What Is Automotive?
"Automotive" refers to anything related to motor vehicles, particularly cars, trucks,
buses, and other motorized vehicles. It encompasses the entire industry involved in
their design, development, manufacturing, marketing, and sale. The word "automotive"
comes from the Greek "autos" (self) and Latin "motivus" (of motion), referring to self-
propelled vehicles.
Here's a more detailed breakdown:
Broad Definition:
"Automotive" encompasses the entire industry, from the manufacturing of parts and
components to the sale of vehicles and the provision of services like repair and
maintenance.
Specific Examples:
This includes automotive engineers, technicians, mechanics, designers, and
manufacturers.
Industry Focus:
The automotive industry is a significant economic driver globally, and it's constantly
evolving with new technologies like electric vehicles, autonomous driving, and
advanced safety features.
Related Fields:
"Automotive" also extends to fields like automotive engineering, automotive
technology, and automotive education.
Contrast with "Automobile":
While "automotive" is a broader term referring to the industry and related activities,
"automobile" specifically refers to the category of passenger vehicles.
The automotive industry comprises a wide range
of companies and organizations involved in
the designn, development, manufacturing, marketing, selling, repairing,
and modification of motor vehicles. It is one of the world's
largest industries by revenue (from 16% such as in France up to 40% in countries such as
Slovakia).
History
The automotive industry began in the 1860s with hundreds of manufacturers pioneering
the horseless carriage, early car manufacturing involved manual assembly by a human
worker. The process evolved from engineers working on a stationary car to a conveyor
belt system where the car passed through multiple stations of more specialized
engineers. In the 1960s, robotic equipment was introduced, and most cars are now
mainly assembled by automated machinery.
For many decades, the United States led the world in total automobile production, with
the U.S. Big Three General Motors, Ford Motor Company, and Chrysler being the world's
three largest auto manufacturers for a time, and G.M. and Ford remaining the two
largest until the mid-2000s. In 1929, before the Great Depression, the world had
32,028,500 automobiles in use, of which the U.S. automobile enterprises produced
more than 90%. At that time, the U.S. had one car per 4.87 persons. [7] After 1945, the
U.S. produced around three-quarters of the world's auto production. In 1980, the U.S.
was overtaken by Japan and then became a world leader again in 1994. Japan narrowly
passed the U.S. in production during 2006 and 2007, and in 2008 also China, which in
2009 took the top spot (from Japan) with 13.8 million units, although the U.S. surpassed
Japan in 2011, to become the second-largest automobile industry. In 2024, China
produced more than 31 million vehicles in a year, after breaking 30 million in 2023,
reaching 29 million for the first time in 2017 and 28 million the year before. In 2024,
China produced the most passenger cars in the world, with Japan, India, Germany, and
South Korea trailing. This was achieved by Chinese car companies signing joint ventures
with foreign manufacturers.[8] From 1970 (140 models) to 1998 (260 models) to 2012
(684 models), the number of automobile models in the U.S. has grown exponentially.
