When was the first automatic car built?

There's no single answer to when the *first* automatic car was built, as the development of automatic transmissions was a gradual process with multiple contributors. However, a strong contender for one of the earliest examples is the 1904 Cadillac, which featured a planetary gearset-based automatic transmission. While not fully automatic in the modern sense, it offered a simpler driving experience than a manual gearbox. Other early examples existed, but Cadillac's implementation was influential in the early adoption of the technology.