Bates Automobile Company was established in Lansing, Michigan, in 1903 by M.F. Bates, who had previously built the first internal combustion engine in Michigan in 1889. Initially, Bates founded the Bates & Edmonds Motor Company to manufacture these engines before shifting focus to automobile production. The company introduced its first vehicle, a 16-horsepower two-cylinder tourer, in 1903. This was followed by a model featuring an…