U.S. Auto Industry & Society

Aside from the automobile, computer technology is the only other innovation of the 20th century to have had as pervasive and dramatic an impact on American culture. Politically, economically, socially, environmentally and even internationally, the American automobile industry has a historical and profound impact on American culture and society. The Depression and World War II served to diminish automobile manufacture and sales in the U.S., but immediately after the end of the war the automobile industry began to flourish—a trend that today makes it one of the most significant aspects of the American culture and economy. According to Mickey Kantor, Commerce Secretary, the automobile industry “generates one sixth of the value of all U.S. shipments of manufactured durable goods and consumes 30 percent of all the iron, 15 percent of all the steel, 25 percent of all the aluminum and 75 percent of all the natural rubber purchased by all industries in the United States. About 900,000 workers are directly involved in auto and auto-parts manufacturing in the United States and more than six million people are employed by related industries” (Gomez 2). In short, the American automobile industry is booming.

When we look at the impact of the automobile industry on American culture, we find that American culture is partially defined by the automobile. The automobile is American culture in many ways. During the 1950s, 1960s, 1

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ilies with husband and wife commuting in opposite directions may lead to daily stress but might also be one reason for the American economy’s flexibility. The U.S. has experienced unprecedented economic growth, low unemployment, and improvements in living standards during the very period of burb explosion and growth. Maybe these factors are positively correlated, not negatively,” (Easterbrook 3). The availability of lighter weight cars and inexpensive fuel have given Americans an unprecedented mobility since World War II. The automobile industry and American culture have a love-hate affair with one another. The demands of the car culture pressure Detroit to make changes to production which add costs to manufacturing, be they changes in design, for environmental or safety reasons. When this does not work to the satisfaction of the public, the government typically gets involved. Thus, our culture is affected not only economically and socially by the automobile industry, but it is affected on the political level. Front and rear seat belts, front and side air bags, steel door beams, safety engine zones, all wheel drive, disc brakes, headrests, daylight headlamps, greater fuel economy, lighter weight vehicles, emissions contro
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Approximate Word count = 3431
Approximate Pages = 14 (250 words per page)

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