Automobiles, also known as cars, are motor vehicles that run primarily on roads. They usually have four wheels, seat one to eight people, and mainly transport people over cargo. There are around a billion automobiles in use worldwide. Automobiles are typically powered by an internal combustion engine or electric motor, and have a body that is designed to be aesthetically pleasing.
The first automobiles were built in the early 1800s. At that time, most were small shops that produced only a few handmade cars. The few companies that survived into the era of large-scale production fell into one of three well-defined categories: makers of bicycles, such as Opel in Germany and Morris in Great Britain; builders of horse-drawn vehicles, including Durant and Studebaker in the United States; or, most frequently, machinery manufacturers.
Karl Benz is credited with inventing the first gasoline-powered car around 1885. Gottlieb Daimler, a businessman and engineer who came after Benz, introduced several innovations in the automotive industry. In the late 19th century, he and Benz founded Daimler Motoren Gesellschaft (DMG) in Cannstatt, Germany. Their first car was a horse carriage that they retrofitted with an engine of their design.
The automobile revolutionized society in many ways. It gave people more freedom, allowed them to visit new places, and led to the development of leisure activities like tourism and recreational sports. The automobile also brought problems, such as pollution from exhaust and the draining of the world’s oil supply. As a result, government regulations were passed to improve safety and vehicle performance.