Automobile Industry: History, Growth & Development

About the Automobile Industry: The design of modern automotive vehicles is discussed in the articles automobile, truck, bus, and motorcycle; automotive engines are described as gasoline engines and diesel engines. The development of the automobile is covered in transportation and the history of The rise of the automobile.

The history of the automobile industry, though brief compared with that of many other industries, has exceptional interest because of its effects on history from the 20th century.

Although the automobile originated in Europe in the late 19th century, the United States completely dominated the world industry for the first half of the 20th century through the invention of mass production techniques.

The automotive industry includes all those companies and activities involved in the manufacture of motor vehicles, including most components, such as engines and bodies, but excluding tires, batteries, and fuel.

The industry’s principal products are passenger automobiles and light trucks, including pickups, vans, and sport utility vehicles. Commercial vehicles (i.e., delivery trucks and large transport trucks, often called semis), though important to the industry, are secondary.

History of the Automobile Industry

In the second half of the century, the situation altered sharply as Western European countries and Japan became major producers and exporters. Although steam-powered road vehicles were produced earlier, the origins of the automotive industry are rooted in the development of the gasoline engine in the 1860s and ’70s, principally in France and Germany.

By the beginning of the 20th century, German and French manufacturers had been joined by British, Italian, and American makers.

The outstanding contribution of the automotive industry to technological advancement was the introduction of full-scale mass production, a process combining precision, standardization, interchangeability, synchronization, and continuity.

Mass production was an American innovation. The United States, with its large population, high standard of living, and long distances, was the natural birthplace of the technique, which had been partly explored in the 19th century.

Growth of the Automobile industry

Although Europe had shared in the experimentation, the American role was emphasized in the popular description of standardization and interchangeability as “the American system of manufacture.” The fundamental techniques were known, but they had not previously been applied to the manufacture of a mechanism as complex as a motor vehicle (see work, history of the organization of) (see work, history of the organization of).

The outstanding contribution of the automotive industry to technological advancement was the introduction of full-scale mass production, a process combining precision, standardization, interchangeability, synchronization, and continuity. Mass production was an American innovation.

Development Automobile industry

The United States, with its large population, high standard of living, and long distances, was the natural birthplace of the technique, which had been partly explored in the 19th century.

Although Europe had shared in the experimentation, the American role was emphasized in the popular description of standardization and interchangeability as “the American system of manufacture.”

The fundamental techniques were known, but they had not previously been applied to the manufacture of a mechanism as complex as a motor vehicle (see work, history of the organization).