Old Vs. New in the Auto Industry is a debate that is as old as the industry itself. When the mass production of the automobile was a dream put into action because of the assembly line in the early 1900s the cost of building a car went down and companies were able to produce hundreds more automobiles than ever before. This made cars an option for not just the extremely wealthy, and thus car culture was born.

An old idea in car manufacturing is the idea that the car might last you your entire life, and that you could one day pass it on to your son or daughter. Somewhere around the 1950s that idea changed and car companies started to advertise their new car models year after year with a concept called ‘perceived obsolescence’ in mind. Perceived obsolescence is when you think an object or product you own can no longer function just because a newer version came out. This sparked many to buy new models of cars each year.

During the 1970s gas crisis, people realized they needed cars that functioned well in case of an emergency. This was the start of the hybrid cars we see today.

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