Automobiles are vehicles designed for transporting people or goods. They typically have four to eight tires, and are powered by an internal combustion engine or an electric motor. The branches of engineering that deal with the manufacture and technologies of automobiles are called automotive engineering. Modern life would be inconceivable, or at least highly inconvenient, without automobiles. The average American drives more than three trillion kilometers (five billion miles) each year. Whether we commute to work, run errands or visit friends, it is difficult to imagine how our lives would be without the comfort and convenience of the automobile.
SAVES YOU TIME
Owning a car allows you to take shorter routes, avoid rush hour traffic, and spend less time waiting around for buses or trains. The hours you save on transportation can be spent enjoying the things you love, such as spending time with your family and friends.
OPENS UP NEW WAYS OF LIVING: Having a car opens up more possibilities for working or living in different locations than you might have thought possible. You can choose to live closer to your workplace and enjoy the benefits of an urban lifestyle, or you can relocate to a suburban location with a bigger home and yard if your career demands it. The ability to travel great distances quickly gives you the flexibility to expand your social circle and explore new career options.
AUTOMOBILES ARE BETTER TODAY: Modern cars are objectively better in nearly every measurable way than their predecessors, whether in terms of performance, safety, economy or quality. This is largely because of federal safety standards, EPA regulations on air pollution and energy consumption, and the imposition of more stringent testing requirements by independent organizations such as J.D. Power and Consumer Reports.
Few accomplishments in twentieth-century America have been as dramatic as the development of the automobile. As the backbone of a new consumer goods-oriented society, it spawned a host of ancillary industries and became one of the country’s largest employers. Nevertheless, by the late 1920s the industry began to lose its momentum as a progressive force for change. Today, the auto industry is undergoing a transition into a new Age of Electronics. This shift is accompanied by a profound change in the role of automobiles themselves. The automobile is increasingly a luxury item rather than a necessity, and the most desirable vehicles are not always the fastest or most expensive. Instead, the industry has been compelled to refocus its efforts on making better-built, more fuel-efficient vehicles that offer superior functionality and quality. This is what consumers demand, and it has been what the industry has delivered. For example, the RS6 Avant from Audi packs an astonishing 591 horsepower and can accelerate from 0-60 in a blistering 3.1 seconds, but it still gets an outstanding gas mileage score and is a safe and reliable ride. Similarly, the Chevy Tahoe ranks first in a recent J.D. Power survey for its reliability and has an excellent user-friendly infotainment system.
