The car that put the world on wheels, the Ford Model T, was developed in 1908. During that year, a few prototypes were built and tested. On October 1, 1908, the first Model T for public sale was manufactured.

The Model T, is generally regarded as the first car affordable by the working class. Henry Ford said of the vehicle: "I will build a car for the great multitude. It will be large enough for the family, but small enough for the individual to run and care for. It will be constructed of the best materials, by the best men hired, after the simplest designs modern engineering can devise. But it will be low in price that no man making a good salary will be unable to own one and enjoy with his family the blessings of hours of pleasure in God's great open spaces."     

The Model T, also known as the "Tin Lizzie" and the "Flivver", was produced from 1908 to 1927, and over 15 million cars were manufactured. Very few major design changes were made, Henry Ford focused his attention more on production efficiencies rather than design innovations. This approach brought about massive production, economic and societal changes in the industry.

Initial production build was by hand and only 11 vehicles were built during the first month. Demand caused production to increase to about 1,000 vehicles per month in 1910. Focusing on production methods, the assembly line process was developed over the next few years. By 1914, the process was streamlined so that it took only 93 minutes to assemble a car. Ford cars were coming off the assembly line in three minute intervals.

In 1914, Ford introduced the $5 per day pay. This was about twice what was being paid to most factory workers at the time. People from all over the country flocked to Ford plants to gain employment. Although the work was boring and tedious, the pay scale set a trend for all manufacturers. At the same time, Ford also promised a $50 rebate to customers who purchased a new Ford between August 1914 and August 1915 if sales exceeded 300,000 units. He kept his promise and mailed rebates of $50 to 308,212 customers. In 1915, $50 represented about 10% of the purchase price of a new Ford.