What was the first mass-produced automobile?

Although many think the Model T was the first mass-produced auto, the Curved Dash Oldsmobile was the first and probably, by accident, saved Oldsmobile.

The gasoline-powered Curved Dash Oldsmobile is credited as being the first mass-produced automobile, meaning that it was built on an assembly line using interchangeable parts. It was introduced by the Oldsmobile company in 1901 and produced through 1907. 425 were produced the first year, 2,500 in 1902, and over 19,000 were built in all.

The flat-mounted water-cooled single-cylinder engine, situated at the center of the car, produced 5 hp (3.7 kW), relying on a brass gravity feed carburetor. The transmission was a semi-automatic design with two forward speeds and one reverse. The low-speed forward and reverse gear system are a planetary type (epicyclic). The car weighed 850 lb (390 kg) and used Concord springs. It had a top speed of 20 mph (32 km/h).

The unassuming Curved-Dash Oldsmobile is significant not only as the first best-selling American car of the 20th Century, but as a car that saved its maker. Had it not been as popular -- or "rescued'' from a disastrous fire -- Oldsmobile might not have lasted past 1902. Just as important, the Curved-Dash was everything "horseless carriages" had to be to become a permanent part of this century's landscape: versatile, available, and most of all, reliable.