Automobiles are a major part of our everyday lives. They enable us to get around town and explore new places. Inventors such as Nikolaus Otto and Gottlieb Daimler created petrol-driven engines. In the late nineteenth century, automobile production began in the US. Henry Ford, a businessman and an engineer, introduced the assembly line and made cars faster and cheaper. By 1927, the Ford Motor Company was producing 15 million cars a year.
Motorcycles do not fall under the automobile definition, because they do not have four wheels and are used for transporting a small number of passengers. In contrast, automobiles can carry a large number of people. The definition of an automobile can be very technical and ambiguous. Several court cases have found motorcycles to be unfit to be classified as automobiles.
Another important difference between a motorcycle and a car is that a motorcycle requires less space to park. A motorcycle can take up half the space of a car. Using the same parking space as a single car can accommodate three motorcycles. Motorcycles also require less space to tow. A car is easier to tow than a motorcycle. While a car must be winched onto a trailer and then cartled away, a motorcycle is easy to tow.
Automobiles provide jobs for millions of people around the world. There are millions of people employed in factories that make cars, as well as in gas stations, restaurants, and motels. Unfortunately, automobiles pose a number of problems, as millions of people are killed in car accidents each year. They also pollute the air and create congestion in cities. Furthermore, automobiles are complex machines with many complex systems. While they might look simple, they contain numerous moving parts that require continuous care and maintenance.