What is Leonardo da Vinci’s self-propelled cart often called?

Leonardo da Vinci’s self-propelled cart is often called an early automobile.

Leonardo drew the cart in the late 15th century. Unlike a normal wagon pulled by animals, it was designed to move through stored mechanical energy. Springs inside the cart were wound before operation and then released to drive the wheels through a system of gears.

The vehicle also appears to have included steering controls and a mechanism that could program a limited path. Because the original drawing is incomplete and some details are difficult to interpret, reconstructions do not all operate in exactly the same way.

The cart was not an automobile in the modern engine-powered sense. It had no internal-combustion engine and was probably intended for theatrical or ceremonial use at court. Its importance lies in its early combination of stored energy, transmission, steering, and autonomous movement.