Evolution of Cars

The evolution of cars comes in many stages since it has been with us for the longest time. It has been one of the necessities that we have nowadays. We use it for work, going to the shopping plaza, going to your favorite café or restaurant, for instance. Hence, it has been one of the means of transportation that we usually use to travel or go somewhere. Back then, cars were

But how were cars invented and how did it start?

• 1769 – The evolution of cars started when Nicolas-Joseph Cugnot, a French inventor, built Fardier à vapeur. It was the world’s first steam-powered automobile capable of human transportation.
• 1807 to 1808 – After that, François Isaac de Rivaz designed and invented the first car powered by an internal engine. Also, it is Hydrogen base fuel.
• 1827 to 1859 – Ányos István Jedlik invented the world’s first electric motor called lightning-magnetic self-rotor. Also, French physicist Gaston Planté invented the lead-acid battery.
• 1870 – Then a Jewish inventor named Siegfried Marcus invented the first gasoline-powered engine. He builds four more sophisticated combustion engine cars. In fact, it influenced later cars for over 10 to 15 years. Also, he created the two-cycle engine. Moreover, he created two more models improving his design by adding steering, a clutch, and a brake.
• 1876 to 1897 – A German engineer named Nikolaus Otto patented the four-stroke petrol engine. Meanwhile, a German mechanical engineer named Rudolf Christian Karl Diesel invented diesel engines. He experimented with the use of vegetable oils as diesel engine fuel.
• 1885 – Also, Karl Benz developed petrol or gasoline-powered automobile. It is his first “production” vehicle as he made several other identical copies. A single-cylinder four-stroke engine powered this automobile.
• 1913 – Ford Model T became the first automobile to be mass-produced on a moving assembly line. By 1927, Ford had produced over 15,000,000 Model T automobiles.

Vintage era

• 1922 to 1939 – Austin 7 is one of the most widely copied vehicles ever. It serves as a template for cars around the world, from BMW to Nissan.
• 1922 to 1931 – Then they launched a very advanced car and named it Lancia Lambda. It features a load-bearing monocoque and independent front suspension.
• 1924 to 1929 – Then Bugatti Type 35 emerge and became one of the most successful racing cars of all time. It has over 1,000 victories in five years.
• 1925–1928 – Hanomag 2/10 PS became the early example of ponton styling.
• 1927 to 1931 – Ford broke the production of Model (T) by restarting its model series with the 1927 Model (A). Hence, became the best-selling model of the era for producing more than 4 million.
• 1930 – Cadillac V-16 joined the Bugatti’s Royale which are the most legendary ultra-luxury cars of the era.

Pre-war era

• 1932 to 1939 – Alvis Speed 20 became the first car gained an all-synchromesh gearbox.
• 1932 to 1948 – Then Ford V-8 (Model B) introduce the flathead V8 in mainstream vehicles.
• 1934–1938 – Tatra 77 is the first serial-produced car that has an aerodynamical design.
• 1934 to 1940 – Bugatti Type 57 became a single refined automobile for the wealthy.
• 1934 to 1956 – Citroën Traction Avant became the first mass-produced front-wheel-drive car with monocoque chassis.
• 1936 to 1955 – Later, the MG T series introduced as a two-seater sports car.
• 1936 to 1939 – Rolls Royce Phantom III came around and powered by a V12 engine.
• 1938 to 2003 – Volkswagen Beetle’s design reproduced for over 20 million units. Moreover, assembled in several countries for over 60 years.

Post-war era

• 1946 to 1958 – GAZ-M20 Pobeda is a Soviet car with full ponton design.
• 1947 to 1958 – Standard Vanguard is a British mass-market car with full ponton design.
• 1948 to 1971 – Morris Minor, an early post-war car exported around the world.
• 1953–1971 Chevrolet Bel Air and 1953–2002 Cadillac Eldorado Brougham – the first-generation representative of tailfin design.
• 1955 to 1976 – Due to its aerodynamic design and innovative technology, Citroën DS awarded third place as Car of the 20th Century.
• 1959 to 2000 – Mini awarded second place as Car of the 20th Century. Manufactured for four decades since it is a radical and innovative small car.
• 1960 to 1990 – Volkswagen Brasília is a rear-engined compact car manufactured and marketed by Volkswagen in Brazil.
• 1961 to 1975 – Jaguar E-type is known for its classic sports car design.
• 1963 to 1989 – Porsche 911 is a sports car that has been awarded fifth place as Car of the 20th Century.
• 1964 to present – Ford Mustang is a pony car that became one of the best-selling cars of the era.
• 1966–end of the 20th century – Fiat 124 is an Italian car manufactured under license in many other counties including the Soviet Union.
• 1966 to 1971 – Subaru 1000 is one of the first Japanese built sedans. It used a boxer engine front-wheel drive. Also, introducing “double offset joint” driveshaft to the front wheels.
• 1967 – The basic wedge profile of NSU Ro 80 had been emulated in later decades, unlike its Wankel engine.
• late 1960s to early 1980’s – The rise of Gurgel BR-800 and Gurgel Supermini.
• 1969 – Datsun 240Z is a Japanese sports car.
• 1977 to present – Lada Niva was the first mass-produced all-wheel-drive car.

Moden car era

• 1966 to present – Toyota Corolla is a Japanese saloon/sedan. Then became the best-selling nameplate of all time. It sold over 40 million across 11 generations through July 2013.
• 1966 to 1992 – Oldsmobile Toronado introduced an electronic braking system and airbag. Also, the first American modern car with front-wheel drive.
• 1973 to present – Mercedes-Benz S-Class equipped with seat belt pretensioner. Also, It has an electronic traction control system.
• 1975 to present – BMW 3 Series has been on Car and Driver magazine’s annual Ten Best list 17 times.
• 1977 to present – Honda Accord saloon/sedan is a Japanese sedan that became popular in the United States.
• 1983 to present – Chrysler minivans is a two-box minivan design. It nearly pushed the station wagon out of the market.
• 1984 to present – Renault Espace is the first mass one-volume car of the non-commercial MPV class.
• 1986 to present – Ford Taurus is a mid-sized front-wheel-drive sedan. It dominated the United States market in the late-1980s.
• 1997 to present – The Japanese market launched Toyota Prius. It became the best known hybrid electric vehicle. Thus, became the world’s top-selling hybrid.
• 1998 to present – Ford Focus is one of the most popular hatchbacks and Ford’s best selling car.

Early 2000’s cars

• 2008 to present – Tata Nano was a rear-engine and inexpensive (₹100,000, ≈ $2200) car. Additionally, it is a four-passenger city car aimed at the Indian domestic market.
• 2008 to 2012 – Tesla Roadster was the first highway-capable electric vehicle for sale in the US. It sold about 2,500 units worldwide.
• 2008 to 2013 – BYD F3DM was the first highway-capable plug-in hybrid. Launched in China in December 2008 that sold over 2,300 units.
• 2009 up to present – Then Mitsubishi i-MiEV was the first highway-capable electric car. Launched in Japan in July 2009 for fleet customers and in April 2010 for retail customers.
• 2010 up to present – Nissan Leaf and Chevrolet Volt, an all-electric car and plug-in hybrid, respectively. Launched in December 2010, it became the world’s top-selling vehicles of their kind. Global Volt sales totaled over 100,000 as of early December 2015. Also, Nissan Leaf global sales achieved the 300,000 unit in January 2018.
• 2012 up to present – Tesla Model S ranked as the world’s best selling in 2015. Thus, named the Car of the century by Car and Driver.

Throughout the evolution of cars, it replaces animal-drawn carriages and carts. It was easily adopted as transportation, especially in the United States. Yet, Western Europe and other parts of the world took longer on accepting it.

Surely, people and car companies are very creative. Hence, new ideas emerge helped the evolution of cars. Maybe in the future, we will be having flying, floating, or underwater cars, for instance. We can never tell the new stage of the evolution of cars. What is your favorite car?