October 11, 2012 (Thursday)
With so many brands and models of new cars these days, it’s difficult to remember them all. None of us alive today remembers the first automobiles when each one was known as a “horseless carriage.” 
That was a fitting designation, because that’s exactly what it was. The journey in manufacturing from the horse-drawn coach to the automobile of today is a study in gradual change. I find the subject quite interesting, probably because I worked at a GM Assembly plant for a while and was very fascinated by everything that went on there.
The first automobiles looked for all the world like the horse-drawn carriages that preceded them. The difference was not in appearance but in power design. The horse had the last laugh, however, because the engines in those new-fangled machines were rated by the term, “horsepower.” Wow, a horseless carriage with the power of TEN horses! Wow again!
Integral parts of today’s automobiles were add-ons for the first cars. Things like headlights, tail lights, horns, etc. were after thoughts. After windshields were added, wipers were needed (hand-operated), and the windshield could be cranked open to allow air flow. But some of the stuff on the horseless carriages that came from the horse-drawn days lingered for years: running boards, fenders, bumpers, separate cabins for passengers, canvass roofs, add-on storage for luggage, huge handbrakes, etc. Radios were invented in 1929 but you had to buy your own and install it yourself. Heaters the same. Air conditioning–are you kidding?
I like the posters that show the year to year changes in the cars. It’s like looking at your own old school photos and seeing the change with each picture.
So, today, if you buy a car, you are not just buying a way to go from A to B. You are buying all the stuff that makes it different from a horseless carriage. All those things cost money. The rise in prices is not just due to inflation; higher costs exist because what we drive off the showroom floor today may still be called a “car,” but it’s not the same thing they called a “car” in those early years of the horseless carriage and for many years thereafter. You may take along your duct tape and baling wire, your pliers and your screwdrivers, but after you open the hood, you’ll need a degree in automotive engineering to fix it. Wouldn’t you know it’s run by computer.
What’s ahead?
Mazda proposes to offer the Kiyora concept car with a 1.3-liter direct-injection SKY-G engine (75 mpg).
What’s behind?
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