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automobile: Quick Facts

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Facts

Also Known As motorcar • auto • car

Photos and Videos

John F. Fitzgerald Expressway
Labeled diagram of a car showing major parts including the engine, battery, transmission, axle, catalytic converter, muffler, exhaust pipe, brake, shock absorber, and fuel tank.
Fiat 600
A red car body suspended by machinery on an automobile assembly line, surrounded by automated equipment and metal framework.
internal-combustion engine: four-stroke cycle
Diagram showing the four-stroke cycle of a typical diesel engine, with labeled stages: intake (air enters), compression (air is compressed), power (fuel ignites and pushes piston down), and exhaust (gases exit).
Labeled cross-sectional diagram of a V-type gasoline engine for an automobile, showing internal components such as pistons, crankshaft, camshaft, intake and exhaust valves, connecting rods, spark plugs, and intake manifold.
gasoline engine lubrication system
Diagram of a gasoline engine cooling system showing coolant flow from the radiator, through the engine cylinders, and back, with labeled components including the fan, thermostat, pump, and overflow pipe.
Diagram of a car highlighting its electrical system, with labeled components such as the instrument panel, ignition system, battery, fuse blocks, wiring harnesses, and spark plugs, showing how power is distributed to various vehicle functions.
The rise and fall of drive-in movie theaters
Discover the impacts of electric vehicles on the electrical power grid and explore ways to reduce their carbon footprint
Witness automobile congestion in the United States after the advent of Henry Ford's assembly line production
The evolution of cars: From classics to the future
Tour the stages of Ford Motor Company's assembly lines producing the coupe, runabout, and Tudor sedan
See All Videos, Images and Interactives →

Related Topics and References

Topics
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Key People

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J. Frank Duryea
American inventor
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Charles E. Duryea
American inventor
Henry Ford
Henry Ford
American industrialist
Enzo Ferrari
Enzo Ferrari
Italian automobile manufacturer
Walter P. Chrysler
Walter P. Chrysler
American engineer and automobile manufacturer
Jean-Joseph Étienne Lenoir
(Jean-Joseph-) Étienne Lenoir
Belgian inventor
Bertha Benz
Bertha Benz
German automotive pioneer
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Juan Alberto Grieve
Peruvian inventor
Karl Benz
Karl Benz
German engineer
Robert S. McNamara
Robert S. McNamara
American businessman and government official
Sloan, Alfred P., Jr.
Alfred P. Sloan, Jr.
American industrialist
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Patricia Russo
American businesswoman
Lee Iacocca
Lee Iacocca
American businessman
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William P. Lear
American engineer and industrialist
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William Richard Morris, Viscount Nuffield
British industrialist
André-Gustave Citroën
André-Gustave Citroën
French engineer
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Siegfried Marcus
German inventor
Kettering, Charles F.
Charles F. Kettering
American engineer
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Harley Jefferson Earl
American industrial designer
Giovanni Agnelli
Giovanni Agnelli
Italian industrialist [1866–1945]

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