Tag: Cars Through the Ages

Cars Through The Ages: 1991-2016

Here is our final segment of Cars Through the Ages!  In many ways we have come a long way but it seems we still have more exciting times ahead of us in the car industry.  I wonder when self-driving cars will be common place and what about flying cars?  We live in exiting times!

 

Cars Through The Ages: 1991-2016


1991 – 2000
1991 – The Cadillac comes standard with anti-lock brakes.
1992 – Chrysler minivan line has integrated child safety seats available.
1993 – Fiat buys Maserati
1994 – Volvo has side impact protection airbags.
1995 – Only one state in the USA doesn’t have mandatory seat belt laws.
1996 – The new Jeep Wrangler has coil springs.
1997 – Cadillac offers automatic stability control.
1998 – Dual airbags become standard in passenger cars.
1999 – Ford buys Volvo.
2000 – Ford buys LandRover.

 

2001 – 2010
2001 – BMW releases the new Mini.
2002 – Rolls-Royce is all BMW and Bentley is all Volkswagen.
2003 – Rolls-Royce Phantom is ready for delivery.
2004 –  Volkswagen’s all-new Golf named Car of the Year
2005 – New car coating -polyurethane film – park car in sun and the scratch will be gone in an hour.
2006 – 30,000th Aston Martin is produced.
2007 – Manufacturers around the world more concerned with building eco-friendly vehicles.
2008 – Tire Pressure Monitoring Systems (TPMS) is required on new cars and light trucks.
2009 – GM announces 2007 losses of $39 billion – the largest ever by a US car manufacturer.
2010 –  Nissan will put a pure EV on the road in the U.S. and Japan in 2010 in small volumes.

 

2011 – 2016
2011 – With a groundbreaking combination of range, room and price, the Nissan Leaf is the first all-electric car for the masses.
2012 – People’s Car Once Again: 2012 Volkswagen Beetle Attracting Both Sexes
2013 – Car sales make comeback in 2013
2014 – On December 23, Google announced its first driverless car ready to test on public roads.
2015 –  U.S. vehicle recalls hit an all-time high in 2015
2016 –  Volkswagen reaches $14.7B emissions settlement due to cheating on emissions tests

 

Certified Auto Specialists is always here to help!  Call us today for an appointment or with any questions at 626-963-0814.

 

Hometown Service You Can Count On!

 

Cars Through The Ages: 1931-1960

 

Here is our next segment of our history and fascination with vehicles! Enjoy!

1931 – 1940

1931 – Mercedes-Benz presents the first modern independent front suspension system.
1932 – Ford redesigns the Model A with a V8 engine and sells over 300,000 the first year.
1933 – Ford drops to third place behind General Motors and Chrysler.
1934 – Citroen Traction Avant is the first successfully mass-produced front-wheel drive car.
1935 – A thermal interrupter switch is used to create flashing turn signals.
1936 – 54% of US families now own cars.
1937 – Buick and Oldsmobile present the Automatic Safety Transmission.
1938 – The Volkswagen goes into production in Nazi Germany (The German People’s Car).
1939 – The first air-conditioning system is added to cars.
1940 – Jeep is designed with more than 360,000 made for the Allied armed forces. It was the workhorse of WWII.

 

1941 – 1950

1941 – 1945 – 700,000 GP (General Purpose Vehicles) were built for WWII through 1945 by Ford and Wyllys-Overland.

GP = Jeep!
1943 – US passenger car production falls to 139 vehicles because war production requirements took over.
1945 – The war ends.  Henry Ford resigns and his grandson, Henry Ford II becomes the president of The Ford Motor Company.
1946 – Michelin patents the Radial-ply tyre.
1947 – Henry Ford dies at the age of 84.
1948 – The American motor industry produces its 100,000,000th car.
1949 – Michelin “X” radial-ply tyres go on sale.
1950 – Ford Motor goes from 3rd place to 2nd place, reducing Chrysler to the 3rd position.

 

1951 – 1960

1951 – Chrysler offer power steering.
1952 – Automatic transmission vehicles in the USA exceed 2 million.
1953 – General Motors introduces the Corvette & Porshe the 550 Spyder race-cars.
1954 – Tubeless tyres are now available for all new American cars.
1955 – American car sales hit a record 7,915,000.
1956 – Ford introduces seat-belts but it isn’t met with enthusiasm by the public.
1957 – 80% of new cars in USA have a V-8 engine & Chrysler offers in-car record player.
1958 – Toyotas and Datsuns are imported to the USA.
1959 – Studebaker hopes its new compact car, The Lark, will compete with European imports.
1960 – 80% of US families own at least one car.

 

Certified Auto Specialists is always here to help!  Call us today for an appointment or with any questions at 626-963-0814.

Hometown Service You Can Count On!