Motion (noun), meaning a continuous change in the position of a body relative to a reference point, as measured by an observer.
This phenomenon was first compiled by Sir Issac Newton in his 3 laws of motion. With evolution came the wheel, the urge to travel and the enthrallment of speed / auto-motion thus had humankind manifest and realize this phenomenon to various modes of transportation over land, water and skies.
Of these, the Automobile or the car has been one of the most significant modes of transportation. It started as a potential but expensive alternative to the transit system then, but soon became the basis of transport and lead to a culture of private transit. Since then it has been an indispensable part of our lives, the society, it has affected and reflected upon the geographies of existing and future settlements and of course being a cult object for the true adherent it has been a way of life.
Automobile, from Greek Auto: self, Latin Mobile: moving, meaning something that has the ability to move on its own.
The first proper production car was manufactured and sold by Daimler Motoren Gesellschaft (Daimler Motor Company, DMG) in 1896 and since then the number of cars worldwide have grown to around 600 million by the first decade of the 21st century.
The Car no longer remains a mode of transport, but is a secondary shell to humans after buildings, then is the sense of emotional bonding with them, of possessing a vehicle of a lineage, a vehicle which is well engineered, which is beautiful & evoking to our senses and is a mode of sustainable transport. For over a century it has been observed that most of the times it is the emotional quotient that plays a decisive role in choosing a vehicle.
The Automotive industry which has been one of the most ambitious and optimistic of the industries is observing a paradigm shift, car makers are looking at better ways to engage with people and the society thereby looking for an expression of motion, of their brand philosophy. This has led them to invest into building Museums of Auto-motion, orientation centers, research & development facilities and design centers which are not just shells that house these facilities but are an expression of their brand philosophies and hubs to the synthesis of ideas and future developments.
A built edifice can be a representation of Man's progress in relation to the notion of motion; here in conjunction to the automobile since its advent as a mode of private transit, the auto industry on the other hand can patronize architecture which can be a synthesis of parallels in between the two leading to a radical yet timeless expression.