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Table of Contents
An automobile, also known as a car, is a wheeled, self-powered motor vehicle used for transportation and comes in many forms.
See the fact file below for more information on the automobile or alternatively, you can download our 25-page Automobile worksheet pack to utilise within the classroom or home environment.
Key Facts & Information
EARLY HISTORY
- Unlike many other major inventions, the original idea of the automobile cannot be attributed to a single individual.
- The idea of mechanically powered vehicles occurred long before the age of steam.
- Leonardo da Vinci considered the idea of a self-propelled vehicle in the 15th century. In the 17th-century, German physicist, Otto von Guericke suggested an air engine.
- In Paris, Isaac de Rivas made a gas-powered vehicle in 1807. His engine used hydrogen gas as fuel.
- By the age of steam power, Nicolas-Joseph Cugnot of France constructed the first true automobile.
- Cugnot’s vehicle was a huge, heavy, steam-powered tricycle.
- Model of 1769 was said to have run for 20 minutes at 2.25 miles per hour while carrying four people.
- By the 1830s English inventors were active, and the manufacture and use of steam road carriages was flourishing.
- The year 1886 is considered to be the birth of the modern car. In that year, German inventor Karl Benz built a modern automobile called the Benz Patent-Motorwagen.
THE RISE OF AUTOMOTIVE INDUSTRY
- Large-scale, production-line manufacturing of affordable cars was started by Ransom Olds in 1901 at his Oldsmobile factory in Michigan, USA.
- Some 485 companies entered the business in the next decade.
- Henry Ford then founded Ford Motor Company in 1903.
- In 1908, Henry Ford introduced the Model T and William Durant founded General Motors.
- The industry quickly spread worldwide with the founding of Ford France and Ford Britain in 1911, Ford Denmark 1923, Ford Germany 1925.
- In Japan, Toyota, Nissan, Suzuki, Mazda, and Honda began as companies producing non-automotive products before the war, switching to car production during the 1950s.
PRE & POST WAR AUTOS
- By the entry of 1930’s, integrated fenders and fully closed bodies began to dominate sales.
- Bugatti Type 57, a singular refined automobile for the wealthy, was introduced.
- Volkswagen Beetle was also produced for over 60 years with over 20 million units assembled in several countries.
- After World War II, design and production emerged from military orientation.
- Models proliferated, and every year cars became longer and heavier, more powerful, more gadget-bedecked, and more expensive to purchase and to operate.
- The worldwide appeal of the American car had faded. Hence, the rise of European and Asian designs such as the Volkswagen, Toyota, and Nissan models.
- Japan became, for a while, the world’s leader of car production and cars began to be mass manufactured in Asian, East European, and other countries.
MODERN CARS
- By the start of the modern era, three types, the hatchback, sedan, and sport utility vehicle, dominated the market.
- The modern era has also seen rapidly improving fuel efficiency and engine output.
- The Toyota Corolla has become the best-selling car, with over 40 million sold across 11 generations through July 2013.
- By 2009, China had become the world’s largest car manufacturer with production greater than Japan, the United States, and all of Europe.
- Mitsubishi i-MiEV became first highway-capable all-electric car, launched in Japan in July 2009 for fleet customers, and in April 2010 for retail customers.
- The gas-less car was then followed by Tesla Model S Plug-in, an electric vehicle ranked as the world’s best selling plug-in electric vehicle in 2015.
- Toyota is currently the world’s largest car manufacturer. Each day it produces about 13,000 cars. Ferrari, in contrast, produces a maximum of 14.
- There are an estimated 1.2 billion cars in the world today while there were only 500 million in 1986.
- Toyota, Mercedes-Benz, BMW, Honda, and Ford are currently among the world’s most valued car brands.
- Because of mass production, automobiles are the world’s most recycled product.
Automobile Worksheets
This is a fantastic bundle which includes everything you need to know about automobile across 25 in-depth pages. These are ready-to-use Automobile worksheets that are perfect for teaching students about an automobile, also known as a car, which is a wheeled, self-powered motor vehicle used for transportation and comes in many forms.
Complete List Of Included Worksheets
- My Dream Auto
- The Basic Parts
- Vintage Era
- The Classics
- Modern Autos
- Auto Types
- The Brands
- Record Holders
- Road Safety
- Auto Future
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Link will appear as Automobile (car) Facts & Worksheets: https://kidskonnect.com - KidsKonnect, July 9, 2019
Use With Any Curriculum
These worksheets have been specifically designed for use with any international curriculum. You can use these worksheets as-is, or edit them using Google Slides to make them more specific to your own student ability levels and curriculum standards.