Automobile

Automobile, self-propelled vehicle used for travel on land. The term is commonly applied
to a four-wheeled vehicle designed to carry two to six passengers and a limited amount of
cargo, as contrasted with a truck, which is designed primarily for the transportation of
goods and is constructed with larger and heavier parts, or a bus (or omnibus or coach),
which is a large public conveyance designed to carry a large number of passengers and
sometimes additionally small amounts of cargo. For operation and technical features of
automobiles, differential; fuel injection; ignition; internal-combustion engine; lubrication;
muffler; odometer; shock absorber; speedometer; steering system; suspension;
tachometer; tire; transmission.
Automobile
"Car" redirects here. For other uses, see Car (disambiguation).
An automobile is a wheeled vehicle that carries its own motor. Different types of
automobiles include cars, buses, trucks, vans, and motorcycles, with cars being the most
popular. The term is derived from Greek 'autos' (self) and Latin 'movre' (move), referring
to the fact that it 'moves by itself'. Earlier terms for automobile include 'horseless
carriage' and 'motor car'. An automobile has seats for the driver and, almost without
exception, one or more passengers. It is the main source of transportation across the
world.
As of 2005 there are 500 million cars worldwide (0.074 per capita), of which 220 million
are located in the United States (0.75 per capita).

The history of automobiles

The modern automobile powered by the Otto gasoline engine was invented in Germany
by Karl Benz. Even though Karl Benz is credited with the invention of the modern
automobile, several other German engineers worked on building the first automobile at
the same time. These inventors are: Karl Benz on July 3, 1886 in Mannheim, Gottlieb
Daimler and Wilhelm Maybach in Stuttgart (also inventors of the first motor bike) and in
1888/89 German-Austrian inventor Siegfried Marcus in Vienna, although Marcus didn't
go beyond the prototype stage.
Automobile history eras
1890s
Veteran

1900s

1910s

Brass

1920s
Vintage
Antique

1960s1970s
1980s
1930s
1940s
1950s
1990s
2000s
Pre-War
Post-War
Classic
Modern