On a rainy morning in 1907, a worker at an automobile factory watches the boss ride by in a luxurious1 Cadillac. The worker knows that cars are extremely expensive and, for him, owning one is an impossible dream. Meanwhile, at the Ford factory in Detroit, Michigan, automobile maker Henry Ford is setting the wheels of his automotive dream in motion. He believes that“the guys who make the cars ought to be able to afford one themselves.”

　　When Ford finally began manufacturing2 the Model T automobile in 1908, the“everyman car”became a reality. Revolutionary at the time, Ford’s factory featured a moving assembly line that brought the work to the worker. This made automobile production quick and efficient, which resulted in dramatically lower car prices. Ford also doubled4 his workers’daily wage5 and shortened the length of their shift to eight hours. He knew that having more money and free time would inspire each worker to purchase his own set of wheels.

　　1907年的一个下着雨的清晨，汽车厂里一个工人看着老板驾着豪华的卡迪拉克轿车呼啸而过。他知道车子是多么昂贵，而对于像他这种身份的人来说，拥有一辆车是个遥不可及的梦想。与此同时，在密歇根州底特律市的福特车厂里，汽车制造商亨利·福特的汽车梦则正开始萌芽。他认为“应该让制造车的人也买得起车才对”。

　　当福特车厂终于在1908年开始生产了T型福特汽车时，“平民车”的梦想总算得以实现。福特车厂当时革命性的创举是用一条不断移动的生产线将配件直接送到工人面前，让他们工作。这使汽车制造变得迅速而有效率，大幅降低了汽车的价格。福特还将员工的日薪提高两倍，并将轮班时间缩短为每8小时一班。他知道，一旦员工们手头变得宽裕，空闲时间也变多了时，就会产生买车的念头。