Chapter 13 (The Midwest)

Chapter 13 has a section on Auto Industry. A little background on automobiles is that it is a wheeled motor vehicle used for transporting passengers, which also carries its own engine or motor. Most definitions of the term specify that automobiles are designed to run primarily on roads, to have seating for one to eight people, to typically have four wheels, and to be constructed principally for the transport of people rather than goods. In 1886 Karl Benz invited the modern automobile which began the birth of cars.

Chapter 13 discusses how the Midwestern auto industry grew during the first half of the twentieth century. Currently the domestic automotive industry is shifting away from upper mid-west toward the mid-south posing a structural threat to the Midwestern economy.  The mid-west was home to the Big Three automobile manufacturers which are: Ford, General Motors, and Chrysler. In the 1960s, overseas auto manufacturers began entering the U.S. market. Two major reason why the Big Three lost their grip on the automobile industry are the high cost of union contract labor and poor fuel efficiency. Below is a video on "Invention of the Automobile Documentary Clip".

 

Philadelphia is known for the Budd Company which was founded in 1912 by Edwin Gown Budd. Budd took with him 13 men and together they developed and manufactured the first American all steel touring automobile body. Budd then developed a pressed steel railroad car seat, which replaced wooden seats and economized production. The first Budd Company plant was located at Tioga and Aramingo Avenues in 1912. The Oakland auto with its all steel body was the first vehicle produced. One year later, the facility moved to a larger space at the Bogg's Mill at I and Ontario Streets. By 1915, Budd employed over 600 men and was forced to relocate to larger facilities at the present site. Production immediately rose from 100 to 500 car bodies per day. One year later, the company produced its 100,000th Dodge touring car body, less than two years after its initial order. Shortly thereafter, they developed an all steel automobile roof for Dodge. Also in 1916, the Budd Wheel Company was formed to produce all steel wire spoked wheels.

Philadelphia as well as the Midwestern both have things they were popular with back then when the automotive industry was blooming. As every one can see, there has been a big change in the design of cars since 1886 to 2013. 

How cars in America look today.........

It is amazing to see how far the automobile industry has come since 1886.  

 

Source:

Mayda, Chris. A Regional Geography of the United States and Canada: Toward a Sustainable Future. Lanham, Md: Rowman & Littlefield, 2013. Print.   

www.google.com (Google images)

www.wikipedia.org

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