motoring July 2022 49 www.bahrainthismonth.com to reach new levels of speed and efficiency. Soon, half of the world’s automobiles were Fords and the company produced more than every other manufacturer combined, which is not surprising when production time was whittled down to just 90 minutes compared to the 13 hours of traditional methods. Though the century began with plenty of competition for the American automotive industry, by the end of the 1920s the effects of the Great Depression would eliminate most of the smaller firms until the market was all but dominated by three Detroit-based companies: Ford, General Motors and Chrysler. Throughout the middle of the century, the ‘Big Three’ as they became known would overcome numerous obstacles through design innovation, progressive style updates and brand strengthening. Detroit became known as Motor City and engineering professionals flocked to Michigan to work with the biggest automotive names. Across the United States, automobiles stimulated participation in outdoor recreation and spurred the growth of tourism industries, such as service stations, roadside restaurants, drive-in cinemas and motels. The construction of streets and highways, one of the largest items of government expenditure, peaked when the Interstate Highway Act of 1956 inaugurated the largest public works programme in history. They ended rural isolation and provided access for urban amenities – such as better medical care and schools – to rural Americans. The automobile changed the architecture of the typical American dwelling, altered the conception and composition of the urban neighbourhood, and freed homemakers from the narrow confines of the home. No other historical force has so revolutionised the way Americans work, live, and play. If you think of a typical American car design, you won’t be far from the muscle and pony cars with their long bonnets and small rears. Beginning with the iconic Ford Mustang in 1964, these vehicles captured the public imagination and spawned endless imitators such as the Chevrolet Camaro, Dodge’s Charger and Challenger, and the Pontiac Firebird. The rise of the Japanese motoring industry and their innovations in production meant that the 70s and 80s were a fallow period for American manufacturers, losing market global share at an alarming rate. Since then, fortunes have risen and fallen with the global price of oil considering the American conscience of gas-guzzling trucks and muscly performance. However, even the most stubborn producers have realised that automotive design is going through a fundamental change with smart, green technology and electronic functionality taking over in importance. The one name that stands out as making the biggest impact on this front is Elon Musk’s Tesla, now the world’s most valuable automaker in the world, which is setting new standards for both electric cars and manufacture. The firm has built its first ‘gigafactory’ in Storey County, Nevada, manned by 10,000 workers. As well as setting new standards of factory size, the facility is also energy self-reliant, powered through a combination of on-site solar, wind and geo-thermal sources. Mirroring Henry Ford’s incredible work, the US is once again at the forefront of radical changes in automobile manufacturing as the industry heads into an uncertain future.
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