Automobiles are movable machines, powered by an engine that drives wheels. They are able to carry a large number of people over long distances, and are used for recreation, work, and transportation. They can also be used to carry goods and equipment from one place to another. They are usually fueled by fossil fuels such as gasoline or diesel. They can be built in many different shapes and sizes depending on their use. Some cars are designed for off-road use, where durability and simple systems are key features, while others are intended to be high-speed vehicles that require passenger comfort options, optimized engine performance, and high-speed stability.
Cars revolutionized the way people lived and worked, and they are still a powerful force in society today. They enable people to travel to work and other places with ease and provide a sense of freedom and independence not available with other means of transport.
They have also made it possible for people to live in areas far away from their jobs and families, opening up a wide range of possibilities and creating new industries. It is also true that they have brought a host of social changes with them, including the ability for women to drive which was not always allowed in the past.
However, the automotive industry has also been plagued with problems. The postwar era saw engineering subordinated to the questionable aesthetics of nonfunctional styling, and quality deteriorated. Environmental concerns arose over the pollution caused by American cars and their drain on dwindling world oil supplies, and questions surfaced about the economics of a system that relied so heavily on the production of automobiles.