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1. Karl Benz1. Karl Benz
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2. Henry Ford2. Henry Ford
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3. Garrett Morgan3. Garrett Morgan
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4. Louis Chevrolet4. Louis Chevrolet
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5. Robert Bosch5. Robert Bosch
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6. Charles Franklin Kettering6. Charles Franklin Kettering
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7. Nils Bohlin7. Nils Bohlin
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8. Maurice Wilks8. Maurice Wilks
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9. Václav Klement9. Václav Klement
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10. Enzo Ferrari10. Enzo Ferrari
The automobile industry is massive. and there are many legendary People In The Automobile Industry. If we just consider the market size by revenue for the year 2021, the global cars and automobile manufacturing industry was estimated to be almost $2.7 trillion.
According to statistica, it is predicted that, by 2030, the automotive industry will grow to approximately $9 trillion. It is projected that the global automotive industry will grow to just under 9 trillion U.S. dollars by 2030.
The automobile industry consists of other aspects like research, development, after-sales, automotive parts, car accessories, car spare parts, aftermarket parts, design of the car, marketing, and a lot more.
There continues to be an advancement in the automobile industry every day. But there are some contributions that have literally transformed the automobile industry.
Let us discuss some Legendary People In The Automobile Industry, there is no sequence to this list, everyone has played some important role in some way or another:
1. Karl Benz
Karl Benz, in full Karl Friedrich Benz, Karl also spelled Carl was born on November 25, 1844, Karlsruhe, Baden [Germany]. He died on April 4, 1929, in Ladenburg, near Mannheim, Germany.
He was a mechanical engineer. He designed and built the world’s first practical automobile in 1885, to be powered by an internal combustion system.
2. Henry Ford
Henry Ford, the founder of Ford Motor Company, was born in Springwells Township, Wayne County, Michigan, on July 30, 1863, to Mary (Litogot) and William Ford.
Henry Ford is best known for developing the moving assembly line, in 1913, which was amongst his greatest contributions to the automotive industry.
Before this innovation, each car took approximately 12 hours, after this innovation it took like 1 hour and 33 minutes. There were many other significant contributions from him.
3. Garrett Morgan
Garrett Morgan made contributions to all humanity, not just to the automobile industry. Garrett is known for introducing traffic light signals. He was born on March 4, 1877, in Paris, Kentucky.
Morgan had witnessed a car accident which motivated him to work for the problem of traffic. He received the patent for a traffic light in November 1923.
4. Louis Chevrolet
Louis Chevrolet was born in La Chaux de Fonds, Neuchâtel, Switzerland, on December 25, 1878.
He moved to the United States in 1900. In 1905, in his first automobile race, he defeated the American Champion racer Barney Oldfield, and thereafter he kept setting records on every important track in the United States.
He built his first car in 1911 with William Crapo Durant. Later they established the company, Chevrolet. In 1915 Durant purchased his interest and later he bought the Chevrolet Motor Company into General motors.
5. Robert Bosch
Robert Bosch was born on 23 September 1861. He is the founder of the company Bosch. One of the major inventions by Bosch is the spark plug.
He started his first company “Workshop for Precision Mechanics and Electrical Engineering” in 1886. He was just 25 years old at that time.
He was not just an innovator, he was a great industrialist and leader too. He was the one who introduced the 8-hour workday for his employees back in 1906. Bosch is one the most repeated aftermarket parts manufacturer in the world.
6. Charles Franklin Kettering
Charles Franklin Kettering was born on 19th August 1876. He is known for his inventions in modern automobiles. One of the major contributions of Charles Franklin Kettering was the ignition system and the electric starter.
He was the vice president and director of research for general motors from 1920 to the year 1947. Kettering’s other contributions include the quick-drying lacquer finishes for automobiles and of antiknock fuels and leaded gasoline with American chemist Thomas Midgley Jr.
He also made improvements to the diesel engine and developed a revolutionary high-compression automobile engine.
7. Nils Bohlin
Nils Bohlin is the person behind the safety of thousands of lives. He is the one who invented the seat belt. According to The NHTSA(National Highway Traffic Safety Administration) of the United States, the seat belt saves about 15,000 lives per year in the US.
He was more focused on protecting the driver without any problem in the efficiency of driving skills for the driver. The seat belts were introduced in Volvo cars in the year 1959.
8. Maurice Wilks
Maurice Wilks was an aeronautical and automotive engineer. He was born on 19th Aug 1904. Maurice was the chairman of the Rover Company.
Do you love Land Rovers? He is the one who is responsible for the concept of land rovers. He has made an impact on both the industries: aerospace and automobile.
9. Václav Klement
Václav Klement is the co-founder of Laurin & Klement. Which is now Skoda Auto. Václav was born on 16th Oct, 1868. Václav comes from a very humble background and had to struggle towards the path of success.
Along with his partner Václav Laurin, he had first started a bicycle repair shop. Later, they launched a bicycle manufacturing company and later two-wheeler motorbikes and automobiles.
Václav Klement was not just an amazing innovator, he was an extremely good businessman too. In 1907, 70% of the company’s revenue was from export to other countries.
10. Enzo Ferrari
Enzo Ferrari is one such car that most automobile enthusiasts love and have added to their bucket list. Before designing and building powerful race cars, Enzo Ferrari was himself a race car driver.
Enzo Ferrari had once said, “Aerodynamics are for people who can’t build engines”. He contributed through cars that make you feel as if you’re flying.
Summerizing
We discussed some of the legends in the automobile industry. Even the small contribution to the industry has resulted in a major transformation to an automobile overall. We continue to thank them and respect them.
