car

The general name used in the UK for a passenger-carrying, self-propelled vehicle designed for normal domestic use on roads. The vehicle itself is made up of a number of systems, all of which may be discussed and constructed in isolation, but whose combined functioning produces the final vehicle. Thus the motive power system includes the engine (of whatever type), and its fuel supply, and the lubrication, exhaust, and cooling systems. The power developed by the engine is transmitted to the wheels by the transmission system, which includes gears, clutches, shafts, axles, and brakes. The engine and transmission are housed in the carriage unit, which also provides the compartment for the driver and passengers to sit, and in which the steering, engine controls, suspension, and electrical components can be mounted.

Although there had been much experimenting with steam vehicles during the late 18th-c and early 19th-c, the basic feature that allowed the motor car to become a reality was the invention in 1884 of the medium-speed internal combustion engine by Daimler in Germany. However, it was not until the early 1900s, and the application in the USA of mass production techniques to the motor car by Henry Ford, that mass motoring started to become a reality. Over the years, the size of the domestic market ensured US dominance in the field of mass production, although the European manufacturers (particularly in the 1930s) also produced cheap ‘people's’ cars, such as the Volkswagen and the Citroen 2CV. The emergence of small Japanese cars in the 1970s challenged the US and European manufacturers in their own countries. This led in the early 1980s to a series of amalgamations of companies into ever larger multinationals, including the Japanese, which began to co-operate with each other. This process has continued, in an attempt to offset the massive costs of design and mass production by exploiting economies of scale and global marketing.

Top 15 Motor Vehicle Producing Countries 2005 edit
Car and Light Commercial Vehicle Production (1,000 units)
1,000										2,000										3,000										4,000										5,000										6,000										7,000										8,000										9,000										10,000										11,000										12,000
USA																																																																11,524
Japan																																																																10,064
Germany																																																							5,543
China																																																			5,067
South Korea																																					3,657
France																																			3,495
Spain																											2,677
Canada																										2,624
Brazil																								2,375
United Kingdom																		1,783
Mexico																1,607
India														1,406
Russia													1,264
Thailand											1,110
Italy										995
																																																																																																																							The most profitable per-unit car-maker of recent years has been Porsche due to its premium price tag Top 15 Motor Vehicle Manufacturing Companies by Volume 2005 edit Car and Light Commercial Vehicle Production (1,000 units) 1,000 2,000 3,000 4,000 5,000 6,000 7,000 8,000 9,000 10,000 General Motors 9,040 Toyota 7,100 Ford 6,418 Volkswagen Group 5,173 DaimlerChrysler 4,319 PSA Peugeot Citroën 3,375 Honda 3,373 Nissan 3,348 Hyundai-Kia 2,853 Renault-Dacia-Samsung 2,617 Suzuki-Maruti 2,072 Fiat 1,934 Mitsubishi 1,327 BMW 1,323 Mazda 1,285 Total global production: 67,265                                                                                                                                                                       Further reading Articles relating to automobile configurations Car body style and classification 2 plus 2, Antique car, Cabrio coach, Cabriolet, City car, Classic car, Compact car, Compact performance car, Compact SUV, Convertible, Coupé, Coupé convertible, Coupe Utility, Crossover SUV, Custom car, Drophead coupe, Fastback, Full-size car, Grand tourer, Hardtop, Hatchback, Hot hatch, Hot rod, Large family car, Leisure activity vehicle, Liftback, Limousine, Luxury car, Microcar, Mid-size car, Mini SUV, Minivan, Multi-purpose vehicle, Muscle car, Notchback, Personal luxury car, Pickup truck, Retractable hardtop, Roadster, Sedan, Saloon, Small family car, Sport compact, Sports car, Sport utility vehicle, Spyder, Station wagon, Estate car, Supermini, Targa top, Taxicab, Touring car, Town car, T-top, Ute, Van, Voiturette Specialised vehicles Amphibious vehicle, Driverless car, Gyrocar, Flying car. Propulsion technologies Internal combustion engine, Electric vehicle, Neighborhood electric vehicle, Hybrid vehicle, Battery electric vehicle, Hydrogen vehicle, Fuel cell, Plug-in hybrid electric vehicle, Steam car, Alternative fuel cars, Biodiesel, Gasohol, Ethanol, LPG (Propane), Homogeneous Charge Compression Ignition, Liquid Nitrogen, Gasoline Direct Injection Driven wheels Two-wheel drive, Four-wheel drive, Front-wheel drive, Rear-wheel drive, All-wheel drive Engine positioning Front engine, Rear engine, Mid engine Layout FF layout, FR layout, MR layout, MF layout, RR layout Engine configuration Internal combustion engine, Straight-6, V engine, Wankel engine, Reciprocating engine, Inline engine, Flat engine, Flathead engine, Diesel engine, Two-stroke cycle, Four-stroke cycle, Pushrod engine, Straight engine, H engine, Turbodiesel, Hybrid vehicle, Rechargeable energy storage system, Electric vehicle, Hydrogen vehicle Articles relating to parts of automobiles Body Framework A-pillar, Bumper, Cabrio coach, Chassis, Crumple zone, Body-on-frame, Dagmar bumpers, Fender, Fender skirts, Grille, Hood, Hood scoop, Monocoque construction, Pontoon fenders, Quarter panel, Shaker scoop, Spoiler, Subframe, Tonneau Doors Butterfly doors, Gull-wing door, Scissor doors, Suicide door Glass Sunroof, Greenhouse, Windshield Other Antenna ball, Bumper sticker, Hood ornament, Japan Black paint, Monsoonshield, Nerf bar, Truck accessory Exterior Equipment Lighting Daytime running lamp, Headlamp, Headlight styling, Hidden headlamps, High intensity discharge, Retroreflector, Sealed beam, Trafficators Other British car number plates, Distance sensor, US and Canadian license plates, Vanity plate, Vehicle registration plate, Windscreen wiper, Windshield washer fluid Car engine Air/Fuel Air filter, Automatic Performance Control, Blowoff valve, Boost, Boost controller, Butterfly valve, Carburetor, Charge cooler, Centrifugal type supercharger, Cold air intake, Engine management system, Engine Control Unit, Forced induction, Front mounted intercooler, Fuel filter, Fuel injection, Fuel pump, Fuel tank, Gasoline direct injection, Indirect injection, Intake, Intercooler, Manifold, Manifold vacuum, Mass flow sensor, Naturally-aspirated engine, Ram-air intake, Scroll-type supercharger, Short ram air intake, Supercharger, Throttle body, Top mounted intercooler, Turbocharger, Turbocharged Direct Injection, Twin-turbo, Variable Length Intake Manifold, Variable geometry turbocharger. Warm air intake Exhaust Catalytic converter, Emissions control devices, Exhaust pipe, Exhaust system, Glasspack, Muffler, Oxygen sensor Cooling Aircooling, Antifreeze, Ethylene glycol, Radiator, Thermostat Ignition system Starter, Car battery, Contact breaker, Distributor, Electrical ballast, Ignition coil, Lead-acid battery, Magneto, Spark-ignition, Spark plug Other Balance shaft, Block heater, Crank. Cam, Camshaft, Connecting rod, Combustion chamber, Crank pin, Crankshaft, Crossflow cylinder head, Crossplane, Desmodromic valve, Engine knocking, Compression ratio, Crank sensor, Cylinder, Cylinder bank, Cylinder block, Cylinder head, Cylinder head porting, Dump valve,Engine balance, Oil filter, Firing order, Freeze plug, Gasket, Head gasket, Hypereutectic piston, Hydrolock, Lean burn, Main bearing, Motor oil, Multi-valve, Oil sludge, Overhead camshaft, Overhead valve, PCV valve, Piston, Piston ring, Pneumatic valve gear, Poppet valve, Power band, Redline, Reverse-flow cylinder head, Rocker arm, Seal, Sleeve valve, Starter ring gear, Synthetic oil, Tappet, Timing belt, Timing mark, Top dead centre, Underdrive pulleys, Valve float, Variable valve timing Interior equipment Instruments Backup camera, Boost gauge, Buzzer, Car computer, Carputer, Fuel gauge, Global Positioning System and Navigation system, Idiot light, Malfunction Indicator Lamp, , Odometer, Speedometer, Tachometer, Trip computer Controls Bowden cable, Cruise control, Electronic throttle control, Gear stick, Hand brake, Manettino dial, Steering wheel, Throttle, Motor vehicle theft deterrence Key, car alarm, ESITrack, Immobiliser, Klaxon, Vehicle tracking system, VIN etching Passenger safety & seating Airbag, Armrest, Automatic seatbelt, Bench seat, Bucket seat, Child safety lock, Dicky seat, Passive safety, Rumble seat, Seat belt Other Air conditioning, Ancillary power, Car audio, Car phone, Center console, Dashboard, Motorola connector, Power window, Rear-view mirror Powertrain Wheels and Tires All-terrain tyre, Bias-ply tire, Contact patch, Custom wheel, Drive wheel, Hubcap, Magnesium alloy wheel, Mud-terrain tyre, Paddle tires, Radial tire, Rostyle wheel, Run flat tires, Schrader valve, Slick tire, Spinner, Tire code, Tread, Treadwear rating, Whitewall tire, Wire wheels Transmission Automatic transmission, Clutch, Continuously variable transmission, Differential, Driveshaft, Electrorheological clutch, Epicyclic gearing, Fluid coupling, Fully-automatic transmission, Gear stick, Gearbox, Hydramatic, Limited slip differential, Locking differential, Manual transmission, Roto Hydramatic, Saxomat, Semi-automatic transmission, Semi-automatic transmission, Super Turbine 300, Tiptronic Torque converter, Transmission (mechanics), Transmission Control Unit, Turbo-Hydramatic, Universal joint Steering Ackermann steering geometry, Anti-lock braking system, Camber angle, Car handling, Caster angle, Oversteer, Power steering, Rack and pinion, Toe angle, Torque steering, Understeer Suspension Axle, Beam axle, Coil spring, De Dion tube, Double wishbone, Electronic Stability Control, Hydragas, Hydrolastic, Hydropneumatic suspension, Independent suspension, Kingpin, Leaf spring, Live axle, MacPherson strut, Multi-link suspension, Panhard rod, Semi-trailing arm suspension, Shock absorber, Sway bar, Swing axle, Torsion beam suspension, Transaxle, Trailing arm, Unsprung weight, Watt's linkage, Wishbone suspension Brakes Anti-lock braking system, Disc brake, Drum brake, Hand brake, Hydraulic brake, Inboard brake, Brake lining, Brake fade, Brake fluid, Hydraulic fluid, Brake bleeding, Engine braking, Electronic brakeforce distribution, Regenerative brake References and further reading Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Automobile Wikisource has original text related to this article: California_AB_1493 Russian Car Market, July 2006 Insurance Institute for Highway Safety NHTSA.gov N.A.D.A.