An automobile (from the Greek “auto” - meaning self; and the Latin “mobilis” - meaning moving; — a vehicle that propels itself instead of being propelled by a different vehicle or animal) or motor car (commonly abridged to simply car) comprises a wheeled passenger vehicle that contains its own motor. Most definitions of the term suggest that autos are configured to move chiefly upon roads, to accept seating for one to eight passengers, to commonly run on four wheels, and to be built primarily for the transfer of people instead of trade goods. Nevertheless, the term is far from accurate since there are many other kinds of vehicle that do related tasks.
There were 590 million passenger cars globally (about one automobile for every eleven people) as of 2002.