Life without cars on roads, can you imagine it?
People say we aren’t so far from cars flying in the sky or driving themselves, and this
anticipation must be something similar to how people felt when the car was first invented.
Karl Friedrich Benz, yes, of the famous German Mercedes-Benz brand, is touted as the inventor
of the first gasoline-powered automobile in 1886.
Cars soon became widely available in the early 20th century as other companies caught on
and started to copy Benz’s model with their own.
America’s Ford Motor Company was one of those quick to produce their own version,
and the Model-T was really the first affordable automobile to the middle-class, suddenly replacing
horse-drawn carriages and carts.
This Model-T became one of the best-selling vehicles of all time.
It is estimated today that around 1.4 billion cars are on roads worldwide, with one quarter
of those in the USA, closely followed by China and then, Japan.
This makes complete sense when we learn that the USA also has the highest network of roads
in the world - a whopping 6.5 million kilometres.
It would take you some time to cover all that by bicycle!
As for the biggest car companies, Japan’s ‘Toyota’ takes first spot as the world’s
top-selling automaker.
Germany dominate second & third place with ‘Volkswagen’ & ‘Daimler’.
Ford, which was No.1 for decades now ranks only fourth.
The Toyota Corolla model was first introduced in 1966 and is the best-selling car of all
time.
The company has sold more than 50 million Corollas in twelve generations.
Over the years, cars have become more and more innovative - rear-wheel drive, built-in
TV screens, airbags, security alarms, automatic doors, electric windows, GPS navigation systems.
People often spend more money on their cars and accessories than they do their houses
or their family.
The most recent developments in the car industry are electric motors and autonomous vehicles
(AV).
In December 2020, the first driver-less taxi service was offered to residents in Arizona,
USA, but artificial intelligence (AI) is not yet fully functional in busy, chaotic inner-city
areas.
So it is still not known how long it will be before fully automated cars are available
to everyone, everywhere.
Naturally, these technological advancements have led to an increase in car prices, along
with increased demand and reduced supply.
The average price for a new car in the year 2022 is around 47,000USD which is already
a 7,000USD increase from 2021…everyone wants wheels!
The desire to become a legal driver is something most teenagers dream about, but in reality,
can be a lot harder than expected.
In some parts of the world, there is a theory test plus a practical test and the financial
costs can be very demanding.
For example, in France, provisional licence holders are required to complete two years
worth of training (with parental supervision) and cover at least 3000KM.
Approximately 1.3 million people die each year as a result of traffic accidents.
According to recent studies, the safest roads in the world belong to Iceland - 17 deaths
per 1 million people - and the most dangerous with 110 deaths per 1 million people is the
USA.
Nevertheless, the car is still in great demand - between 1950 and 1990, the number of motorised
vehicles in the world grew from 75 million to 675 million….va va voom!