The Facts about Automobile Manufacturers

The advent of the first road automobile in 1769 led to the establishment and rapid development of the automobile industry. An engineer known as Nicolas J. Cugnot was the inventor of the automobile, which was steam propelled. It was a three-wheeled automobile that could only run for a short distance. Subsequent inventions from other engineers incorporated the idea of using non-rechargeable batteries and electric batteries to propel automobiles. Nevertheless, the automobiles were still unable to cover long distances. In 1914, Henry Ford of the US started on mass production of automobiles, and the automobile industry finally came of age. The US had a monopoly in the mass production of vehicles, and it was only after the end of World War II that other countries started producing their own automobiles.

European countries such as Germany, Italy and Sweden as well as Asian countries such as Japan and China are now involved in the bulk production of automobiles. Most of these countries produce and sell more vehicles to international markets than the US. In fact, the US automobile industry is being flooded with foreign automobile manufacturers, especially from Japan and Germany. Other developing nations such as India and Brazil are also making headway in the lucrative automobile industry. Here are some interesting facts about worldwide automobile production and sales.

Number of Cars Produced Worldwide between 2000 and 2009

2000 - 58,374,162 units

2001 - 56,304,925 units

2002 - 58,994,318 units

2003 - 60,663,225 units

2004 - 64,496,220 units

2005 - 66,482,439 units

2006 - 69,222,975 units

2007 - 73,266,061 units

2008 - 70,526,531 units

The Top 10 Car Manufacturing Countries

Country	Total Volume of Vehicles
1. Japan	11,563,629
2. China	9,345,101
3. USA	8,705,239
4. Germany	6,040,582
5. South Korea	3,806,682
6. Brazil	3,220,475
7. France	2,568,978
8. Spain	2,541,644
9. India	2,314,662
10. Mexico	2,191,230

Please note that these ranking change yearly and depend on other external factors that may affect production.

Top 10 Auto Manufacturers

Auto Manufacturer	Total Volume of Vehicles
1. Toyota	9,237,780
2. GM	8,282,803
3. Volkswagen	6,437,414
4. Ford	5,407,000
5. Honda	3,912,700
6. Nissan	3,395,065
7. PSA	3,325,407
8. Hyundai	2,777,137
9. Suzuki	2,623,567
10. Fiat	2,524,325

The Top 10 Vehicles Sold in the US in 2009

  1. Ford F-Series
  2. Toyota Camry
  3. Chevrolet Silverado
  4. Toyota Corolla
  5. Honda Accord
  6. Honda Civic
  7. Nissan Altima
  8. Honda CR-V
  9. Ford Fusion
10. Dodge Ram

The Top 10 Vehicles Produced in the US between 2008 and 2009

  1. Toyota Camry
  2. Ford F-150
  3. Chevrolet Malibu
  4. Honda Odyssey
  5. Chevrolet Silverado
  6. Toyota Sienna
  7. Toyota Tundra
  8. GMC Sierra
  9. Ford Taurus
10. Toyota Venza

For additional information on the automobile industry, please refer to the following links:

Car Manufacturers Statistics: Lists showing countries and manufacturers with the highest number of vehicles produced.

The International Organization of Motor Vehicle Manufacturers: Website that contains the latest automobile production statistics from various countries.

Best Selling Cars: Brief descriptions of some of the best selling cars of all time.

2009 Best Selling Vehicles: An online print listing the best selling vehicles in 2009.

Highest Scoring American Vehicles: List of American vehicles that gained the highest scores in a test.

Manufacturers’ Rankings: Information on the highest ranking vehicle manufacturers worldwide.

Vehicles Made in the US: Index of the top ranked American-made vehicles.

The Automobile Industry: Publications on various aspects of the auto industry.

Association of International Automobile Manufacturers: Official website of the Association of International Automobile Manufacturers.

Ward’s Auto: Data, news and articles on worldwide automobile industry.

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