Automotive Milestones
Automobiles have gone through a large number of changes since Carl Benz’s 1886 Motorcar. Numerous milestones and significant automotive events have made vehicles more efficient, comfortable, and reliable.
| Timeline of Automotive Milestones | |
| 1769- 1770 | Nicholas Cugnot built and demonstrated the Cugnot steam traction engine. |
| 1876 | Nikolaus Otto developed the four-stroke engine. |
| 1886 | Carl Benz patented the world’s first practical motorcar.
Daimler-Benz Company formed. |
| 1892 | Rudolf Diesel patented the diesel engine. |
| 1895 | The word “automobile” coined. |
| 1897 | Automotive insurance introduced.
Olds Motor Vehicle Company organized. |
| 1900 | Steam and electric vehicles more popular than gasoline powered vehicles. |
| 1901 | Ransom Olds used an assembly line to build the first mass-produced automobile, the Curved Dash Oldsmobile, which sold for $650. |
| 1902 | American Automobile Association (AAA) formed.
Cadillac Automobile Company organized. |
| 1903 | Ford Motor Company formed.
Buick Motor Company founded. Windshield wiper invented by Mary Anderson. |
| 1908 | Model T introduced and sold for $850.
General Motors Company organized. |
| 1911 | Chevrolet Motor Company organized.
Self starter invented. |
| 1914 | Cleveland, Ohio the first city with traffic lights.
Henry Ford raised the minimum daily wage from $2.30 to $5.00. |
| 1916 | Brake lights installed. |
| 1917 | The all-steel wheel developed. |
| 1937 | Toyota Motor Company, Ltd. established. |
| 1938 | Volkswagen Beetle produced. |
| 1939 | Nash Motor Company offered air conditioning.
Hydra-matic (automatic) transmission introduced. |
| 1942- 1945 | U.S. automotive manufacturers supported Allied Powers by producing airplanes, tanks, etc. |
| 1948 | Honda Motor Co. formed with $3,300. |
| 1951 | Power steering installed in cars. |
| 1954 | Fuel injection used on Mercedes-Benz 300SL. |
| 1965 | Motor Vehicle Air Pollution Control Act passed, the first federal emissions standards. |
| 1973 | Arab oil producers imposed U.S. export ban of oil. |
| 1997 | Toyota Prius introduced and sold in Japan. |
| 1999 | Honda Insight Hybrid introduced in U.S. |
| 2006 | Ford Motor Company planned to cut North American workforce by 25%. |
| 2007 | Tire pressure monitoring system (TPMS) required. |
| 2009 | General Motors and Chrysler filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. |
| 2010 | Tesla Motors launched its IPO (initial public offering) and became a publicly traded company. |
| 2011 | Average age of a U.S. vehicle was 10.8 years old. |
| 2013 | The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) require new fuel economy and environmental label for all new cars and trucks. |
