Eras of invention

The modern era is normally defined as the 25 years preceding the current year.
However, there are some technical and design aspects that differentiate modern
cars from antiques. Without considering the future of the car, the modern era has
been one of increasing standardization, platform sharing, and computer-aided
design. Some particularly notable advances in modern times are the wide spread
of front-wheel drive and all-wheel drive, the adoption of the V6 engine
configuration, and the ubiquity of fuel injection. While all of these advances were
first attempted in earlier eras, they so dominate the market today that it is easy to
overlook their significance. Nearly all modern passenger cars are front wheel
drive unibody designs with transversely-mounted engines, but this design was
considered radical as late as the 1960s.

Body styles have changed as well in the modern era. Three types, the
hatchback, minivan, and sport utility vehicle, dominate today's market yet are
relatively recent concepts. All originally emphasized practicality but have mutated
into today's high-powered luxury crossover SUV and sports wagon. The rise of
pickup trucks in the United States and SUVs worldwide has changed the face of
motoring, with these "trucks" coming to command more than half of the world
automobile market.

The modern era has also seen rapidly rising fuel efficiency and engine output.
Once the automobile emissions concerns of 1970s were conquered with
computerized engine management systems, power began to rise rapidly. In the
1980s, a powerful sports car might have produced 200 hp (150 kW)—just 20
years later, average passenger cars have engines that powerful, and some
performance models offer three times as much power.

Exemplary modern cars:

• 1970-present Range Rover - The first take on the combination of luxury

and four wheel drive utility, the original SUV. Such was the popularity of
the original vehicle that a new model was not brought out until 1996.
• 1974–present VW Golf — The exemplary modern compact car, with a
square hatchback body, transverse straight-4 engine, and room for five
passengers.
• 1975–1976 Cadillac Fleetwood Seventy-Five — One of the largest cars
ever made. With the largest, least-efficient engine in modern times, it
came to exemplify the American automobile industry's problems in the
1970s.
• 1977–present Honda Accord sedan — This Japanese sedan became the
most popular car in the United States in the 1990s, pushing the Ford
Taurus aside, and setting the stage for today's upscale Asian sedans.
• 1948-1999 Oldsmobile Eighty-Eight — A classic example of the
"traditional", full size, American sedan.
• 1981-1989 Dodge Aries and Plymouth Reliant - The "K-cars" that saved
Chrysler as a major manufacturer. These models were some of the first
successful American front wheel drive, fuel-efficient compact cars, and the
practicality and sound engineering of their platforms was unprecedented.
• 1983–present Chrysler minivans — The two-box minivan design nearly
pushed the station wagon out of the market and presaged today's
crossover SUVs.
• 1986–present Ford Taurus — This mid-sized front wheel drive sedan with
modern Computer Assisted Design dominated the American market in the
late 1980s and created a design revolution in North America.
• 1993-2005 Chrysler Concorde, Dodge Intrepid, Eagle Vision- These
evolutionary styled cars shaped the future of passenger cars in the 90's.
Chrysler introduced Cab forward styling on these cars 15 years ago. Even
now car makers still use cab forward designs, especially on small cars like
the Toyota Echo
• 1975-present BMW 3-Series - A compact car that is the world's best
selling sport sedan. It provides luxury and performance at prices that are
not totally out of reach. These cars are very profitable.
• 1993–present Jeep Grand Cherokee — The archetypal upscale SUV with
four-wheel drive, V8 power, and a luxurious interior at a price reachable
for the masses.
• 1966-present Toyota Corolla — A simple small Japanese sedan that has
come to be the best selling car of all time.