An automobile (also motor car or simply car)
is a wheeled passenger vehicle that carries its own motor. Most definitions of
the term specify that automobiles are designed to run primarily on roads, to
have seating for one to seven people, to typically have four wheels, and to be
constructed principally for the transport of people rather than goods.[1]
However, the term is far from precise.
As of 2002, there were 590 million passenger cars worldwide (roughly one car for
every eleven people).
The design of modern cars is typically handled by a large team of designers and
engineers from many different disciplines. As part of the product development
effort the team of designers will work closely with teams of design engineers
responsible for all aspects of the vehicle. These engineering teams include:
chassis, body and trim, powertrain, electrical and production. The design team
under the leadership of the design director will typically comprise of an
exterior designer, an interior designer (usually referred to as stylists) and a
color and materials designer. A few other designers will be involved in detail
design of both exterior and interior. For example, a designer might be tasked
with designing the rear light clusters or the steering wheel. The color and
materials designer will work closely with the exterior and interior designers in
developing exterior color paints, interior colors, fabrics, leathers, carpet,
wood trim and so on.
In 1924 the American national automobile market began reaching saturation. To
maintain unit sales, General Motors instituted annual model-year design changes
in order to convince car owners that they needed to buy a new replacement each
year. Since 1935 automotive form has been driven more by consumer expectations
than by engineering improvement.
There have been many efforts to innovate automobile design funded by the NHTSA,
including the work of the NavLab group at Carnegie Mellon University. [13]
Recent efforts include the highly publicized DARPA Grand Challenge race.[14]
Acceleration, braking, and measures of turning or agility vary widely between
different makes and models of automobile. The automotive publication industry
has developed around these performance measures as a way to quantify and qualify
the characteristics of a particular vehicle. See quarter mile and 0 to 60mph.