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Showcase of ordinary people's cars
By Chao Chao and Wang Jie |
May 31, 2010, Monday
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Print Edition
Print Edition
FIRST time visitors to Anting Town's Shanghai Automobile Museum would be deeply impressed by its look that resembles a stack of books.
On closer inspection, they will see at the entrance a replica of a carriage made in the Western Zhou Dynasty some 1,100 years ago. In the center of the exhibition hall, standing side by side, are the world's first automobile invented by Carl Benz and Hongqi CA72, China's first-generation sedan car.
The canal-like corridor of the ground floor, meanwhile, presents a document about mankind's pursuits for strength and speed since the creation of the first wheeled vehicle till the birth and growth of modern automobiles.
Since their arrival, automobiles have assumed the role of ordinary people's cars. One of the objectives of the pioneers of the automobile industry was to provide vehicles to serve all families.
Thanks to progress over the past century, cars have gradually become affordable to ordinary people and thus have become part of our life.
Every leading country in the automobile industry °?- be it Germany which witnessed the birth of automobiles, the US where automobiles are most popular today, or Japan that has rapidly risen as a new star in the industry - boasts ordinary people's cars produced as their national pride and glory. All the vintage cars in this museum were once quite influential models.
The 1914 Ford Model T exhibited in the museum is the earliest ordinary people's car. The production of this model started in October 1908. It features a simple design and a sturdy, durable structure. Since Henry Ford introduced assembly line production technology into the industry, his company greatly improved its productivity.
Since the first automobile model was churned out from such assembly lines, the price of the Ford Model T dropped lower and lower until it reached below US$300, a price equal to the two-month salary of an ordinary worker at Ford.
By the summer of 1927 when the company stopped producing this model, it had already sold over 15 million units. The car helped Henry Ford achieve his goal of making "global automobiles," and helped the United States become a "country on wheels."
The green Volkswagen Beetle in this museum was made in 1951. It is also a genuine ordinary people's car. This model was designed and produced on a trial basis in 1938 by Dr Ferdinand Porsche, a famous automobile designer. The designing principle was to make a "car that is affordable by all families" since the very start.
It was only after World War II that Volkswagen started mass production of this model, which became popular in both urban and rural areas in Europe and America. Over nearly 70 years, the company sold more than 22 million units, the biggest sales volume for an automobile model in the world. Even today, this model may still be found in the streets of many cities.
Its popularity has also turned automakers' attention to the development of sturdy, durable and cost-efficient cars. The influence of the Volkswagen Beetle has gone beyond a simple transport tool: its design and name once brought great hope and happiness to post-war people living in depression and poverty.
Each model of ordinary people's car is a product of an era of change.
China's annual automobile output reached 10 million units, according to statistics on October 20, 2009, making China the third country to achieve this landmark number after Japan and the US. That has probably ushered in a new stage for the ordinary people's car.
On closer inspection, they will see at the entrance a replica of a carriage made in the Western Zhou Dynasty some 1,100 years ago. In the center of the exhibition hall, standing side by side, are the world's first automobile invented by Carl Benz and Hongqi CA72, China's first-generation sedan car.
The canal-like corridor of the ground floor, meanwhile, presents a document about mankind's pursuits for strength and speed since the creation of the first wheeled vehicle till the birth and growth of modern automobiles.
Since their arrival, automobiles have assumed the role of ordinary people's cars. One of the objectives of the pioneers of the automobile industry was to provide vehicles to serve all families.
Thanks to progress over the past century, cars have gradually become affordable to ordinary people and thus have become part of our life.
Every leading country in the automobile industry °?- be it Germany which witnessed the birth of automobiles, the US where automobiles are most popular today, or Japan that has rapidly risen as a new star in the industry - boasts ordinary people's cars produced as their national pride and glory. All the vintage cars in this museum were once quite influential models.
The 1914 Ford Model T exhibited in the museum is the earliest ordinary people's car. The production of this model started in October 1908. It features a simple design and a sturdy, durable structure. Since Henry Ford introduced assembly line production technology into the industry, his company greatly improved its productivity.
Since the first automobile model was churned out from such assembly lines, the price of the Ford Model T dropped lower and lower until it reached below US$300, a price equal to the two-month salary of an ordinary worker at Ford.
By the summer of 1927 when the company stopped producing this model, it had already sold over 15 million units. The car helped Henry Ford achieve his goal of making "global automobiles," and helped the United States become a "country on wheels."
The green Volkswagen Beetle in this museum was made in 1951. It is also a genuine ordinary people's car. This model was designed and produced on a trial basis in 1938 by Dr Ferdinand Porsche, a famous automobile designer. The designing principle was to make a "car that is affordable by all families" since the very start.
It was only after World War II that Volkswagen started mass production of this model, which became popular in both urban and rural areas in Europe and America. Over nearly 70 years, the company sold more than 22 million units, the biggest sales volume for an automobile model in the world. Even today, this model may still be found in the streets of many cities.
Its popularity has also turned automakers' attention to the development of sturdy, durable and cost-efficient cars. The influence of the Volkswagen Beetle has gone beyond a simple transport tool: its design and name once brought great hope and happiness to post-war people living in depression and poverty.
Each model of ordinary people's car is a product of an era of change.
China's annual automobile output reached 10 million units, according to statistics on October 20, 2009, making China the third country to achieve this landmark number after Japan and the US. That has probably ushered in a new stage for the ordinary people's car.
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