AUTOMOBILE. A vehicle adapted for performing transportation work over ordinary roads by means of an engine forming a struc tural part of it, or by means of a source of power, such as an electric storage battery, in stalled within it. Synonymous terms are motor vehicle, self-propelled vehicle, horseless car riage or vehicle, motor car. Terms denoting special varieties are steam vehicle, gasoline vehicle, electric vehicle, motor truck, electric truck and other compound terms of similar general character. The word is now used more commonly as an adjective than as a noun; as a verb it is used in the participle form "automo biling," meaning traveling by means of an auto mobile, but in this sense °motoring') is pre ferred.
The history of the origin of the automobile records a large number of attempts at produc ing vehicles of this class, but not until 1895 did the manufacture of automobiles begin • to assume the character of a regular industry. Since then the number of automobiles in use has increased at a rapidly progressive rate. In 1899 the United States had about 3,700, mostly steam carriages and °runabouts," but including perhaps 300 gasoline motor cars and 500 elec tric carriages, cabs and trucks. In 1903 the number had risen to about 11,000, mostly gaso line motor cars, and in 1916 to 1,200,000, includ ing about 32,000 electric carriages and 13,000 electric trucks.
In France and England there were in 1899 about 3,000 automobiles, nearly all gasoline motor cars, and in 1903 the number in all of Europe was estimated at 28,000. In 1914 the total had reached over 600,000 gasoline motor vehicles, of which nearly one-half were in Great Britain, to which should be added a few thou sands of steam carriages, steam trucks and electric vehicles, the latter mostly in Germany. These figures include all vehicles registered, new and old. The yearly production shows a still higher rate of progressivity, but the figures cannot be traced readily or accurately.
France, England and Germany divide the European production in the order named, Aus tria and Italy following, with considerably smaller shares. Other statistics and some his torical data are given under AUTOMOBILE IN DUSTRY.
By far the larger number of all automobiles in use are employed for the transportation of persons but the percentage used mainly for the transportation of goods is steadily increasing. Classifying by the nature of the power source, a decided majority of all automobiles derive power from an automobile engine, often desig nated as an °automobile motor,)) which is an engine the internal-combustion type (see