| line in fifteen minute intervals, much faster than | | | | and even companies with decades of production, such |
| previous methods, increasing productivity eight fold | | | | as Apperson, Cole, Dorris, Haynes, or Premier, could |
| (requiring 12.5 man-hours before, 1 hour 33 minutes | | | | not manage: of some two hundred American car |
| after), while using less manpower.[13] It was so | | | | makers in existence in 1920, only 43 survived in 1930, |
| successful, paint became a bottleneck. Only Japan | | | | and with the Great Depression, by 1940, only 17 of |
| black would dry fast enough, forcing the company to | | | | those were left.[13] |
| drop the variety of colors available before 1914, until | | | | In Europe much the same would happen. Morris set up |
| fast-drying Duco lacquer was developed in 1926. This | | | | its production line at Cowley in 1924, and soon outsold |
| is the source of Ford's apocryphal remark, "any color | | | | Ford, while beginning in 1923 to follow Ford's practise of |
| as long as it's black".[13] In 1914, an assembly line | | | | vertical integration, buying Hotchkiss (engines), Wrigley |
| worker could buy a Model T with four months' | | | | (gearboxes), and Osberton (radiators), for instance, as |
| pay.[13]free articles directory Portrait of Henry Ford | | | | well as competitors, such as Wolseley: in 1925, Morris |
| (ca. 1919) | | | | had 41% of total British car production. Most British |
| Ford's complex safety procedures—especially | | | | small-car assemblers, from Abbey to Xtra had gone |
| assigning each worker to a specific location instead of | | | | under. Citroen did the same in France, coming to cars |
| allowing them to roam about—dramatically reduced | | | | in 1919; between them and other cheap cars in reply |
| the rate of injury. The combination of high wages and | | | | such as Renault's 10CV and Peugeot's 5CV, they |
| high efficiency is called "Fordism," and was copied by | | | | produced 550,000 cars in 1925, and Mors, Hurtu, and |
| most major industries.free articles directory | | | | others could not compete.[13] Germany's first |
| The efficiency gains from the assembly line also | | | | mass-manufactured car, the Opel 4PS Laubfrosch |
| coincided with the economic rise of the United States. | | | | (Tree Frog), came off the line at Russelsheim in 1924, |
| The assembly line forced workers to work at a | | | | soon making Opel the top car builder in Germany, with |
| certain pace with very repetitive motions which led to | | | | 37.5% of the market.[13] See also: Automotive industry |
| more output per worker while other countries were | | | | Fuel and propulsion technologies |
| using less productive methods. | | | | A radio taxi in New Delhi. A court order requires all |
| In the automotive industry, its success was dominating, | | | | commercial vehicles including trucks, buses and taxis in |
| and quickly spread worldwide seeing the founding of | | | | India to run on Compressed Natural Gas See also: |
| Ford France and Ford Britain in 1911, Ford Denmark | | | | Alternative fuel vehicle |
| 1923, Ford Germany 1925; in 1921, Citroen was the first | | | | Most automobiles in use today are propelled by |
| native European manufacturer to adopt the production | | | | gasoline (also known as petrol) or diesel internal |
| method. Soon, companies had to have assembly lines, | | | | combustion engines, which are known to cause air |
| or risk going broke; by 1930, 250 companies which did | | | | pollution and are also blamed for contributing to climate |
| not, had disappeared.[13] | | | | change and global warming.[14] Increasing costs of |
| Development of automotive technology was rapid, due | | | | oil-based fuels, tightening environmental laws and |
| in part to the hundreds of small manufacturers | | | | restrictions on greenhouse gas emissions are propelling |
| competing to gain the world's attention. Key | | | | work on alternative power systems for automobiles. |
| developments included electric ignition and the electric | | | | Efforts to improve or replace existing technologies |
| self-starter (both by Charles Kettering, for the Cadillac | | | | include the development of hybrid vehicles, and electric |
| Motor Company in 1910-1911), independent suspension, | | | | and hydrogen vehicles which do not release pollution |
| and four-wheel brakes.free articles directory | | | | into the air. |
| Ford Model T, 1927, regarded as the first affordable | | | | Petroleum fuels |
| American automobile | | | | Main article: Petroleum fuel engine Diesel Main article: |
| Since the 1920s, nearly all cars have been | | | | Diesel engine |
| mass-produced to meet market needs, so marketing | | | | Diesel-engined cars have long been popular in Europe |
| plans often have heavily influenced automobile design. | | | | with the first models being introduced as early as 1922 |
| It was Alfred P. Sloan who established the idea of | | | | [15] by Peugeot and the first production car, |
| different makes of cars produced by one company, | | | | Mercedes-Benz 260 D in 1936 by Mercedes-Benz. |
| so buyers could "move up" as their fortunes improved. | | | | The main benefit of diesel engines is a 50% fuel burn |
| Reflecting the rapid pace of change, makes shared | | | | efficiency compared with 27%[16] in the best gasoline |
| parts with one another so larger production volume | | | | engines. A down-side of the Diesel engine is that |
| resulted in lower costs for each price range. For | | | | better filters are required to reduce the presence in the |
| example, in the 1930s, LaSalles, sold by Cadillac, used | | | | exhaust gases of fine soot particulates called diesel |
| cheaper mechanical parts made by Oldsmobile; in the | | | | particulate matter. Manufacturers are now starting to |
| 1950s, Chevrolet shared hood, doors, roof, and | | | | fit[when?] diesel particulate filters to remove the soot. |
| windows with Pontiac; by the 1990s, corporate | | | | Many diesel-powered cars can run with little or no |
| drivetrains and shared platforms (with interchangeable | | | | modifications on 100% biodiesel and combinations of |
| brakes, suspension, and other parts) were common. | | | | other organic oils. |
| Even so, only major makers could afford high costs, | | | | |