The invention of the automobile does not have a single clear inventor, as it evolved over centuries with contributions from many inventors.

• The earliest known self-propelled vehicle was a steam-powered tricycle built by French inventor Nicolas-Joseph Cugnot in 1769, which could carry people at about 2.25 mph

• In the 15th century, Leonardo da Vinci designed a self-propelled cart, though it was never built in his lifetime

• The first practical modern automobile, powered by a gasoline internal combustion engine, is generally credited to Karl Benz of Germany, who built and patented his Benz Patent Motorwagen in 1885-1886. Benz’s vehicle was the first to combine engine and chassis as a single unit and was practical for everyday use

• Gottlieb Daimler and Wilhelm Maybach also developed an early four-wheeled gasoline automobile in 1886, designed from scratch rather than modifying a horse carriage

• In the United States, Charles and Frank Duryea built the first successful gas-powered car in 1893 and founded the first American car manufacturing company

Thus, while Karl Benz is most often credited as the inventor of the modern automobile due to his practical and marketable design, the development of the automobile was a cumulative process involving steam, electric, and gasoline vehicles by various inventors across different countries over centuries