During the 19th century, the world primarily relied on the Railroad or ship for fast transportation - both powered by coal or wood. It was not until the creation of a new type of fuel, one with the power-to-weight ratio necessary for a portable engine - gasoline - that the car was born. Enter Henry Ford's invention of the first mass production plant. His goal was two-fold: to create a system to make cheap cars and to create a market to buy his cars. He succeeded on both fronts, for the rise of mass production also ushered in the era of mass consumption.