The Automobile

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      The history of the automobile begins as early as 1769, with the creation of steam engined automobiles capable of human transport. François Isaac de Rivaz designed the first car powered by an internal combustion engine running on fuel gas in 1807. Although the blueprint for the modern automobile was perfected in Germany and France in the late 1800s, Americans dominated the industry in the first half of the twentieth century. Mass-production techniques that became standard was initiated by Henry Ford. General Motors ,Chrysler, and Ford emerged as the three leading auto companies in the 1920's The industry had become global with Japan rising to be the leading auto maker by 1980. In 1980, 87.2 percent of American households owned one or more motor vehicles, 51.5 percent owned more than one, and fully 95 percent of domestic car sales were for replacement. Americans have become truly auto-dependent. In 1983 Chrysler mini vans nearly pushed station wagons out of the market. The Toyota Prius launched in the Japanese market in 1997 has now become the best known hybrid electric vehicle. Today there are over fifty automobile manufactuers some including: Volkswagen, BMW, Chevrolet, Toyota , Chrysler, and Mercedes. Today there are automobiles to fit every drivers needs and desires.