.<ref name="OICA2018">{{cite web|title=2018 Statistics|url=https://www.oica.net/category/production-statistics/2018-statistics/|publisher=OICA|access-date=24 September 2021|archive-date=19 September 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210919201934/https://www.oica.net/category/production-statistics/2018-statistics/|url-status=live}}</ref> The largest market is China, followed by the US.

***[[semi-automatic transmission]]

***[[fully-automatic transmission]]

Around the world, there are about a billion cars on the road;<ref>{{cite web |title=PC World Vehicles in Use |url=https://www.oica.net/wp-content/uploads//PC_Vehicles-in-use.pdf |publisher=OICA |access-date=16 March 2019 |archive-date=23 September 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210923184400/https://www.oica.net/wp-content/uploads//PC_Vehicles-in-use.pdf |url-status=live}}</ref>{{Not in cited source|date=June 2025|reason=seems to be number of vehicles - not all vehicles are cars}} they burn over {{One2a|{{convert|1|e12l|e12USgal e12impgal|spell=in}}}} of petrol and diesel fuel yearly, consuming about {{Convert|50|EJ|TWh|lk=on}} of energy.<ref>{{cite web|title=Global Transportation Energy Consumption: Examination of Scenarios to 2040 using ITEDD|url=https://www.eia.gov/analysis/studies/transportation/scenarios/pdf/globaltransportation.pdf |date=September 2017 |publisher=[[Energy Information Administration]]|access-date=16 March 2019|archive-date=11 May 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190511181735/https://www.eia.gov/analysis/studies/transportation/scenarios/pdf/globaltransportation.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref> The numbers of cars are increasing rapidly in China and India.<ref name="plunkettresearch.com">{{cite web|publisher=Plunkett Research|url=http://www.plunkettresearch.com/Industries/AutomobilesTrucks/AutomobileTrends/tabid/89/Default.aspx|title=Automobile Industry Introduction|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110722031051/http://www.plunkettresearch.com/automobiles%20trucks%20market%20research/industry%20overview|archive-date=22 July 2011}}</ref> In the opinion of some, urban transport systems based around the car have proved unsustainable, consuming excessive energy, affecting the health of populations, and delivering a declining level of service despite increasing investment. Many of these negative effects fall disproportionately on those social groups who are also least likely to own and drive cars.<ref name="health">{{cite web|url=http://www.euro.who.int/en/what-we-do/health-topics/environment-and-health/Transport-and-health|title=Transport and health |access-date=29 August 2008|website= World Health Organisation, Europe |archive-date=29 May 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110529223158/http://www.euro.who.int/en/what-we-do/health-topics/environment-and-health/Transport-and-health|url-status=dead }}</ref><ref name="FIA2018">{{cite web|title=Global Action for Healthy Streets: Annual Report 2018|url=https://www.fiafoundation.org/media/597506/fiaf-annual-report-2018.pdf|publisher=FiA Foundation|access-date=16 March 2019}}{{Dead link|date=November 2023|bot=InternetArchiveBot|fix-attempted=yes}}</ref> The [[sustainable transport]] movement focuses on solutions to these problems. The car industry is also facing increasing competition from the public transport sector, as some people re-evaluate their private vehicle usage. In July 2021, the [[European Commission]] introduced the "[[Fit for 55]]" legislation package, outlining crucial directives for the automotive sector's future.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2022-03-11 |title=EU ban on the sale of new petrol and diesel cars from 2035 explained |url=https://www.europarl.europa.eu/topics/en/article/20221019STO44572/eu-ban-on-sale-of-new-petrol-and-diesel-cars-from-2035-explained |access-date=2024-12-17 |website=Topics {{!}} European Parliament |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=European Green Deal: Commission proposes transformation of EU economy and society to meet climate ambitions |url=https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/ip_21_3541 |access-date=2024-12-17 |website=European Commission - European Commission}}</ref> According to this package, by 2035, all newly sold cars in the European market must be [[Zero-emissions vehicle]]s.<ref>{{Cite news |date=2023-03-28 |title=New cars sold in EU must be zero-emission from 2035 |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-65105129#:~:text=The%20new%20EU%20law%20will,anger%20among%20some%20EU%20diplomats. |access-date=2024-12-17 |language=en-GB}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Thảm lót sàn ô tô |url=https://carsen.vn/tham-lot-san-o-to |access-date=2024-12-17 |language=vi}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=philcurry |date=2021-07-14 |title=Fit for 55: EU introduces ban on petrol and diesel cars by 2035 |url=https://autovista24.autovistagroup.com/news/fit-for-55-european-union-to-end-sale-of-petrol-and-diesel-models-by-2035/ |access-date=2024-12-17 |website=Autovista24 |language=en-GB}}</ref>

**Layout

***[[FF layout]]

== Alternatives ==

***[[FR layout]]

{{Main|Alternatives to car use}}

***[[MR layout]]

[[File:Place de la République (Paris), réaménagement, 2012-04-05 39.jpg|thumb|The [[Vélib']] in [[Paris, France]], is the largest bikesharing system outside China.]]

***[[MF layout]]

***[[RR layout]]

Established alternatives for some aspects of car use include [[public transport]] such as busses, [[trolleybus]]ses, trains, [[Rapid transit|subways]], [[tram system|tramways]], [[light rail]], cycling, and [[walking]]. [[Bicycle sharing system]]s have been established in China and many European cities, including [[Copenhagen]] and [[Amsterdam]]. Similar programmes have been developed in large US cities.<ref>{{cite web |title=About Bike Share Programs |url=http://web.mit.edu/dzshen/www/about.shtml |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071220235050/http://web.mit.edu/dzshen/www/about.shtml |archive-date=20 December 2007 |access-date=17 August 2019 |publisher=Tech Bikes MIT}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine |last1=Cambell |first1=Charlie |date=2 April 2018 |title=The Trouble with Sharing: China's Bike Fever Has Reached Saturation Point |url=https://time.com/5218323/china-bicycles-sharing-economy/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190607090315/http://time.com/5218323/china-bicycles-sharing-economy/ |archive-date=7 June 2019 |access-date=18 August 2019 |magazine=Time}}</ref> Additional individual modes of transport, such as [[personal rapid transit]] could serve as an alternative to cars if they prove to be socially accepted.<ref name="asphalt">{{cite book |last=Kay |first=Jane Holtz |author-link=Jane Holtz Kay |url=https://archive.org/details/asphaltnationhow00kayj_0 |title=Asphalt Nation: how the automobile took over America, and how we can take it back |publisher=University of California Press |year=1998 |isbn=0-520-21620-2}}</ref> A study which checked the costs and the benefits of introducing [[Low Traffic Neighbourhood]] in [[London]] found the benefits overpass the costs approximately by 100 times in the first 20 years and the difference is growing over time.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Walker |first1=Peter |date=8 March 2024 |title=Health gains of low-traffic schemes up to 100 times greater than costs, study finds |url=https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2024/mar/08/health-gains-of-low-traffic-schemes-up-to-100-times-greater-than-costs-study-finds |access-date=10 March 2024 |agency=The Guardian}}</ref>

**Drive Wheels

***[[Two-wheel drive]]

***[[Four-wheel drive]]

***[[Front-wheel drive]]

***[[Rear-wheel drive]]

***[[All-wheel drive]]

**[[differential (mechanics)|differential]]

***[[limited slip differential]]

***[[locking differential]]

**[[axle]]

**[[Live axle]]

*[[brake]]s

**[[disc brake]]s

**[[drum brake]]s

**[[anti-lock braking system]]s (ABS)

*[[wheel]]s and [[tire]]s

**[[custom wheel]]s

**[[Magnetic levitation]]

*[[steering]]

**[[rack and pinion]]

**[[Ackermann steering geometry]]

**[[Caster angle]]

**[[Camber angle]]

**[[Kingpin]]

*[[suspension (vehicle)|suspension]]

**[[MacPherson strut]]

**[[wishbone suspension|wishbone]]

**[[double wishbone]]

**[[multi-link suspension|multi-link]]

**[[torsion beam suspension|torsion beam]]

**[[semi-trailing arm suspension|semi-trailing arm]]

**[[axle]]

*body

**[[crumple zone]]s

**[[monocoque]] (or unibody) construction

**[[:Category:Car doors|doors]]

**[[headlight styling]]

**[[Spoiler (automotive)|spoiler]]

**[[Japan Black]] (fore-runner of modern automotive finishes)

*[[vehicle interior equipment]]

**[[passive safety]]

***[[seat belt]]s

***[[airbag]]s

***[[child safety lock]]s

**[[dashboard]]

**[[shifter]] for selecting gear ratios

**[[wikt:ancillary|ancillary]] equipment such as [[car audio|stereos]], [[air conditioning]], [[cruise control]], [[car phone]]s, [[Global Positioning System|positioning systems]], cup holders, etc.

*exterior equipment

**windows

***[[Power window]]

***[[windshield]]

***[[Daytime running lamp]]s

==See also==

{{portal|Cars}}

* [[Automobile design]]

{{Main|Outline of automobiles}}

* [[Car safety]]

{{col-begin}}

* [[Crane]]

* [[GPS]]

{{col-break}}

* [[Effects of the automobile on societies]]

'''General:'''

* [[Hybrid vehicle]]

* [[NorthAutomotive American Eaglesafety]]

* [[Pac-Car classification]]

* [[Car costs]]

* [[Roadway air dispersion modeling]]

* [[Green vehicle]]

* [[Jaywalking]]

* [[Model vehicle]]

* [[Motor vehicle fatality rate in U.S. by year]]

* [[Motor vehicle theft]]

* [[Peak car]]

* [[Steering]]

* [[Traffic collision]]

{{col-break}}

'''Effects:'''

* [[Car dependency]]

* [[Effects of the car on societies]]

* [[Energy consumption of cars]]

* [[Environmental effects of transport]]

* [[Externalities of automobiles]]

* [[Fenceline community]]

* [[Mobile source air pollution]]

* [[Noise pollution]]

* [[Roadway noise]]

* [[ThrustTraffic SSCcongestion]]

* [[Urban sprawl]]

* [[List of automobile manufacturers]]

{{col-break}}

==External links==

'''Mitigation:'''

* [[Car-free movement]]

* [[Carfree city]]

* [[Congestion pricing]]

* [[Highway revolt]]

* [[New Urbanism]]

* [[Smart growth]]

* [[Transit-oriented development]]

{{col-end}}

{{commons|Automobile}}

*[http://www.hwysafety.org/ Insurance Institute for Highway Safety]

==Notes==

*[http://nhtsa.gov/ NHTSA.gov]

{{Notelist}}

==References==

{{Reflist}}

==Further reading==

* {{cite book |last=Berger |first=Michael L. |title=The automobile in American history and culture: a reference guide |publisher=Bloomsbury Publishing |___location=US |year=2001 |isbn=9780313016066}}

* {{cite book |last=Brinkley |first=Douglas |title=Wheels for the world: Henry Ford, his company, and a century of progress, 1903-2003 |publisher=Viking |year=2003 |isbn=9780670031818}}

* {{cite book |first1=John|last1=Cole|first2=Francis|last2=Cole|url={{google books|id=xREfAgAAQBAJ|page=110|plain-url=yes}}|title=A Geography of the European Union|page=110|year=213|publisher=Routledge|___location=London|isbn=9781317835585}} – Number of cars in use (in millions) in various European countries in 1973 and 1992

* {{cite book |author-link=David Halberstam|last=Halberstam|first=David|title=The Reckoning|url=https://archive.org/details/reckoning00halbrich|url-access=registration|___location=New York|publisher=Morrow|year=1986|isbn=0-688-04838-2}}

* {{cite book |last=Kay|first=Jane Holtz|title=Asphalt nation : how the automobile took over America, and how we can take it back|___location=New York|publisher=Crown|year=1997|isbn=0-517-58702-5|url=https://archive.org/details/asphaltnationhow00kayj}}

* {{Cite journal|last=Margolius|first=Ivan|date=2020|title=What is an automobile?|url=http://www.theautomobile.co.uk|journal=The Automobile|volume=37|issue=11|pages=48–52|issn=0955-1328}}

* {{cite book |author-link=Wolfgang Sachs|last=Sachs|first=Wolfgang|title=For love of the automobile: looking back into the history of our desires|___location=Berkeley|publisher=University of California Press|year=1992|isbn=0-520-06878-5}}

* {{cite book |last1=Wilkins |first1=Mira |last2=Hill |first2=Frank Ernest |title=American Business Abroad: Ford on Six Continents |year=1964}}

* {{cite book |author-link=Heathcote Williams|last=Williams|first=Heathcote|title=Autogeddon|___location=New York|publisher=Arcade|year=1991|isbn=1-55970-176-5}}

* {{cite book |url={{google books|id=8TZkG1HhfG0C|page=11|plain-url=yes}}|page=11|year=1972|title=Latin America: Economic Growth Trends|publisher=Agency for International Development, Office of Statistics and Reports|___location=US}} – Number of motor vehicles registered in Latin America in 1970

* {{cite book |url={{google books|id=evpBB9EPDtQC|page=3|plain-url=yes}}|title=World Motor Vehicle Production and Registration|page=3|publisher=Business and Defense Services Administration, Transportation Equipment Division|___location=US}} – Number of registered passenger cars in various countries in 1959-60 and 1969–70

==External links==

{{Wikiquote}}

{{Wikisource|California AB 1493}}

{{Wiktionary}}

* {{Commons category-inline|Automobiles}}

* [http://www.fia.com/ Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile]

* [https://web.archive.org/web/20010217132832/http://www.autoandsociety.com/ Forum for the Automobile and Society]

* [https://rosap.ntl.bts.gov/view/dot/5460 Transportation Statistics Annual Report 1996: Transportation and the Environment by Fletcher, Wendell; Sedor, Joanne; p. 219 (contains figures on vehicle registrations in various countries in 1970 and 1992)]

{{Car-interior}}

[[Category:Automobiles|*]]

{{Automobile configuration}}

{{CarDesign nav}}

{{Internal combustion engine}}

{{Powertrain}}

{{Chassis control systems}}

{{Automotive industry}}

{{Private transport}}

{{LinkAuthority FA|eocontrol}}

[[arCategory:سيارةCars| ]]

[[Category:Private transport]]

[[bg:Автомобил]]

[[Category:Vehicles by type]]

[[ca:Automòbil]]

[[Category:Wheeled vehicles]]

[[cs:Automobil]]

[[Category:German inventions]]

[[da:Bil]]

[[Category:19th-century inventions]]

[[pdc:Maschien]]

[[Category:Motor vehicles]]

[[de:Automobil]]

[[eo:Aŭtomobilo]]

[[es:Automóvil]]

[[fa:خودرو]]

[[fi:Auto]]

[[fr:Automobile]]

[[gl:Automóbil]]

[[he:מכונית]]

[[hr:Automobil]]

[[id:Mobil]]

[[it:Autovettura]]

[[ja:自動車]]

[[ko:자동차]]

[[la:Autocinetum]]

[[lt:Automobilis]]

[[mk:Автомобил]]

[[ms:Kereta]]

[[na:Auto]]

[[nl:Auto]]

[[nn:Bil]]

[[no:Bil]]

[[nv:Chidí]]

[[os:Хæдтулгæ]]

[[pl:Samochód]]

[[pt:Automóvel]]

[[ro:Automobil]]

[[ru:Автомобиль]]

[[simple:Car]]

[[sk:Automobil]]

[[sl:Avtomobil]]

[[sr:Аутомобил]]

[[su:Otomotif]]

[[sv:Bil]]

[[th:รถยนต์]]

[[vi:Ô tô]]

[[tr:Otomobil]]

[[uk:Автомобіль]]

[[zh:汽车]]