wheels Designed to save lives. The most reliable car for family.
An automobile, autocar, motor car or car is a wheeled motor vehicle used for transporting passengers, which also carries its own engine or motor. Most definitions of the term specify that automobiles are designed to run primarily on roads, to have seating for one to eight people, to typically have four wheels, and to be constructed principally for the transport of people rather than goods.[3] The term motorcar has formerly also been
Weight
The weight of a car influences fuel consumption and performance, with more weight resulting in increased fuel consumption and decreased performance. According to a research conducted by Julian Allwood of the University of Cambridge, global energy use could be heavily reduced by using lighter cars, and an average weight of 500 kg has been said to be well achievable.[26] In some competitions such as the Shell Eco Marathon, average car weights of 45 kg have also been achieved.[27] [28] These cars are only singleseaters (still falling within the definition of a car, although 4-seater cars are more
used in the context of electrified rail systems to denote a car which functions as a small locomotive but also provides space for passengers and baggage. These locomotive cars were often used on suburban routes by both interurban and intercity railroad systems.[4] Cars are equipped with controls used for driving, parking, and passenger comfort
a n d safety. Modern cars’ controls are now standardised, but this was not always the case. Controls are evolving in response to new technologies, for example the electric car. Since the car was first invented, its controls have become fewer and simpler through automation, for example all cars once had a manual controls for the choke valve, clutch, ignition timing, and a crank
common), but it nevertheless demonstrates the huge degree in which car weights can still be reduced, and the subsequent lower fuel use (i.e. up to a fuel use of 2560 km/l).[29]
Seating style
and
Rapidly increasing oil prices, concerns about oil dependence, tightening environmental laws and restrictions on greenhouse gas emissions are propelling work on alternative power systems for automobiles. [30]
body
Most cars are designed to carry multiple occupants, often with four or five seats. Larger cars can often carry six, seven or more occupants depending in the internal arrange of seats. Sports cars are often designed with only two seats, and very occasionally three seats. The differing needs for passenger capacity and their luggage has resulted in a large variety
instead of an electric starter. However new controls have also been added to vehicles, making them more complex. Examples include air conditioning, navigation systems, and in car entertainment. Another trend is the replacement of physical knob and switches for secondary controls with touchscreen controls such as BMW’s iDrive and Ford’s MyFord Touch.
of body styles to suit personal requirements such as the sedan/ saloon, hatchback, station wagon/estate and MultiPurpose Vehicle/Minivan.
Fuel and propulsion technologies
The Nissan Leaf is an allelectric car launched See
also: Alternative fuel vehicle Most automobiles in use today are propelled by an internal combustion engine, fueled by deflagration of gasoline (also known as petrol) or diesel. Both fuels are known to cause air pollution and are also blamed for contributing to climate change and global warming.
Efforts to improve or replace existing technologies include the development of hybrid vehicles, plug-in electric vehicles and hydrogen vehicles. Ve h i c l e s using alternative fuels such as ethanol flexible-fuel vehicles and natural gas vehicles are also gaining popularity in some countries. Oil consumption in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries has been abundantly
pushed by automobile growth; the 1985–2003 oil glut even fuelled the sales of low economy vehicles in OECD countries. The BRIC countries might also kick in, as China briefly was the first automobile market in December 2009.[31]
Safety
Main articles: Car safety, Automobile accident, Low speed vehicle and Epidemiology of motor vehicle collisions Result of a serious automobile accident Road traffic injuries represent the leading cause in worldwide injury-related deaths.[32] Mary Ward became one of the first documented automobile