Timeline: History of the Automobile in Australia

Jul 3, 1886

First Car unveiled

Karl Benz unveils the first modern car ever made. Karl Benz had created a car that he called the Benz Patent Motorwagen.

Jul 19, 1903

Ford Motor Company opens

Henry Ford opens his car company.

Jan 1, 1904

First imported car into Australia

A Ford is imported into Australia

Nov 16, 1908

Ford Model T created - First mass produced car

Henry Ford unveils the Ford Model T and is the first mass produced car ever sold

Jan 1, 1919

First Ford office opened in Melbourne, Australia

Ford Motor Company Opened an office in Melbourne, Australia

Period: Mar 31, 1925 to Mar 1, 1936

Ford Motor Company of Australia opens manufacturing plants

Ford Motor Company of Australia opens manufacturing plants in Adelaide, Geelong, Brisbane, Fremantle, and Sydney, creating many jobs for many Australian people.

Sep 19, 1939

Air Conditioning first installed in a car

1939 (unknown date) - Air conditioning system is first intalled in a car.

Mar 28, 1948

First all-Australian car made

In 1948, the Holden 48-215 (FX) is sold to the general public of Australia.

Jan 1, 1950

1 in 10 homes had a car

More and more people were buying cars and around 1 in 10 homes had a car

Mar 3, 1969

2 millionth Holden produced

In 1969, the 2 millionth Holden motor vehicle was produced. All these cars that were produced were made all in Australia. Holden led Ford in sales in Australia (3 to 1).

Jan 1, 1972

Ford makes an all-Australian car

Ford Motor Company of Australia introduces the Ford Falcon XA

Sep 19, 1973

The first Japanese car on sale in Australia

The first Japanese car is introduced to the Australian market in 1973. This car is called the Datsun 240Z.

Sep 19, 1981

First drivers airbags introduced

The first drivers airbags are fitted as standard into the Mercedes S-Class and many cars after this date.

Jan 15, 1983

First solar-powered cars revealed and raced

Larry Perkins was the first solar powered car racer who raced a petrol car from Perth to Sydney in 1983.

Dec 5, 1996

First electric production car sold

The General Motors EV1 was the first mass-production fully electric car that was sold to the public. Other vehicles had to be modified to be electric and weren't offered any options by mass-production companies. This car was expensive as this was new technology. The car had a range of about 100km and took 8 hours to charge.

Mar 30, 2005

World's Fastest Car introduced

The Bugatti Veyron - the world's fastest car, is introduced to the world. This car is capable of 407 km/h. The record in the present day is 430.9km/h set in 2010 by the Bugatti Veyron Super Sport.