Professional Documents
Culture Documents
THE AUTOMOBILE
DATELINE
STATUS OF THE AUTOMOTIVE INDUSTRY 1806 Franois Isaac de Rivaz (from Switzerland) makes the first
internal combustion engine. The engine runs on mixture of hydrogen and oxygen.
DIRECT IMPACT The automotive industry is still at a nascent stage in this era with the maximum output of any factory being not more than 30 vehicles. It was yet to have the ground breaking impact it would have in the next century. In the absence of the assembly line system, engineers and craftsmen would customize each part for every vehicle made.
SECONDARY OR INDIRECT IMPACT No other invention or innovation has touched as many aspects of our society as the automobile. It allowed Americans for the first time to actually utilize the freedom granted them in the constitution. They could travel wherever they pleased whenever they pleased. The automobile allowed people to set their own schedule, and have the freedom to leave for work when they wanted at the risk of being late, not when the train left. America s entire lifestyle changed with the coming of the automobile. Cities were no longer the only place to find urban comforts. People were able to live in nice, comfortable communities, instead of right next to loud, dirty factories
1860 Thomas Rickett one of the steam car builders in Britain starts
making cars.
1893 Karl Benz introduces first four wheeled vehicle powered by four-stroke engines of his own design. 1895 About 30 vehicles had been built by Daimler and Maybach. 1895 George Selden gets the United States patent (U.S. Patent
549,160 ) for a two-stroke automobile engine. This hinders car development in the United States.
1896 Karl Benz designs first internal combustion flat engine. 1897 Harry J. Lawson founds Daimler Motor Company in Britain
and starts making cars.
1897 Rudolf Diesel builds the first Diesel Engine in car history.
STATUS OF THE AUTOMOTIVE INDUSTRY 1902 New model DMG automobile is produced and named
Mercedes.
DIRECT IMPACT
1902-03 Maybach quits DMG and opens his own business. 1910 Internal combustion engines achieve dominance over steam
powered vehicles.
Before 1900, only a very small amount of petroleum was converted into gasoline. With the arrival of the gasoline automobile, it helped to increase the amount of crude oil supply through the opening of new oil fields in Texas.
1914 Ford drops all colors but black because it is the only color
(made in Japan) that dries fast enough.
The widespread popularity of Model-T created pressure for the federal government to become more directly involved in road development which resulted in the Federal-Aid Highway Program
1914 Ford factory worker can buy a Model T with four months' pay. 1921 Citroen was the first European manufacturer to adopt
production-line manufacturing.
1923- The first shopping 1925 Citroen, Renault and Peugeot produce 550.000 cars, other
car companies can not compete. mall comes into existence
1940 Only 17 car manufacturers were left in USA due to the great
depression.
STATUS OF THE AUTOMOTIVE INDUSTRY Post 1949 Incredible Boost to the automotive industry in general,
with new fangled designs being accepted world wide. The focus was on artful and innovative designs.
DIRECT IMPACT
The automobile had an impact on the manufacturing of war type products. "Automobile firms in addition to produces trucks, made shells, guns, recoil mechanisms, gun carriages, tractors, and aircraft engines. The amount of wages was doubled in factories. The rubber industry got a big boost from the tyre sales in the automotive industry
1960s It was during the sixties that the use of steel unibodies
came to be used extensively by the European car industry. The newer models also experimented with alternate materials suitable for the body like fiberglass
1960s The 1960s also saw the emergence of pony cars and
muscle cars in America, where performance of vehicles mattered the most. The Ford Mustang was another popular car of this period
1970s The 1970s also was a period of major changes for the
American Automobile industry due to the 1973 oil crisis as well as the automobile emissions control act. Moreover, the small imported cars were preferred to the large American ones and combined with the stagnancy in any type of innovation in this field, the American automobile industry began to experience a fall.
Since 2000 With Global Warming and fossil fuel depletion having
become major issues, the focus has shifted on Hybrid cars, Electric cars, etc although they are still at a very nascent stage
MILESTONES
1914
Social Impact
The assembly line production resulted in lay-offs of workers as workers began to be replaced by machines. Most factories which did not have assembly lines were forced to shut down as they could not compete with the stiff competition. Model T made sure that the automobile was no longer an accessory of the rich. As it became affordable for the middle classes, it allowed for mobility which was hitherto deemed impossible.
Since 1920s
Social Impact
Man s desire for competition and one-up manship also manifested in automobiles. Car Racing competitions became synonymous with all that is macho and cool.
Since 1923
Social Impact
The shopping mall allowed for the commercial area to be shifted out of the city. This heralded the end of Mom and Pop stores around the corner, which were an intrinsic part of the social fabric of any neighborhood.
1932
Social Impact
The automobile allowed for the liberation of women, emancipation in a way it was hitherto unthinkable. The car allowed them to venture out of the house in search of work and made them more coscious of their rights, their freedoms.
Since 1920s
Impact on Economy
Tourism was one industry that was given a new lease of life by the automobile. People were travelling and visiting places like never before. Economies of Hill stations, small towns witnessed a surge like never before.
Since 1920s
Since 1920s
Social Impact
As people shifted out of the city, the city centers started decaying. This resulted in an exponential rise in crime and disintegration of close knit communities.
1956
Social Impact
As people could easily commute out of the city, recreational areas like Disneyland could be established which completely redefined the way in which entertainment is looked.
1956
Impact on Infrastructure
The automobile brought about the need for highways as it never existed before. This allowed for better networking of the country, unifying it, allowing free movement of population across the states.
Social Impact
Ever since its advent, the automobile has been a status symbol. It became a medium to show your wealth your position in society.
Since 1950s
Impact on Infrastructure
Traditionally, all major cities were essentially mixed usage which resulted in close knit communities where all major facilities were at walking distance. The automobile allowed for rigid landuse zoning and dismantling of that social structure and way of life.
Since 1960s
Impact on Infrastructure
The automobile brought congestion and space crunch in cities and traffic jams became a word of common parlance. This has brought about things like road range, time wastage, etc
Since 1980s
Impact on Environment
As global warming and air pollution have come to be pertinent issues, the statistic that 50% of the air pollution is cause by automobiles has come to the fore. And increasing, governments are trying to discourage the usage of automobiles in favor of public transport.
THANK YOU