Cars, powered vehicles with four or more non-track wheels, primarily used for transporting passengers, goods, or for specific purposes, had its first practical internal combustion engine car developed in October 1885 by German engineer Karl Benz.
In 1886, Daimler integrated a horizontal engine into a carriage, creating the first Daimler car.
The Ford Motor Company introduced the world's first assembly line for the Model T car in 1913. In 1978, Japan developed cars with alternative fuels, catering to smaller sizes and limited payloads, mainly offering convenience for households or individuals.
Cars generally consist of four basic components: the body, powertrain (engine, transmission), chassis, and electronic/electrical equipment. The four major systems in cars are the operational system, power system, safety system, and vehicle networking system.
Common classifications of cars include:
1. Sedans: Designed to transport passengers and belongings with seats between two axles, typically accommodating up to nine people, commonly categorized as two-door or four-door with a lower body height and a smaller ground clearance, often designed for five passengers.
2. SUVs (Sport Utility Vehicles): These versatile vehicles, available in 5 or 7-seat variants, blend the comfort of sedans with some off-road capability, categorized as urban or off-road types based on functionality.
3. MPVs (Multi-Purpose Vehicles): Derived from station wagons, these vehicles combine ample passenger space, sedan comfort, and van functionality, generally with a two-box structure accommodating 7-8 people.
4. Sports Cars: Low chassis, streamlined, and high-powered vehicles relentlessly seeking speed limits, compared to sedans, they have a lower body, stronger power, and pursuit of speed.
5. Minivans: Also known as microbuses, these typically 7-9 seaters offer a relatively affordable price, low maintenance costs, smaller size for easy parking, and larger load-carrying capacity compared to sedans.
6. Pickup Trucks: Featuring a cabin with an open cargo bed, these vehicles combine an SUV or sedan in front and a small cargo space at the back.
The automotive industry, with its high output, extensive industrial chain, and high technological threshold, serves as a significant indicator of a country's industrialization level, economic strength, and technological innovation capacity, occupying a crucial position in global economic development.
Since the mid-late 1990s, the geographical distribution of growing car demands has shifted from traditional developed countries to emerging industrialized nations, notably active in markets beyond Japan, such as Asia, Eastern Europe, and South America. These emerging industrialized nations exhibit a similar trend of mass or popular consumption of cars akin to the early stages of vehicle popularity in developed countries during their industrialization.
In contrast, demand growth in traditional developed countries is relatively slow, primarily driven by vehicle replacements, and these markets are gradually approaching saturation.
