FLEETDRIVE
Windshield wipers were invented in 1905.
Tired of drivers continuously leaving their seats to wipe off rain and snow, Mary Anderson invented windshield wipers to make things easier. Anderson filed a patent for her invention and approached several manufacturers for her idea but was subsequently denied. America’ s National Public Radio( NPR) revealed that Anderson never received any financial benefit for her invention but is credited with the invention, nonetheless.
Volkswagen’ s best-selling product? Sausages.
Did you ever link Volkswagen to sausages? Neither did we! Apparently, the high-end carmaker is known in Germany for its titular Volkswagen Currywurst. The sausage is made in their Wolfsburg Volkswagen Plant and has been made there since 1973. If you’ ve got a hankering for them, the sausages are sold throughout the company’ s restaurants in six of its factories in Germany. Try them out, they’ re sure to be a wiener!
The car radio wasn’ t always a beloved feature.
First introduced by Chevrolet in 1922, the car radio was initially met with resistance. Local governments in the US tried to ban this feature because they feared it might distract drivers and lead to accidents. By 1963, car radios were in almost every vehicle on the road.
The“ new car smell” may be toxic.
Enjoying that new car smell? Unfortunately, you may have to give it up. The new car smell comes from a combination of volatile organic compounds or VOC. To be more specific, what you’ re smelling is formaldehyde, benzene, acetaldehyde, and other gases that could put you at risk of cancer. These days, manufacturers are doing their best to remove this scent from their newly released vehicles.
Do you know any of these interesting trivia? Send us your favourite auto facts and you can be featured in the next edition of Dashboard Bites! Email us at info @ afma. org. au to participate.
ISSUE 52 APRIL 2025 / WWW. AFMA. ORG. AU 47