Mon, 20 Apr 2026 08:47:32 +0000

The Surprising Truth: When Was the First Car Built? You Won’t Believe Its Birth Year! When most people think of the birth of the automobile, images of sleek models from Ford’s Highland Park or gasoline-powered engines that transformed transportation come to mind. But what many don’t realize is that the first true car appeared over 200 years ago—long before gasoline engines or even Henry Ford revolutionized personal transport. ### The Hidden Beginning: 1769 — Nicolas-Joseph Cugnot’s Steam-Powered Vehicle The surprise truth? The world’s first operational automobile wasn’t built by Karl Benz or Gottlieb Daimler in the late 19th century. Instead, it dates back to 1769, when French inventor Nicolas-Joseph Cugnot constructed a steam-powered vehicle. Cugnot’s創作, often called the Fardier à vapeur, was a steam-powered tricycle designed to haul heavy artillery for the French Army.