The Cars PortalA car, or an automobile, is a motor vehicle with wheels. Most definitions of cars state that they run primarily on roads, seat one to eight people, have four wheels, and mainly transport people, not cargo. The French inventor Nicolas-Joseph Cugnot built the first steam-powered road vehicle in 1769, while the Swiss inventor François Isaac de Rivaz designed and constructed the first internal combustion-powered automobile in 1808. The modern car—a practical, marketable automobile for everyday use—was invented in 1886, when the German inventor Carl Benz patented his Benz Patent-Motorwagen. Commercial cars became widely available during the 20th century. One of the first cars affordable by the masses was the Ford Model T, begun in 1908, an American car manufactured by the Ford Motor Company. Cars were rapidly adopted in the US, where they replaced horse-drawn carriages. In Europe and other parts of the world, demand for automobiles did not increase until after World War II. The car is considered an essential part of the developed economy. Cars have controls for driving, parking, passenger comfort, and a variety of lamps. Over the decades, additional features and controls have been added to vehicles, making them progressively more complex. These include rear-reversing cameras, air conditioning, navigation systems, and in-car entertainment. Most cars in use in the early 2020s are propelled by an internal combustion engine, fueled by the combustion of fossil fuels. Electric cars, which were invented early in the history of the car, became commercially available in the 2000s and are predicted to cost less to buy than petrol-driven cars before 2025. The transition from fossil fuel-powered cars to electric cars features prominently in most climate change mitigation scenarios, such as Project Drawdown's 100 actionable solutions for climate change. (Full article...) Entries here consist of Good and Featured articles, which meet a core set of high editorial standards.
The Duesenberg Model A was the first automobile in series production to have hydraulic brakes and the first automobile in series production in the United States with a straight-eight engine. Officially known as the Duesenberg Straight Eight, the Model A was first shown in late 1920 in New York City. Production was delayed by substantial changes to the design of the car, including a change in the engine valvetrain from horizontal overhead valves to an overhead camshaft; also during this time, the company had moved its headquarters and factory from New Jersey to Indiana. The Model A was manufactured in Indianapolis, Indiana, from 1921 to 1925 by the Duesenberg Automobiles and Motors Company and from 1925 to 1926 at the same factory by the restructured Duesenberg Motor Company. The successors to the company began referring to the car as the Model A when the Model J was introduced. With a top speed of 71mph. (Full article...) Selected article -The Japan Automotive Hall of Fame (or JAHFA) is based at the National Museum of Nature and Science in Tokyo, Japan. It was established in 2000 and, since 2001, five or six people have been inducted in an annual award ceremony held at the museum. With plans to involve other museums (as in Kumamoto, where a dedicated display was opened), the Japanese Automotive Hall of Fame (a registered NPO) serves a useful role by informing people of the outstanding achievements made over the years by the motor industry pioneers and their successors. Of even greater importance, it is intended to inspire the next generation. (Full article...)Selected picture of the daySelected biography -
Carlos Antunes Tavares Dias (born 14 August 1958) is a Portuguese businessman. He is the chief executive officer (CEO) of Stellantis, the world's fourth largest automaker by sales, formed by the merger of the PSA Group and Fiat Chrysler Automobiles. He was formerly the chief operating officer at Renault. (Full article...)
On this day May 23
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Selected quote of the dayThings just didn't work out —Semon "Bunkie" Knudsen, explaining his dismissal as president of the Ford Motor Company after just one year on the job TopicsGeneral imagesThe following are images from various car-related articles on Wikipedia.
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