COLEGIUL NATIONAL NICOLAE TITULESCU-PUCIOASA

LUCRARE DE ATESTAT LA LIMBA ENGLEZA

THE HISTORY OF THE AUTOMOBILE

ELEV: ONEA ANDREI-CRISTIAN

CLASA: a XII-a A
PROFIL: REAL (MATEMATICĂ-INFORMATICĂ, INTENSIV LB.ENGLEZĂ)
PROF.COORDONATOR: FLORENTINA BRATU

IUNIE, 2023
 Contents
I. Introduction…………………………………………………….…3
II.The car concept and Eras of invention…………………………….3
1.Horseless carriage or veteran era…………………………………..4
2.Brass/Edwardian era……………………………………………….6
3.Vintage era…………………………………………………………7
4.Pre-war era…………………………………………………………8
5.Postwar era…………………………………………………………8
6.Modern era………………………………………………………..10
III.1.Conclusion……………………………………………………11
2. Bibliography……………………………………………………..11
3. Appendices………………………………………………………12
 I.Introduction
I chose this certificate because it represents something I've been passionate about since I was a
kid—cars. Playing with toy cars and inventing stories around them was a big part of my childhood. As I
got older, I began to realize just how essential cars are in our lives. They're vital for getting us from one
place to another. Imagine if we didn't have cars—our daily routines would be completely different.
Cars are almost as important as water or food. Almost everyone owns a car that allows us to
travel wherever we need to go. This made me curious about how cars actually work and how efficiently
they can transport us. As I started to research more about cars, I discovered some fascinating
information that only deepened my passion for the subject.
Learning about the mechanics and technology behind cars has been incredibly exciting for me.
It's not just about driving; it's about understanding the engineering and design that make cars such
incredible inventions. This certificate represents my dedication to exploring this passion further and
gaining a deeper understanding of something that has fascinated me since childhood.
Therefore, I think that “The history of the automobile” is a suitable topic for this kind of
certificate.

II.The car concept

Development of the automobile started in 1672 with the invention of the first steam-
powered vehicle, which led to the creation of the first steam-powered automobile capable of human
transportation, built by Nicolas-Joseph Cugnot in 1769. Inventors began to branch out at the start of the
19th century, creating the de Rivaz engine, one of the first internal combustion engines, and an
early electric motor. Samuel Brown later tested the first industrially applied internal combustion engine
in 1826. Only two of these were made.
Development was hindered in the mid-19th century by a backlash against large vehicles, yet
progress continued on some internal combustion engines. The engine evolved as engineers
created two- and four-cycle combustion engines and began using gasoline. The first modern car—a
practical, marketable automobile for everyday use—and the first car in series production appeared in
1886, when Carl Benz developed a gasoline-powered automobile and made several identical copies. In
1890, Gottlieb Daimler, inventor of the high-speed liquid petroleum-fueled engine, and Wilhelm
Maybach formed Daimler Motoren Gesellschaft. In 1926, the company merged with Benz &
Cie. (founded by Carl Benz in 1883) to form Daimler-Benz, known for its Mercedes-Benz automobile
brand.
From 1886, many inventors and entrepreneurs got into the "horseless carriage" business, both in
America and Europe, and inventions and innovations rapidly furthered the development and production
of automobiles. Ransom E. Olds founded Oldsmobile in 1897, and introduced the Curved Dash
Oldsmobile in 1901. Olds pioneered the assembly line using identical, interchangeable parts, producing
thousands of Oldsmobiles by 1903. Although sources differ, approximately 19,000 Oldsmobiles were
built, with the last produced in 1907. Production likely peaked from 1903 through 1905, at up to 5,000
units a year. In 1908, the Ford Motor Company further revolutionized automobile production by
developing and selling its Ford Model T at a relatively modest price. From 1913, introducing an
advanced moving assembly line allowed Ford to lower the Model T's price by almost 50%, making it the
first mass-affordable automobile.
 II.1.Horseless carriage or veteran era

The American George B. Selden filed for a patent on 8 May 1879. His application included the
engine and its use in a four-wheeled car. Selden filed a series of amendments to his application, which
stretched out the legal process, resulting in a delay of 16 years before the patent was granted on 5
November 1895. Selden licensed his patent to most major American automakers, collecting a fee on
each car they produced and creating the Association of Licensed Automobile Manufacturers. The Ford
Motor Company fought this patent in court, and eventually won on appeal. Henry Ford testified that the
patent did more to hinder than encourage development of autos in the United States.
The first automobiles were produced by Carl Benz in 1888 in Germany and, under license from
Benz, in France by Emile Roger. There were numerous others, including tricycle builders Rudolf
Egg, Edward Butler, and Léon Bollée. Bollée, using a 650 cc (40 cu in) engine of his own design,
enabled his driver, Jamin, to average 45 km/h (28 mph) in the 1897 Paris-Tourville rally. By 1900, mass
production of automobiles had begun in France and the United States.
The first company formed exclusively to build automobiles was Panhard et Levassor in France,
which is also credited for introducing the first four-cylinder engine. Formed in 1889, Panhard was
followed by Peugeot two years later. By the start of the 20th century, the automobile industry began
taking off in Western Europe, especially in France, where 30,204 were produced in 1903, representing
48.8 percent of world automobile production that year.
Across the northern US, local mechanics experimented with various prototypes. In Iowa, for
example, by 1890, Jesse O. Wells drove a steam-powered Locomobile. There were numerous
experiments in electric vehicles driven by storage batteries. The first users ordered the early gasoline-
powered cars, including Haynes, Mason, and Duesenberg automobiles. Blacksmiths and mechanics
started operating repair and gasoline stations. In Springfield, Massachusetts, brothers Charles and Frank
Duryea founded the Duryea Motor Wagon Company in 1893, becoming the first American automobile
manufacturing company. The Autocar Company, founded in 1897, established many innovations still in
use and remains the oldest operating motor vehicle manufacturer in the US. However, it was Ransom E.
Olds and his Olds Motor Vehicle Company (later known as Oldsmobile) who would dominate this era
with the introduction of the Oldsmobile Curved Dash. Its production line was running in 1901.
The Thomas B. Jeffery Company developed the world's second mass-produced automobile, and
1,500 Ramblers were built and sold in its first year, representing one-sixth of all existing motorcars in
the US at the time. Within a year, Cadillac (formed from the Henry Ford Company), Winton, and Ford
were also producing cars in the thousands. In South Bend, Indiana, the Studebaker brothers, having
become the world's leading manufacturers of horse-drawn vehicles, made a transition to electric
automobiles in 1902, and gasoline engines in 1904. They continued to build horse-drawn vehicles until
1919.
The first motor car in Central Europe was produced by the Austro-Hungarian company
Nesselsdorfer Wagenbau (later renamed to Tatra in today's Czech Republic) in 1897,
the Präsident automobile. In 1898, Louis Renault had a De Dion-Bouton modified, with fixed drive
shaft and differential, making "perhaps the first hot rod in history" and bringing Renault and his brothers
into the car industry. Innovation was rapid and rampant, with no clear standards for basic vehicle
architectures, body styles, construction materials, or controls; for example, many veteran cars use
a tiller, rather than a wheel for steering. During 1903, Rambler standardized on the steering wheel and
moved the driver's position to the left-hand side of the vehicle. Chain drive was dominant over the drive
shaft, and closed bodies were scarce. Drum brakes were introduced by Renault in The next year, Dutch
designer Jacobus Spijker built the first four-wheel drive racing car; it never competed . It would be 1965
and the Jensen FF before four-wheel drive was used on a production car.
Within a few years, hundreds of producers across the Western world were using
many technologies. Steam, electricity, and gasoline-powered automobiles competed for decades, with
gasoline internal combustion engines achieving dominance by the 1910s. Dual- and even quad-engine
cars were designed, and engine displacement ranged to more than 12 L (3.2 US gal). Many modern
advances, including gas/electric hybrids, multi-valve engines, overhead camshafts, and four-wheel drive,
were attempted and discarded at this time.
Innovation was not limited to the vehicles themselves. Increasing numbers of cars propelled the
growth of the petroleum industry, as well as the development of technology to produce gasoline
(replacing kerosene and coal oil) and of improvements in heat-tolerant mineral oil lubricants (replacing
vegetable and animal oils).
There were social effects, also. Music would be made about cars, such as "In My Merry
Oldsmobile" (a tradition that continues in several genres). At the same time, in 1896, William Jennings
Bryan would be the first presidential candidate to campaign in a car (a donated Mueller), in Decatur,
Illinois. Three years later, Jacob German would start a tradition for New York City cabdrivers when he
sped down Lexington Avenue, at the "reckless" speed of 19 km/h (12 mph). Also in 1899, Akron, Ohio,
adopted the first self-propelled paddy wagon.
By 1900, the early centers of national automotive industry developed in many countries,
including Belgium (home to Vincke, that copied Benz; Germain, a pseudo-Panhard;
and Linon and Nagant, both based on the Gobron-Brillié), Switzerland (led by Fritz Henriod, Rudolf
Egg, Saurer, Johann Weber, and Lorenz Popp), Vagnfabrik AB in Sweden, Hammel (by A. F. Hammel
and H. U. Johansen at Copenhagen, in Denmark, which only built one car, ca. 1886), Irgens (starting in
Bergen, Norway, in 1883, but without success), Italy (where FIAT started in 1899), and as far afield as
Australia (where Pioneer set up shop in 1898, with an already archaic paraffin-fueled center-pivot-
steered wagon). Meanwhile, the export trade had begun, with Koch exporting cars and trucks from Paris
to Tunisia, Egypt, Iran, and the Dutch East Indies. Motor cars were also exported to British colonies.
For example, the first was shipped to India in 1897.
Throughout the veteran car era, the automobile was seen more as a novelty than a genuinely
useful device. Breakdowns were frequent, fuel was difficult to obtain, roads suitable for traveling were
scarce, and rapid innovation meant that a year-old car was nearly worthless. Significant breakthroughs in
proving the usefulness of the automobile came with the historic long-distance drive of Bertha Benz in
1888, when she traveled more than 80 km (50 mi) from Mannheim to Pforzheim, to make people aware
of the potential of the vehicles her husband, Karl Benz, manufactured, and after Horatio Nelson
Jackson's successful transcontinental drive across the US in 1903 on a Winton car.
 II.2.Brass/Edwardian era

The Brass/Edwardian period lasted from roughly 1905 through 1914 and the beginning of World
War I. It is generally referred to as the Edwardian era, but in the United States, it is often known as
the Brass era from the widespread use of brass in vehicles during this time.
Within the 15 years that make up this era, the various experimental designs and alternate power
systems would be marginalized. Although the modern touring car had been invented earlier, it was not
until Panhard et Levassor's Système Panhard was widely licensed and adopted that recognizable and
standardized automobiles were created. This system specified front-engine, rear-wheel drive internal
combustion-engine cars with a sliding gear transmission. Traditional coach-style vehicles were rapidly
abandoned, and buckboard runabouts lost favor with the introduction of tonneaus and other less-
expensive touring bodies.
By 1906, steam car development had advanced, and they were among the fastest road vehicles in
that period.
Throughout this era, the development of automotive technology was rapid, partly due to hundreds
of small manufacturers competing to gain the world's attention. Key developments included the
electric ignition system, independent suspension, and four-wheel brakes. Leaf springs were widely used
for suspension, though many other systems were still in use, with angle steel taking over from armored
wood as the frame material of choice. Transmissions and throttle controls were widely adopted, allowing
a variety of cruising speeds. However, vehicles generally still had discrete speed settings, rather than the
infinitely variable system familiar in cars of later eras. Safety glass also debuted and was patented by
John Crewe Wood in England in 1905. (It would not become standard equipment until 1926, on
a Rickenbacker.)
Between 1907 and 1912 in the United States, the high-wheel motor buggy (resembling the horse
buggy of before 1900) was in its heyday, with over 75 makers
including Holsman (Chicago), IHC (Chicago), and Sears (which sold via catalog); the high-wheeler
would be killed by the Model T. In 1912, Hupp (in the US, supplied by Hale & Irwin) and BSA (in the
UK) pioneered the use of all-steel bodies,joined in 1914 by Dodge (who produced Model T
bodies). While it would be another two decades before all-steel bodies would be standard, the change
would mean improved supplies of superior-quality wood for furniture makers.
The 1908 New York to Paris Race was the world's first circumnavigation by automobile. German,
French, Italian, and American teams began in New York City on 12 February 1908, with three
competitors ultimately reaching Paris. The US-built Thomas Flyer with George Schuster (driver) won the
race covering 35,000 km in 169 days. Also in 1908, the first South American automobile was built in
Peru, the Grieve. In 1909, Rambler became the first car company to equip its cars with a spare tire that
was mounted on a fifth wheel.
Some examples of cars of the period included:

 1907 Takuri—the first entirely Japanese-made gasoline engine car produced by Komanosuke
Uchiyama in April 1907. Also, in Japan, the Hatsudoki Seizo Co. Ltd. is formed, which was later
renamed in 1951 as Daihatsu Kōgyō Kabushiki-gaisha.
 1908–1927 Ford Model T—the era's most widely produced and available four-seater car. It used
a planetary transmission and had a pedal-based control system. Ford T was proclaimed the most
influential car of the 20th century in the international Car of the Century awards.
 1909 Hudson Model 20—named after its rated power output and sold on its first market
for US$900 (equivalent to $30,520 in 2023).
 1909 Morgan Runabout—a popular cyclecar, cyclecars were sold in greater quantities than four-seater
cars in this period.[52]
 1910 Mercer Raceabout—regarded as one of the first sports cars, the Raceabout expressed the
exuberance of the driving public, as did the similarly conceived American Underslung and Hispano-
Suiza Alphonso.
 1910–1920 Bugatti Type 13—a notable racing and touring model with advanced engineering and
design. Similar models were Types 15, 17, 22, and 23.
 1914–1917 Dattogo—a two-cylinder, 10 hp (7,500 W) "all-Japanese" car manufactured in seven units
by the Kaishinsha Motor Works operated by Masujiro Hashimoto in Tokyo, while importing,
assembling, and selling British cars. Kaishinsha was the first automobile manufacturing business in
Japan.
 1917 Mitsubishi Model A—an all hand-built car built by Japanese company Mitsubishi in limited
numbers for Japanese executives.

II.3.Vintage Era

The vintage era lasted from the end of World War I (1918) until the Wall Street Crash at the end
of 1929. During this period, the front-engine car layout dominated, with closed bodies and standardized
controls becoming the norm. In 1919, 90 percent of cars sold were open; by 1929, 90 percent were
closed. Development of the internal combustion engine continued at a rapid pace,
with multivalve and overhead camshaft engines produced at the high end, and V8, V12, and even V16
engines conceived for the ultrarich. Also in 1919, hydraulic brakes were invented by Malcolm
Loughead (cofounder of Lockheed); they were adopted by Duesenberg for their 1921 Model A. Three
years later, Hermann Rieseler of Vulcan Motor invented the first automatic transmission, which had two-
speed planetary gearbox, torque converter, and lockup clutch; it never entered production. (It would only
become an available option in 1940.) Just at the end of the vintage era, tempered glass (now standard
equipment in side windows) was invented in France. In this era, the pontoon design of cars without fully
articulated fenders, running boards, and other non-compact ledge elements were introduced in small
series. Still, mass production of cars with these features began after World War II.
American auto companies in the 1920s expected they would soon sell six million cars a year but
did not do so until 1955. Numerous companies disappeared. Between 1922 and 1925, the number of US
passenger car builders decreased from 175 to 70. H. A. Tarantous, managing editor of "MoToR Member
Society of Automotive Engineers", in a New York Times article from 1925, suggested many were unable
to raise production and cope with falling prices (due to assembly line production), especially for low-
priced cars. The new pyroxylin-based paints, eight-cylinder engines, four-wheel brakes, and balloon tires
were the biggest trends for 1925.
Examples of period vehicles:

 1922–1939 Austin 7—a widely copied vehicle serving as a template for many cars such
as BMW and Nissan.
 1922–1931 Lancia Lambda—an advanced car for the time, was the first to feature a load-
bearing monocoque and independent front suspension.[citation needed]
 1924–1929 Bugatti Type 35—one of the most successful racing cars with over 1,000 victories in five
years.
 1925–1928 Hanomag 2/10 PS—early example of pontoon styling.
 1927–1931 Ford Model A (1927–1931)—after keeping the brass-era Model T in production for too
long, Ford broke from the past by restarting its model series with the 1927 Model A. More than four
million were produced, making it the bestselling model of the era. The Ford Model A was a prototype
for beginning Soviet mass car production (GAZ A).
 1930 Cadillac V-16—developed at the height of the vintage era, the V16-powered Cadillac would
join Bugatti's Royale as a legendary ultraluxury car of the era.
 II.4.Pre-war era
The pre-war part of the classic era began with the Great Depression in 1930, and ended with the
recovery after World War II, commonly placed during 1946. It was in this period that integrated fenders
and fully-closed bodies began to dominate sales, with the new saloon/sedan body style even incorporating
a trunk or boot at the rear for storage. The old open-top runabouts, phaetons, and touring cars were
largely phased out by the end of the classic era as wings, running boards, and headlights were gradually
integrated with the body of the car.
By the 1930s, most of the mechanical technology used in today's automobiles had been invented,
although some ideas were later "re-invented" and credited to others. For example, front-wheel drive was
re-introduced by André Citroën with the launch of the Traction Avant in 1934. However, cars with front-
wheel drive were made several years earlier in road cars produced by Alvis and Cord as well as in racing
cars by Miller (and may have appeared as early as 1897). In the same vein, the independent suspension
was initially developed by Amédée Bollée in 1873, but not put in production until the low-
volume Mercedes-Benz 380 in 1933, and later by other automakers using the design. In 1930, the number
of auto manufacturers declined sharply as the industry consolidated and matured, thanks in part to the
effects of the Great Depression.
Examples of pre-war automobiles:

 1932–1939 Alvis Speed 20—the first with all-synchromesh gearbox[citation needed]

 1932–1948 Ford V-8 (Model B)—introduction of the flathead V8 in mainstream vehicles
 1934–1938 Tatra 77—first serial-produced car with an aerodynamical design
 1934–1940 Bugatti Type 57—a refined automobile for the wealthy
 1934–1956 Citroën Traction Avant—first mass-produced front-wheel drive car, built
with monocoque chassis
 1936–1955 MG T series—sports cars
 1938–2003 Volkswagen Beetle—a design that was produced for over 60 years with over 20 million
units assembled in several countries
 1936–1939 Rolls-Royce Phantom III—V12 engine

II.5.Postwar era
A significant change in automobile design since World War II was the popularity of pontoon style, in
which running boards were eliminated and fenders were incorporated into the body. Among the first
representatives of the style were the Soviet GAZ-M20 Pobeda (1946), British Standard Vanguard (1947),
US Studebaker Champion, and Kaiser (1946), as well as the Czech Tatra T600 Tatraplan (1946) and the
Italian Cisitalia 220 sports car (1947).
Automobile design and production finally emerged from the military orientation and the shadow of war in
1949, the year high-compression V8 engines and modern bodies from General Motors's Oldsmobile and
Cadillac brands were introduced. Hudson presented the "step-down" design with the 1948 Commodore,
which placed the passenger compartment down inside the perimeter of the frame, that was one of the first
new-design postwar cars made, and it featured trend-setting slab-side styling. The unibody/strut-
suspended 1951 Ford Consul joined the 1948 Morris Minor and 1949 Rover P4 in the automobile market
in the UK. In Italy, Enzo Ferrari was beginning his 250 series, just as Lancia introduced the
revolutionary V6-powered Aurelia.
Throughout the 1950s, engine power and vehicle speeds rose, designs became more integrated and artful,
and automobiles were marketed internationally. Alec Issigonis's Mini and Fiat's 500 diminutive cars were
introduced in Europe, while the similar kei car class became popular in Japan. The Volkswagen
Beetle continued production after World War II and began exports to other nations, including the US. At
the same time, Nash introduced the Nash Rambler, the first successful modern compact car made in the
US, while the standard models produced by the "Big Three" domestic automakers grew larger, featuring
increasing amounts of chrome trim, and luxury as exemplified by the Cadillac Eldorado Brougham. The
markets in Europe expanded with new small-sized automobiles, as well as expensive grand tourers (GT),
like the Ferrari America.
The market changed in the 1960s, as the US "Big Three" automakers began facing competition from
imported cars, European makers adopted advanced technologies, and Japan emerged as a car-producing
nation. Japanese companies began to export some of their more popular cars in Japan internationally,
such as the Toyota Corolla, Toyota Corona, Nissan Sunny, and Nissan Bluebird in the mid-1960s. The
success of American Motors's compact-sized Rambler models spurred GM and Ford to introduce their
own downsized cars in 1960. Performance engines became a focus of marketing by US automakers,
exemplified by the era's muscle cars. In 1964, the Ford Mustang developed a new market segment,
the pony car. New models to compete with the Mustang included the Chevrolet Camaro, AMC Javelin,
and Plymouth Barracuda.
Captive imports and badge engineering increased in the US and the UK as amalgamated groups such as
the British Motor Corporation consolidated the market. BMC's space-saving and trend-setting transverse
engine, front-wheel-drive, independent suspension and monocoque bodied Mini, which first appeared in
1959, was marketed under the Austin and Morris names, until Mini became a marque in its own right in
1969. Competition increased, with Studebaker, a pioneering automaker, shutting down. The trend for
consolidation reached Italy, where niche makers like Maserati, Ferrari, and Lancia were acquired by
larger companies. By the decade's end, the number of automobile marques had been greatly reduced.
Technology developments included the widespread use of independent suspensions, wider application
of fuel injection, and an increasing focus on safety in automotive design. Innovations during the 1960s
included NSU's Wankel engine, the gas turbine, and the turbocharger. Of these, only the last endured,
pioneered by General Motors, and adopted by BMW and Saab, later seeing mass-market use during the
1980s by Chrysler. Mazda continued developing its Wankel engine despite problems in longevity,
emissions, and fuel economy. Other Wankel licensees, including Mercedes-Benz and GM, never
produced their designs because of engineering and manufacturing problems and the need for greater fuel
economy after the 1973 oil crisis.
The 1970s were turbulent years for automakers and buyers, with prominent events reshaping the industry,
such as the 1973 oil crisis, stricter automobile emissions control and safety requirements, increasing
exports by the Japanese and European automakers, as well as growth in inflation and the stagnant
economic conditions in many nations. Smaller-sized cars grew in popularity. During the Malaise era, the
US saw the establishment of the subcompact segment with the introduction of the AMC Gremlin,
followed by the Chevrolet Vega and Ford Pinto. The station wagon (estate, break, kombi, universal) body
design was popular, as well as increasing sales of noncommercial all-wheel drive off-road vehicles.
Toward the end of the 20th century, the US Big Three (GM, Ford, and Chrysler) partially lost their
leading position. Japan became a leader in car production for a time, and cars began to be mass
manufactured in new Asian, East European, and other countries.
Examples of postwar cars:

 1946–1958 GAZ-M20 Pobeda—Soviet car with full pontoon design

 1947–1958 Standard Vanguard—British mass-market car with a complete pontoon design
 1948–1971 Morris Minor—an early postwar car exported around the world
 1953–1971 Chevrolet Bel Air and 1953–2002 Cadillac Eldorado Brougham—first generations were
representative of tailfin design
 1955–1976 Citroën DS—aerodynamic design and innovative technology, awarded third place as Car
of the 20th Century
 1959–2000 Mini—a radical and innovative small car that was manufactured for four decades;
awarded second place as Car of the 20th Century
 1960-1990 Volkswagen Brasília
 1961–1975 Jaguar E-Type—a classic sports car design
 1963–1989 Porsche 911—a sports car was awarded fifth place as Car of the 20th Century
 1964–present Ford Mustang—the pony car that became one of the bestselling cars of the era
 1966–end of the 20th century Fiat 124—an Italian car that was produced under license in many other
countries including the Soviet Union
 1966–1971 Subaru 1000—one of the first Japanese built sedans using a boxer engine, front wheel
drive and introducing the "double offset joint" driveshaft to the front wheels
 1967 NSU Ro 80—the basic wedge profile of this design was emulated in subsequent decades, unlike
its Wankel engine
 late 1960s–early 1980s Gurgel BR-800
 late 1960s–early 1980s Gurgel Supermini
 1969 Nissan S30—Japanese sports car
 1977–present Lada Niva—the first mass-produced full-time all-wheel drive car

II.6.Modern era
The modern era is normally defined as the 40 years preceding the current year. The modern era
has been one of increasing standardization, platform sharing, and computer-aided design—to reduce costs
and development time—and of increasing use of electronics for both engine management and
entertainment systems.
Some contemporary developments are the proliferation of front- and all-wheel drive, the adoption
of the diesel engine, and the ubiquity of fuel injection. Most modern passenger cars are front-wheel-drive
monocoque or unibody designs with transversely mounted engines.
Body styles have changed as well in the modern era. Three types, the hatchback, sedan, and sport
utility vehicle, dominate today's market. All initially emphasized practicality, but have mutated into
today's high-powered luxury crossover SUV, sports wagon, and two-volume Large MPV. The rise
of pickup trucks in the US and SUVs worldwide has changed the face of motoring, with these "trucks"
coming to command more than half of the world's automobile market. There was also the introduction of
the MPV class (smaller noncommercial passenger minivans), among the first of which were the
French Renault Espace and the Chrysler minivan versions in the US.
The modern era has also rapidly improved fuel efficiency and engine output. The automobile
emissions concerns have been eased with computerized engine management systems.
The financial crisis of 2007–2008 cut almost a third of light vehicle sales from Chrysler, Toyota,
Ford, and Nissan. It also subtracted about a fourth of Honda's sales and a seventh of sales from General
Motors.
Since 2009, China has become the world's largest car manufacturer, producing more than Japan,
the US, and Europe. Besides the increasing car production in Asia and other countries, there has been
growth in transnational corporate groups, with the production of transnational automobiles sharing the
same platforms and badge engineering or rebadging to suit different markets and consumer segments.
Since the end of the 20th century, several award competitions for cars and trucks have become widely
known, such as European Car of the Year, Car of the Year Japan, North American Car of the Year, World
Car of the Year, Truck of the Year, and International Car of the Year.
Examples of modern cars:
 1966–1992 Oldsmobile Toronado—First modern-era American car with front-wheel drive as well as
introduced electronic antilock braking system and airbag.
 1972–present Mercedes-Benz S-Class—Seat belt pretensioner, and electronic traction control system
 1975–present BMW 3 Series—the 3 Series has been on Car and Driver magazine's annual Ten Best
list 17 times
 1977–present Honda Accord saloon/sedan—a Japanese sedan that became popular in the US
 1983–present Chrysler minivans—the two-box minivan design nearly pushed the station wagon out of
the market
 1984–present Renault Espace—first mass one-volume car of noncommercial MPV class
 1986–2019 Ford Taurus—a midsized front-wheel drive sedan that dominated the US market in the
late 1980s
 1997–present Toyota Prius—launched in the Japanese market and became a popular hybrid electric
vehicle in many markets.
 1998–present Ford Focus—a popular hatchbacks and Ford's bestselling world car
 2008–2012 Tesla Roadster—first highway-capable all-electric vehicle in serial production for sale in
the US in the modern era. It sold about 2,500 units worldwide.
 2008–2013 BYD F3DM—first highway-capable series production plugin hybrid, launched in China in
December 2008, sold over 2,300 units.
 2009–present, Mitsubishi i-MiEV—first highway-capable series production all-electric car, launched
in Japan in July 2009 for fleet customers and in April 2010 for retail customers. Rebadged versions of
the i-MiEV are sold in Europe by PSA Peugeot Citroën (PSA) as the Peugeot iOn and Citroën C-Zero.
 2010–present, Nissan Leaf and Chevrolet Volt—all-electric car and plugin hybrid correspondingly,
launched in December 2010, are the world's top-selling mass production vehicles of their kind. As of
December 2015, global Volt sales totaled over 100,000. Nissan Leaf global sales achieved the 300,000
unit milestone in January 2018, making the Leaf the world's all-time bestselling highway-capable
electric car in history.
 2012–present, Tesla Model S—Plugin electric vehicle was ranked the world's bestselling plugin
electric vehicle in 2015. It was also named car of the century by Car and Driver.

III.1.Conclusion
In conclusion, this certificate was an opportunity for me to explore my lifelong passion for cars
more deeply. From childhood play to adult curiosity, I was eager to enhance my understanding of these
essential vehicles that have always fascinated me. This journey represented a meaningful step toward
expanding my knowledge in a field that continues to inspire me.

III.2.Bibliography
https://www.history.com
Story of the automobile by Herbert Lee Barber
The Life of the Automobile: The Complete History of the Motor Car by Steven Parissien
https://www.wikipedia.org
 1. The first automobile in Japan
2.A Stanley Steamer racecar in 1903

3.1926 Bugatti Type 35

.
4.Volkswagen Beetle

5.1974 Citroën DS 6.Toyota Corolla