Read this excerpt from a passage.

"When the first automobile was invented in $1886,$ there was excitement about what this new machine meant for the future of travel, both near and far. In $1900,$ cars were considered luxury items, and only $8,000$ were owned in the United States. Currently, over $253$ million cars are driven on American roads. As the automobile became the main form of transportation in the United States, regulations about who could operate the cars soon followed."

What is the author's point of view in the excerpt?

third$-$person limited

first person

second person

third$-$person omniscient