www.auuuu.com Home AUTOMOBILE INDUSTRY: • ECONOMIC IMPORTANCE • Domestic Impact • Foreign Trade • HOW CARS ARE BUILT • Research, Design, and Development • Manufacturing and Assembly • Sales and Service • Customer Feedback • HISTORY OF THE AUTOMOBILE INDUSTRY • Early Automobile Concepts • Henry Ford and Mass Production • Other Automakers • The Great Depression of the 1930s • Labor Unions and Strikes • Wartime Production • Postwar Production • Automobile Safety • Foreign Imports and the Energy Crisis • The 1980s and 1990s • FUTURE AUTOMOBILE INDUSTRY TRENDS • Computerization • Alternative Fuel Research • Materials and Safety AUTOMOBILE: • POWER SYSTEM • Engine • Engine Types • Fuel Supply • Exhaust System • Cooling and Heating System • DRIVETRAIN • Transmission • Front- and Rear-Wheel Drive • SUPPORT SYSTEMS • Suspension System • Wheels and Tires • CONTROL SYSTEMS • Steering • Brakes • ELECTRICAL SYSTEM • Ignition System • SAFETY FEATURES • HISTORY • Automobiles Through the Years • Internal-Combustion Engine • Early Electric Cars • AUTOMOBILES IN THE 20TH CENTURY • NEW TECHNOLOGIES ROAD: • TYPES OF ROADS • Highways • Urban Streets • Rural Roads • ROADWAY ENGINEERING • Roadbed • Base Course • Wearing Course • Bituminous Pavement • Concrete Pavement • ROAD PLANNING AND ADMINISTRATION • HISTORY OF ROAD CONSTRUCTION www.auuuu.com Home

ECONOMIC IMPORTANCE Automobile manufacturers are among the largest companies in the world. These corporations are often multinational, meaning they are partially owned by several foreign companies. These companies often share parts, or use parts made in foreign factories. The U.S. automobile industry produced 12.8 million vehicles in 2000. The three major automobile manufacturers in the United States—General Motors Corporation, Ford Motor Company, and DaimlerChrysler AG—provide three-fourths of the industry's total direct employment in the United States. Automotive parts manufacturers are another large section of the U.S. auto industry, comprising about 5,000 firms, including Japanese, European, and Canadian companies. These firms supply the original equipment market (for manufacture) and the replacement parts market (for maintenance and repair). Numerous other industries support the automobile industry. These include the insurance, security, petroleum, and roadway design and construction industries. Still other industries, such as motels, drive-in theaters, and fast-food restaurants, owe their existence to the mobility provided by the automobile. Next auuuu.com©2006.

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