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Introduction to the Automobile
For hundreds of years people have been compelled to find a better way to travel. It would be impossible to credit just one person for the development of the automobile. The word “automobile” literally means self-moving. People wanted a vehicle that could take them to new places. For many years people worked and lived within miles of where they were born and where they eventually died. Before the automobile, most people traveled on land from one place to another by foot, train, bicycle, or horse and carriage. Within a few years of the turn of the 20th century, the automobile would change society forever. Today, there are millions of vehicles on the roadways.
Major Automotive Contributors
One of the earliest recorded major milestones in the development of the automobile was the Cugnot steam traction engine in 1770. Even though this self-powered road vehicle was rather impractical, it was a starting point for the self-moving vehicle. The development of the internal combustion engine in 1860 made road vehicles more promising. Then in 1886 Carl Benz was credited with building the world’s first practical motorcar. At the turn of the century, blacksmith shops around the country were hand-building cars. Henry Ford, who introduced the Model T in 1908, put an end to many of the small hand-building automotive shops. The Model T was mass-produced, cutting the production time for a car down to minutes. By 1920, half the cars in the world were Model T Fords. In 1923 alone, Ford produced over 1.8 million Model T’s. Ford eventually built over 15 million Model T’s. The last Ford Model T rolled off of the assembly line in 1927. Ford produced millions of Model T’s, but not enough for it to become the most popular car in history. It was Dr. Ferdinand Porsche who invented the most popular vehicle in history - the Volkswagen Beetle. Over 20 million Beetles have been sold. Introduced in the 1930s, the Beetle is still a popular vehicle today. Over the last hundred years, automobile production has grown substantially. In 1900 about 9500 motor vehicles were produced in the world. That number grew to over 50 million per year just a century later.
Automotive Milestones
Automobiles have gone through a large number of changes since Carl Benz’s 1886 Motorcar. Numerous milestones have made vehicles more efficient, comfortable, and reliable. The following is a list of significant automotive events.
1770 Nicholas Cugnot built the Cugnot steam traction engine.
1876 Nicholas Otto patented the four-stroke engine.
1886 Carl Benz patented the world’s first practical motorcar.
1886 Daimler Benz Company was formed.
1895 The word “automobile” was coined.
1897 Automotive insurance was introduced.
1902 American Automobile Association (AAA) was formed.
1903 Ford Motor Company was formed.
1908 First Model T was introduced and sold for $850.
1911 Chevrolet Motor Company was organized.
1911 Self starter was invented.
1914 Cleveland, Ohio became the first city to have traffic lights.
1914 Henry Ford raised the minimum daily wage from $2.30 to $5.00.
1916 Brake lights were installed.
1917 The all-steel wheel was developed.
1918 Chevrolet joined General Motors.
1928 Chrysler took over Dodge.
1939 Air conditioning was offered by Nash Motor Company.
1940 Sealed beam headlights were introduced.
1948 Honda Motor Company was formed with $3,300.
1951 Power steering was installed in cars.
1953 Michelin marketed the first radial ply tire.
1954 Fuel injection was used on Mercedes-Benz 300SL.
1965 Motor Vehicle Air Pollution Act was passed.
1973 Arab oil producers imposed ban on exports of oil to U.S.
1986 Centennial of the automobile.
1998 Daimler-Chrysler was formed.
2001 Hybrid gasoline-electric vehicles were mass produced.
Vehicle Identification
Vehicles can be identified by the:
- VIN
- Manufacturer
- Make
- Model
- Year
- Type
VIN
The Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) is an important number on a vehicle. This 17-character number is located on the left side of the dash. Left and right sides are determined by sitting inside the vehicle facing forward. You can see this number as you look in through the windshield from outside the vehicle. This number also appears on the vehicle certification label on the inside of the driver’s doorjamb and also on the vehicle’s title card. The VIN contains information specific to that vehicle. Automotive parts stores may use this number to find the correct replacement parts for a vehicle.
Manufacturer
An automotive manufacturer is a company that produces vehicles. Example names of automotive manufacturers include BMW, Ford Motor Company, General Motors, Daimler-Chrysler, Honda, Isuzu, Saturn, Toyota, and KIA, among others.
Tech Tip
Date of Manufacture
The date of manufacture and the model year of a vehicle may differ. Manufacturers produce millions of vehicles each year by continuous manufacturing. Vehicle assembly lines rarely shut down. Next year’s models often appear on showroom floors in late summer or early fall.
Make
Ford Motor Company manufactures Lincoln, Mercury, and Ford automobiles. These are makes of Ford Motor Company. General Motors manufactures Pontiac, Oldsmobile, Buick, Cadillac, Hummer, and Chevrolet automobiles. These are makes of General Motors. Daimler-Chrysler manufactures Dodge, Plymouth, Jeep, and Chrysler automobiles. These are makes of Daimler-Chrysler.
Model
The model of a vehicle refers to the specific type of make. For example, Aztec is a model of a Pontiac. Taurus is a model of Ford. Intrepid is a model of Dodge. Civic is a model of Honda.
Year
The model year of the vehicle is not necessarily the year in which it was built. A vehicle built in October 2003 most likely would be considered a 2004 model year vehicle. To find the actual model year of the vehicle look at the EPA sticker under the hood. This sticker indicates the year of pollution standards conformance, which is also the model year of the vehicle. The date of manufacture is listed inside the driver’s door, on the vehicle certification label. This is the actual month and year that the vehicle rolled off the assembly line. It is usually true that if a vehicle was manufactured after July it is considered the next model year.
Type
Several different types of vehicles are designed to meet consumer demands. Examples include: pickups (e.g., Ford F-Series, Chevrolet Silverado, GMC Sierra, Toyota Tundra, Nissan Titan), sport utility vehicles (e.g., Ford Explorer, Dodge Durango, Mitsubishi Montero, Oldsmobile Bravada), sport utility trucks (e.g., Chevy Avalanche, Explorer Sport), compact cars (e.g., Honda Civic, Ford Escort ZX2, Geo Metro), mid-size cars (e.g., Ford Taurus, Honda Accord, Toyota Camry), full-size cars (e.g., Mercury Grand Marquis, Ford Crown Victoria, Chevrolet Caprice), mini-vans (e.g., Dodge Caravan, Chrysler Voyager, Ford Windstar, Honda Odyssey, Chevrolet Venture), full-size vans (e.g., Ford E-Series, Chevrolet Express, GMC Savana, Dodge Ram Wagon), and sports cars (e.g., Chevrolet Corvette, Dodge Viper, Porsche 911).
Engine Size and Configuration
The size of the engine is the combined volume of the cylinders. Engine size can be found on the EPA sticker under the hood. Engine size is commonly listed in liters or cubic inches. Common liter sizes include 2.2L, 2.5L, 3.0L, 3.8L, 5.0L, 5.7L, 6.0L, 8.0L, etc. Common cubic inch sizes include 302, 350, 360, etc. The only difference is that one is given in U.S. customary units (cubic inches) and the other in the metric system (liters). Engine configuration is the design of the engine block. Common engine configurations include inline, opposed, slant, or “V”. The configuration describes the way cylinders are arranged in the block. The number of cylinders within the engine block is also used to identify the type of engine design. Engines have 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, 10, or 12 cylinders. The most common engine configurations are inline 4s, V6s, or V8s.
Tech Tip
Identifying Vehicle Parts
To purchase the correct maintenance items (e.g., filters) or replacement parts (e.g., alternators, starters, spark plugs, etc.), it is important to know the vehicle’s VIN, make, model, engine size/configuration, and model year.
The Future
Automobiles of the future will be faster, sleeker, have more features, and be more energy efficient. Future automobiles may be powered by the sun (e.g., photovoltaic solar cells), hydrogen (e.g., hydrogen-powered fuel cells), or have multiple fuel source combinations (e.g., hybrid electric vehicles). When gas prices at the pump approached $2.00 a gallon in 2000 and again in 2003 during the beginning days of Operation Iraqi Freedom, many consumers began seeking energy efficient automobiles. At the turn of the millennium, Toyota and Honda started mass-producing hybrid (i.e., gas and electric) vehicles that reached approximately 50+ miles per gallon (MPG). The depletion of fossil fuels may have a great impact on future vehicle design.
Summary
Since the beginning of the modern era, people have been eager to explore new and exciting places. The automobile has made personal land transportation possible. Automobiles allow people to work many miles from where they live, sometimes commuting hours each way. Cugnot, Benz, Ford, and Porsche, among others, changed the development of automobiles forever. In a little over one hundred years, automobiles have become common to almost every household in the United States. With an ever-increasing number of vehicles on the road and demand for oil increasing, fossil fuel prices will certainly increase. Even today, manufacturers are beginning to produce hybrid electric vehicles and are experimenting with hydrogen-powered fuel cells that may eventually diminish our reliance on fossil fuels.
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