<P> Prior to the 1980s, most manufacturing facilities were owned by the Big Three (GM, Ford, Chrysler) and AMC . Their U.S. market share has dropped steadily as numerous foreign - owned car companies have built factories in the U.S. </P> <P> Toyota had 31,000 direct employees in the U.S. in 2012, meaning a total payroll of about $2.1 billion, compared to Ford's 80,000 U.S. employees supplying their 3,300 dealerships and Chrysler's 71,100 U.S. employees supplying their 2,328 dealerships . </P> <P> The development of self - powered vehicles was accompanied by numerous technologies and components giving rise to numerous supplier firms and associated industries . Various types of energy sources were employed by early automobiles including steam, electric, and gasoline . Thousands of entrepreneurs were involved in developing, assembling, and marketing of early automobiles on a small and local scale . Increasing sales facilitated production on a larger scale in factories with broader market distribution . Ransom E. Olds and Thomas B. Jeffery began mass production of their automobiles . Henry Ford focused on producing an automobile that many middle class Americans could afford . </P> <P> Originally purchased by wealthy individuals, by 1916 cars began selling at $875 . Soon, the market widened with the mechanical betterment of the cars, the reduction in prices, as well as the introduction of installment sales and payment plans . During the period from 1917 to 1926, the annual rate of increase in sales was considerably less than from 1903 to 1916 . In the years 1918, 1919, 1921, and 1924 there were absolute declines in automotive production . The automotive industry caused a massive shift in the industrial revolution because it accelerated growth by a rate never before seen in the U.S. economy . The combined efforts of innovation and industrialization allowed the automotive industry to take off during this period and it proved to be the backbone of United States manufacturing during the 20th century . </P>

The first u.s. company to sell an automobile was headquartered in which city