A Car

A car, or an automobile, is a motor vehicle with wheels.
Most definitions of cars

state that they run primarily on roads, seat one to eight people, have four wheels,
and mainly transport people over cargo.[1][2] There are around one billion cars in use
worldwide. The car is considered an important part of the developed economy.[citation
needed]
The French inventor Nicolas-Joseph Cugnot built the first steam-powered road
vehicle in 1769, while the Swiss inventor François Isaac de Rivaz designed and
constructed the first internal combustion-powered automobile in 1808. The modern
car—a practical, marketable automobile for everyday use—was invented in 1886,
when the German inventor Carl Benz patented his Benz Patent-Motorwagen.
Commercial cars became widely available during the 20th century. The
1901 Oldsmobile Curved Dash and the 1908 Ford Model T, both American cars, are
widely considered the first mass-produced[3][4] and mass-affordable[5][6][7] cars,
respectively. Cars were rapidly adopted in the US, where they replaced horse-drawn
carriages.[8] In Europe and other parts of the world, demand for automobiles did not
increase until after World War II.[9] In the 21st century, car usage is still increasing
rapidly, especially in China, India, and other newly industrialised countries.[10][11]
Cars have controls for driving, parking, passenger comfort, and a variety of lamps.
Over the decades, additional features and controls have been added to vehicles,
making them progressively more complex. These include rear-reversing cameras, air
conditioning, navigation systems, and in-car entertainment. Most cars in use in the
early 2020s are propelled by an internal combustion engine, fueled by
the combustion of fossil fuels. Electric cars, which were invented early in the history
of the car, became commercially available in the 2000s and are predicted to cost
less to buy than petrol-driven cars before 2025.[12][13] The transition from fossil fuel-
powered cars to electric cars features prominently in most climate change mitigation
scenarios,[14] such as Project Drawdown's 100 actionable solutions for climate
change.[15]
There are costs and benefits to car use. The costs to the individual include acquiring
the vehicle, interest payments (if the car is financed), repairs and maintenance,
fuel, depreciation, driving time, parking fees, taxes, and insurance.[16] The costs to
society include maintaining roads, land-use, road congestion, air pollution, noise
pollution, public health, and disposing of the vehicle at the end of its life. Traffic
collisions are the largest cause of injury-related deaths worldwide.[17] Personal
benefits include on-demand transportation, mobility, independence, and
convenience.[18] Societal benefits include economic benefits, such as job and wealth
creation from the automotive industry, transportation provision, societal well-being
from leisure and travel opportunities, and the generation of revenue from taxation.
People's ability to move flexibly from place to place has far-reaching implications for
the nature of societies.[19]
Etymology
The English word car is believed to originate from Latin carrus/carrum "wheeled
vehicle" or (via Old North French) Middle English carre "two-wheeled cart", both of
which in turn derive from Gaulish karros "chariot".[20][21] It originally referred to any
wheeled horse-drawn vehicle, such as a cart, carriage, or wagon.[22][23]
"Motor car", attested from 1895, is the usual formal term in British English.
[2]
"Autocar", a variant likewise attested from 1895 and literally meaning "self-
propelled car", is now considered archaic.[24] "Horseless carriage" is attested from
1895.[25]
"Automobile", a classical compound derived from Ancient Greek autós (αὐτός) "self"
and Latin mobilis "movable", entered English from French and was first adopted by
the Automobile Club of Great Britain in 1897.[26] It fell out of favour in Britain and is
now used chiefly in North America,[27] where the abbreviated form "auto" commonly
appears as an adjective in compound formations like "auto industry" and "auto
mechanic".[28][29]

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A car, or an automobile, is a motor vehicle with wheels.

Most definitions of cars

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