www.auuuu.com Home AUTOMOBILE INDUSTRY: • ECONOMIC IMPORTANCE • Domestic Impact • Foreign Trade • HOW CARS ARE BUILT • Research, Design, and Development • Manufacturing and Assembly • Sales and Service • Customer Feedback • HISTORY OF THE AUTOMOBILE INDUSTRY • Early Automobile Concepts • Henry Ford and Mass Production • Other Automakers • The Great Depression of the 1930s • Labor Unions and Strikes • Wartime Production • Postwar Production • Automobile Safety • Foreign Imports and the Energy Crisis • The 1980s and 1990s • FUTURE AUTOMOBILE INDUSTRY TRENDS • Computerization • Alternative Fuel Research • Materials and Safety AUTOMOBILE: • POWER SYSTEM • Engine • Engine Types • Fuel Supply • Exhaust System • Cooling and Heating System • DRIVETRAIN • Transmission • Front- and Rear-Wheel Drive • SUPPORT SYSTEMS • Suspension System • Wheels and Tires • CONTROL SYSTEMS • Steering • Brakes • ELECTRICAL SYSTEM • Ignition System • SAFETY FEATURES • HISTORY • Automobiles Through the Years • Internal-Combustion Engine • Early Electric Cars • AUTOMOBILES IN THE 20TH CENTURY • NEW TECHNOLOGIES ROAD: • TYPES OF ROADS • Highways • Urban Streets • Rural Roads • ROADWAY ENGINEERING • Roadbed • Base Course • Wearing Course • Bituminous Pavement • Concrete Pavement • ROAD PLANNING AND ADMINISTRATION • HISTORY OF ROAD CONSTRUCTION www.auuuu.com Home

The Great Depression of the 1930s Numerous automobile manufacturers, both big and small, existed during the early years of the industry, but increased competition began to reduce the number of companies. The economic depression in the United States following the 1929 stock market crash brought even more consolidation and competition to the auto industry. Many carmakers, such as Duesenberg with its stylish models, disappeared during the depression. Consolidation and sheer size, as well as innovation, helped the Big Three automakers survive. Thinking that farmers might gain by producing crops that could be turned into fuel or raw materials, Ford built a soybean processing plant. Soon two pounds of every Ford were made from soy products. General Motors survived and thrived with the standard volume concept, a financial strategy that has endured. GM set its prices to produce a 20 percent return on investment based on what it sold in an average year. Profits soared when sales were above average, and GM would still profit during leaner years. Next auuuu.com©2006.

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