Automobiles

Brief History

The automobile is a symbol of prosperity, freedom, and consumption. Within 20 years of Benz's first motorized vehicles, enthusiasts had founded the American Automobile Association (AAA) in the United States (1902) and the Automobile Association in the United Kingdom (1905) to promote driving. Enthusiasts developed high-end racing automobiles. Sport racing flourished in the 20th century and continues with the popularity of National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR), Indy Car, and Formula One racing circuits worldwide.

The automobile became popular because of its utility to people seeking affordable, convenient transportation. The Ford Motor Company's affordable Model T cars (introduced in 1908) allowed unprecedented mobility to the masses, a sentiment later captured by its competitor General Motors in its “see the USA in your Chevrolet” advertising campaign. If Ford mastered mass production, General Motors mastered market segmentation, offering a variety of models and colors as early as the 1920s under brands such as Cadillac, Buick, Oldsmobile, and Chevrolet. This strategy proved popular; after World War II, General Motors grew into the largest business on Earth. By the end of the 1950s, three American companies (General Motors, Ford, and Chrysler) dominated the U.S. automobile market, producing over 5 million cars each year between 1949 and 1965. All three were headquartered in Detroit, nicknamed the “Motor City.”

Automobile purchases changed with 1950s patterns of conspicuous consumption. General Motors continued to alter the color, shape, and styling of its models with garish chrome bumpers and tail fins, encouraging customers to purchase new vehicles every year on grounds of stylistic obsolescence. Its competitors followed suit. Manufacturers introduced new amenities to make driving more comfortable, including air conditioners, radios, and 8-track tape players. Attempts to introduce vinyl record players were brief and unsuccessful, but the amenities proved popular for people spending more time in their cars. Models on the road by 1960 included two-person coupes, larger sedans, station wagons often sporting three rows of seats, and trucks. Public transit options shifted from mass rail to buses in many areas.

Social Effects

The mass consumption of the automobile has had several social effects. One has been a major role in the spatial redistribution of population. Within the United States, suburbanization had already begun (assisted by streetcars) in the late 19th century, but [Page 56]the automobile allowed suburbanites to conveniently live farther away from central cities. The U.S. landscape shifted rapidly between 1945 and 1970, reconfiguring in ways that made automobiles necessary for full enjoyment of the built environment. Population shifted from central cities to sprawling low-density suburbs, most lacking public transportation. Shopping malls with massive parking lots grew throughout suburbia, offering shopping and entertainment amenities that had previously only existed in downtown corridors of large cities. Drivers used automobiles to commute from suburban homes to urban jobs, as well as to shop and take children to school. The United States invested billions of dollars in an interstate highway system. This network of asphalt and concrete ostensibly provided security during the cold war, allowing the population to escape metropolitan areas in case of nuclear attack. The endless grey ribbon produced new road-based industries, including motels and fast food restaurants. Decentralized metropolises sprawled across the landscape of the west and south, forgoing densely spaced skyscrapers for endless swaths of parking lots and low, wide buildings. The billboard industry, on the rise since the introduction of the automobile, grew with the mass use of highways in the 1950s.

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