The 1901 Mercedes, designed by Wilhelm Maybach for Daimler Motoren Gesellschaft, deserves credit for being the first modern motorcar in all essentials.

Ford's mass production technology was quickly adopted by other U.S. automakers (European automakers didn't start using them until the 1930s.) This will require more capital expenditure and more sales, ending the era of easy access and free competition among many small manufacturers in the U.S. auto industry.