Automobiles are wheeled vehicles that are powered by an internal combustion engine using a volatile fuel. They are usually used to transport people and cargo, but can also be equipped for special purposes like fire fighting, sanitary, mobile cranes, or infantry fighting vehicles. They can be driven on paved roads, off-road or on ice or snow. The invention of the automobile made it possible for people to travel long distances without relying on horse-drawn carriages. It gave people more freedom and created new industries such as oil, steel, and rubber. The automobile also helped reduce poverty because it allowed middle class families to afford more consumer goods.
The automobile was first invented and perfected in Germany and France toward the end of the 19th century by such men as Nicolaus Otto, Karl Benz, and Gottlieb Daimler. In the United States, Henry Ford introduced mass production techniques to automobile manufacturing in the 1890s, which greatly reduced the price of his Model T.
By the 1930s, automobile production and innovation began to slow. Demand decreased as the depression began, but a rebound in the 1950s fueled a huge increase in auto sales. After World War II manufacturers concentrated on producing for the military and automobile production dwindled in the US. This allowed the market to be flooded with imported cars from Japan and Germany. The non-functional styling of American cars, their lack of safety features and their fuel efficiency were the main reasons for this.
