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May 31,2019,Philippines— From the equipment used to the products created—the global manufacturing landscape has been dramatically transformed by new technologies and the changing demands of the consumers over the years. The automotive market in particular has come a long way since its introduction that automotive pioneers would most probably be in awe if they hear about extreme vision technology and how the industry is expecting self-driving cars to be a reality in the near future. Nonetheless, automotive pioneers are admirable for inventing cars and establishing the automotive market in the first place.

Like with other sectors of global manufacturing, the evolution of the automotive industry flows with the history of the world. Before moving towards the future, let us revisit the history of cars and the automotive industry.

Beginnings

The 17th and 18th century saw the first experimental vehicles, but it was only around 1800s, after the development of high-pressure steam used by British inventor Richard Trevithick, when mobile steam engines became a practical proposition.

Following it were plenty of efforts and developments that contributed to the birth of modern automobiles. Although who exactly invented the automobile can be a matter of opinion, the US Library of Congress recognizes the German inventor Karl Benz as the creator of the first modern and production automobile, the three-wheeled Benz Patent-Motorwagen, in 1886.

The 20th Century

Because cars were expensive and time consuming to produce, the automotive market had a limited audience during the first few years of the 20th century. Between 1904 to 1908, however, several firms started producing cars based on quality and affordability, including Ford Motor Company who created the Model T, the first car that was aggressively marketed to the average family, in 1908.

Initially, Ford’s Model T cars were built individually until founder Henry Ford introduced the concept of assembly lines in global manufacturing in 1913 and used it for the mass production of Model T cars. This ability to make cars faster has not only made production more efficient, but also made cars even more affordable to the public.

The Roaring 20s, Great Depression, and WWII

An age of dramatic social and political transformations, the roaring 20s birthed the mass culture in the US. which encouraged more people to buy their first cars. It also gave opportunities for small car companies to start businesses and serve the booming automotive market. All in all, the 1920s were a great time for the automotive industry until sales slowed down by the end of the decade with the start of the Great Depression which was immediately followed by the World War II.

With the automotive industry, along with the rest of global manufacturing industry, frozen, many car companies began creating vehicles for the armed forces instead, which led to great technological advancements.

Post-World War II

After the war, the American economy emerged from the Great Depression and pushed the automotive market to grow even bigger than before. The automotive market saw major changes in the automobile design both in appearance and capabilities including the introduction of in-car air conditioners, with the Packard as the first car to have it in 1940. By 1969, it is estimated that more than half of manufactured cars have already included the air conditioner in their features.

It was also around this time when the automotive industry focused on making safer vehicles with Studebaker-Packard as the first company to introduce seat belts, followed by the introduction of air bags and other standard safety equipment in cars.

The global automotive market

The most significant growth of the automotive market happened in 1980s with the influence of globalization. Manufacturers discovered Asian countries like China and India have lower cost of skilled workers than in the US. This sparked the outsourcing of offshore global manufacturing which produced less expensive cars but of the same quality.

From hand-cranked starts of the past to integration of artificial intelligence in the present—the history of cars and the automotive industry has been an amazing ride so far. With automation and self-driving capabilities of cars in the future, the world can definitely expect more great innovations from the automotive market.