By the 1950s, cars with much more interesting designs were being produced. Some of the car companies, like Cadillac, based their designs on airplanes In the 1960s, the American public became bored with the choices offered by American car companies. Around this time a lot of stylish but cheaper cars were coming out of Europe, made by companies like BMW and Mercedes. American-made cars stopped being as popular and the rule of the American car was ending. Today cars are a very important part of American culture. Wherever you go in America you can find highways, multi-storey car parks,drive-in cinemas and drive-through fast food food restaurants, all built to suit the needs of car owners Motor cars have changed America and the world. Cars, buses and taxis make our lives so much simpler. Traveling from place to place is now so much cheaper and easier. Roads now connect the biggest cities to the smallest towns so it's possible to go anywhere at anytime. And it all began with the American Model T Ford.