From aftermarketNews Staff & Wire Reports
WASHINGTON – The automobile became a lot more user-friendly on this day in 1913. The occasion was the National Automobile Show in New York City. One of the new cars on display was the Hudson Model 54 — the first U.S. automobile with a closed body. Previously, cars left their occupants completely exposed to the weather, or, at best, covered by a convertible top.
The sedan body, coupled with the self starter which appeared for the first time the year before, made operating a car in rain and winter weather a much more pleasant proposition. In 1913, there were 485,000 cars and trucks made in the U.S. Now, that number rolls off the assembly lines every 15 days.
To learn more facts about America from the U.S. Census Bureau, go to: http://www.census.gov.
