What people associate with the Motor City would be very different if there had been a different turn of events, a change in the board of directors or a few new sales from an automaker that was once promising but is now long gone.
How Detroit became the car city of the USA
Despite the greatest economic peaks and the lowest financial lows, Detroit continued to be associated with the United States automobile industry. As a result, Motown’s success depended largely on the success of the Big Three automakers: General Motors, Ford and Chrysler.
But in the early 20th century, it was unclear whether the country’s booming automobile industry would finally find a permanent home. Few cities could lay claim to being at the forefront of the automobile industry in a time when vehicles were still hulking mechanical wagons pulled by ponies.
Cleveland was home to early titans such as Vinton and the White Motor Company. Indianapolis’ resume resembled the famed triad of Auburn, Cord and Duesenberg. Hailing from Connecticut and New Jersey, Locomobile and Mercer Motor Cars produced some of the fastest and most customized cars of the era.
Simultaneously, in Springfield, Massachusetts, around 1896, the Duryea Motor Wagon was recognized as the first automobile sold in the United States through mass production. Before this, all American cars were built to order, with virtually no continuity of design between models. Only thirteen Duryea cars found a happy home that year.
According to Bill Rothermel, secretary of the board of directors of The Elegance at Hershey, at the turn of the century in 1900, steam, gasoline and electric cars were in fairly equal competition with each other.
After Detroit, Cleveland was likely the second-place finisher at this point. Cleveland has been home to a large number of electric vehicle manufacturers. When gasoline cars became the most common type, most manufacturers were based in Detroit.
When asked what contributed to the dominance of gasoline-powered cars, Rothermel answered ruthlessly bluntly: “Standard Oil.” He claims the oil tycoon played a key role in developing the infrastructure needed to create gasoline-powered cars. When there were no dedicated gas stations, your only options for refueling when you ran out of gas were the nearest pharmacy and perhaps a hardware store.
Cars with petrol engine
Serious practicality problems faced by competitors also contributed to the development of gasoline-powered cars. Because of their complex mechanical design, boiling boilers, and, most importantly, a labor-intensive starting procedure that often took 20 minutes or more, Rothermel calls the first steam-powered cars “ticking time bombs.”
While electric cars were undoubtedly quieter and cleaner than gas or steam engines, they had the same short range and long charging problems as modern electric cars.
Henry Ford Museum transportation curator Matthew Anderson says timing and logistics were equally important in Detroit’s rise. Situated midway between the coal fields of Kentucky and the iron ore reserves of Minnesota and Wisconsin, Detroit was also home to a significant network of railroads and the Great Lakes transit network.
Detroit’s location in Central America, combined with the city’s pre-existing industrial assets, helped make the city a world leader in the auto industry, Anderson said.
A lot of equipment was manufactured here, Anderson said. The ovens were one of Detroit’s largest businesses, along with tobacco production. Additionally, by 1900, one third of the population was foreign-born.
A lot has changed in Detroit since then. This is no longer the capital of the automobile industry, and in general, cars are hardly produced here compared to previous years. After the decline of the automobile industry, the city began to develop in various areas such as tourism, due to factors such as the rise of casino gambling. For example, the MotorCity hotel-casino in Detroit took the name of the former automobile capital in honor of the memory of the automobile capital of the United States.
