Automobiles are motor vehicles designed primarily for passenger transport, often powered by internal combustion engines using gasoline or other liquid fuel and equipped with wheels to move over land. They can also be propelled by electric motors.
Various definitions have popped up over the years, but most agree that an automobile is a wheeled vehicle with four or more seats and a cabin for passengers. Most cars use a chemical energy source called gasoline, although some have hybrid engines that combine gas and electricity. This chemical energy is converted to mechanical energy by the engine, which in turn drives the wheels of the car. Most automobiles are driven by rear-wheel drive. Some have front-wheel drive.
The automobile has transformed the way we live. It spawned new industries like petroleum and rubber and provided a huge market for other industrial products. It became a major force for change in twentieth-century America, creating a consumer goods-oriented society. It boosted employment in manufacturing and provided a great deal of revenue to governments for highways, roads and other infrastructure. It revolutionized personal transportation and opened up opportunities for travel and tourism.
Most of all, it gave people freedom of choice. Family members could go on vacations together and explore a wide variety of new places. Families with children enjoyed the security of being able to get around easily without having to rely on other forms of public transportation. Having your own car also allows you to travel farther distances in relative comfort and to reach places that are not accessible by public transportation, such as mountainous areas or deserts.