Henry Ford invented the first affordable automobile in the United States in the late 19th century. He was born in 1863 and invented the Model T, the first affordable car, in 1908. The original price for the Model T was around $825 but Ford was able to bring the price down to $575 within a few years, transforming automobiles from a luxury good to a mainstay of American society. Ford's innovations in assembly line manufacturing allowed for mass production and further reduced the cost of automobiles, making them accessible to the average American family for the first time.