The automotive industry designs, develops, manufactures, markets, and sells motor vehicles, and is one of the Earth's most important economic sectors by revenue.

The term automotive industry usually does not include industries dedicated to automobiles after delivery to the customer, such as repair shops and motor fuel filling stations.

History[link]

The first practical automobile with a petrol engine was built by Karl Benz in 1885 in Mannheim, Germany. Benz was granted a patent for his automobile on 29 January 1886, and began the first production of automobiles in 1888, after Bertha Benz, his wife, had proved with the first long-distance trip in August 1888 (104 km (65 mi) from Mannheim to Pforzheim and back) that the horseless coach was absolutely suitable for daily use. Since 2008 a Bertha Benz Memorial Route commemorates this event.

Soon after, in 1889, Gottlieb Daimler and Wilhelm Maybach in Stuttgart designed a vehicle from scratch to be an automobile, rather than a horse-drawn carriage fitted with an engine. They also are usually credited as inventors of the first motorcycle, the Daimler Reitwagen, in 1885, but Italy's Enrico Bernardi, of the University of Padua, in 1882, patented a 0.024 horsepower (17.9 W) 122 cc (7.4 cu in) one-cylinder petrol motor, fitting it into his son's tricycle, making it at least a candidate for the first automobile, and first motorcycle.^[1]:p.26 Bernardi enlarged the tricycle in 1892 to carry two adults.^[1]:p.26

Until 2005, the U.S.A. led the world in total automobile production. In 1929 before the Great Depression, the world had 32,028,500 automobiles in use, and the US automobile industry produced over 90% of them. At that time the U.S. had one car per 4.87 persons.^[2] In 2006, Japan narrowly passed the U.S. in production and held this rank until 2009, when China took the top spot with 13.8 million units. By producing 18.3 million units in 2010, China produced nearly twice the number of second place Japan (9.6 million units), with the U.S. in third place with 7.8 million units.^[3]

Safety[link]

Today’s vehicles are graded on stricter and more precise parameters than ever before from weight to safety to durability and anywhere and everywhere in between. New materials have brought out new techniques for construction and vehicle design.^[4] The introduction of plastics has advanced the technology used for making newer vehicles.^[5] New plastics technologies allow manufactures to answer to the call for advancements. Plastics can be used in various technologies on vehicles for structural safety to visual appearance. These new plastic innovations allow new technologies to be used in vehicles for safety to comfort purposes. Plastics also allow for cost effective changes to be made to newer vehicle while still maintaining high safety and comfort requirements of the industry. These advancements in plastic material usage in modern vehicles are the footholds for the future of the automotive industry.^[6]

Economy[link]

Around the world, there were about 806 million cars and light trucks on the road in 2007, consuming over 260 billion US gallons (980,000,000 m³) of gasoline and diesel fuel yearly.^[7] The automobile is a primary mode of transportation for many developed economies. The Detroit branch of Boston Consulting Group predicts that, by 2014, one-third of world demand will be in the four BRIC markets (Brazil, Russia, India and China). Other potentially powerful automotive markets are Iran and Indonesia.^[8] Emerging auto markets already buy more cars than established markets. According to a J.D. Power study, emerging markets accounted for 51 percent of the global light-vehicle sales in 2010. The study expects this trend to accelerate.^[9][10]

World motor vehicle production[link]

By year[link]

Global production of motorvehicles

(cars and commercial vehicles)

By country[link]

v t e « previous year Top 20 motor vehicle producing countries 2011 next year »
Motor vehicle production (units)
Country	1,000,000					2,000,000					3,000,000					4,000,000					5,000,000					6,000,000					7,000,000					8,000,000					9,000,000					10,000,000					11,000,000					12,000,000					13,000,000					14,000,000					15,000,000					16,000,000					17,000,000					18,000,000					19,000,000
China	18,418,876
United States	8,653,560
Japan	8,398,654
Germany	6,311318
South Korea	4,657,094
India	3,936,448
Brazil	3,406,150
Mexico	2,680,037
Spain	2,353682
France	2,294,889
Canada	2,134,893
Russia	1,988,036
Iran	1,648,505
Thailand	1,478,460
UK	1,463,999
Czech Rep.	1,199,834
Turkey	1,189,131
Indonesia	837,948
Poland	837,132
Argentina	828,771
Italy	790,348
Reference: "Production Statistics". OICA. http://oica.net/category/production-statistics/. Retrieved 2012-03-12.

By manufacturer[link]

Company relationships[link]

It is common for automobile manufacturers to hold stakes in other automobile manufacturers. These ownerships can be explored under the detail for the individual companies.

Notable current relationships include:^{[citation needed]}

• Daimler AG holds a 20% stake in Eicher Motors, a 10.0% stake in KAMAZ, a 10% stake in Tesla Motors, a 6.75% stake in Tata Motors and a 3.1% in the Renault-Nissan Alliance. They are in the process of selling back their 40% stake (11% remaining) in McLaren Group. This process will be finalized in 2011.
• Dongfeng Motor Corporation is involved in joint ventures with several companies around the world, including: Honda (Japan), Hyundai (South Korea), Nissan (Japan), Nissan Diesel (Sweden), and PSA Peugeot Citroen (France).
• Fiat holds a 90% stake in Ferrari and a 58.5% stake in Chrysler.
• Ford Motor Company holds a 3% stake in Mazda and an 8.3% share in Aston Martin.
• Geely Automobile holds a 23% stake in Manganese Bronze Holdings.
• General Motors and Shanghai Automotive Industry Corporation (SAIC) have two joint ventures in Shanghai General Motors and SAIC-GM-Wuling Automobile.
• Hyundai Kia Automotive Group holds a 49.20% stake in Kia Motors (July 2011), that up from a previous 38,67%, but down from the 51% that it acquired in 1998.
• MAN SE holds a 17.01% voting stake in Scania.
• Porsche Automobil Holding SE has a 50.74% stake in Volkswagen Group. Due to liquidity problems, Volkswagen Group is now in the process of acquiring Porsche.
• Renault and Nissan Motors have an alliance involving two global companies linked by cross-shareholding, with Renault holding 44.3% of Nissan shares, and Nissan holding 15% of (non-voting) Renault shares. The alliance holds a 3.1% share in Daimler AG.
• Renault holds a 25% stake in AvtoVAZ and 20.5% of the voting stakes in Volvo Group.
• Toyota holds a 51% stake in Daihatsu, and 16.5% in Fuji Heavy Industries, parent company of Subaru.
• Volkswagen Group holds a 37.73% stake in Scania (68.6% voting rights), and a 53.7% stake in MAN SE (55.9% voting rights). Volkswagen is integrating Scania, MAN and its own truck division into one division.
• Volkswagen Group has a 49.9% stake in Porsche AG. Volkswagen is in the process of acquiring Porsche, which will be completed in late 2011.
• Volkswagen Group has a 19.9% stake in Suzuki, and Suzuki has a 5% stake in Volkswagen.

Top vehicle manufacturing groups <by volume>[link]

The table below shows the world's largest motor vehicle manufacturing groups, along with the marques produced by each one. The table is ranked by 2010 end of year production figures from the International Organization of Motor Vehicle Manufacturers (OICA)^[24] for the parent group, and then alphabetically by marque. Joint ventures are not reflected in this table. Production figures of joint ventures are typically included in OICA rankings, which can become a source of controversy.^[25][26]

Marque	Country of origin	Ownership	Markets
1. Toyota Motor Corporation ( Japan)
Lexus		Division	Global
Scion		Division	North America
Toyota		Division	Global
Daihatsu		Subsidiary	Global, except North America and Australia
Hino		Subsidiary	Asia Pacific, North America and South America
2. General Motors Company ( United States)
Alpheon		Division	South Korea
Buick		Division	North America, China, Israel, Taiwan
Cadillac		Division	North America, Europe, Asia, Middle East, Africa
Chevrolet		Division	Global, except Australia, New Zealand
GMC		Division	North America, Middle East
Holden		Subsidiary	Australia, New Zealand
Opel		Subsidiary	Global, except North America, United Kingdom
Vauxhall		Subsidiary	United Kingdom
3. Volkswagen Group AG ( Germany)
Audi		Subsidiary	Global
Bentley		Subsidiary	Global
Bugatti		Subsidiary	Global
Lamborghini		Subsidiary	Global
MAN		Subsidiary	Europe, Asia, Africa, South America
Scania		Subsidiary	Global
SEAT		Subsidiary	Europe, South America, Africa, Asia, Mexico
Škoda		Subsidiary	Global, except North America
Volkswagen		Division	Global
Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles		Division	Europe, Africa, Asia, Australia
4. Hyundai Motor Group ( South Korea)
Hyundai		Division	Global
Kia		Subsidiary	Global, except Mexico
5. Ford Motor Company ( United States)
Ford		Division	Global
Lincoln		Division	North America, Middle East, Japan, South Korea
Troller		Subsidiary	Latin America, Africa
6. Nissan ( Japan)
Infiniti		Division	Global, except Japan, South America and Africa
Nissan		Division	Global
7. Honda Motor Company ( Japan)
Acura		Division	North America, China
Honda		Division	Global
8. PSA Peugeot Citroën S.A. ( France)
Citroën		Subsidiary	Global, except North America, South Asia
Peugeot		Division	Global, except North America, South Asia
9. Suzuki Motor Corporation ( Japan)
Suzuki		Division	Global
Maruti Suzuki		Subsidiary	India, Middle East, South America
10. Renault ( France)
Dacia		Subsidiary	Europe, Latin America, Africa, Asia, except Japan
Renault		Division	Global, except North America, South Korea
Renault Samsung		Subsidiary	South America, Asia, except Japan and China
11. Fiat S.p.A. ( Italy)
Abarth		Subsidiary	Global
Alfa Romeo		Subsidiary	Global, except North America
Ferrari		Subsidiary	Global
Fiat		Subsidiary	Global
Lancia		Subsidiary	Europe and Japan (except UK and Republic of Ireland)
Maserati		Subsidiary	Global
12. Daimler AG ( Germany)
BharatBenz		Subsidiary	India
Freightliner		Division	North America, South Africa, Australia, New Zealand
Master		Subsidiary	Pakistan
Mercedes-Benz		Division	Global
Mitsubishi Fuso		Subsidiary	Global
Orion		Subsidiary	North America
Setra		Division	Europe, Asia, USA
Smart		Division	Global
Thomas Built		Subsidiary	North America
Western Star		Subsidiary	North America, Australia, New Zealand
13. Chrysler Group, LLC ( United States)
Chrysler		Division	Global, UK and Republic of Ireland, except Europe
Dodge		Division	Global, except Europe
Jeep		Division	Global
Ram		Division	North America, South America, Middle East
14. BMW AG ( Germany)
BMW		Division	Global
MINI		Division	Global
Rolls-Royce		Subsidiary	Global
15. Mazda Motor Corporation ( Japan)
Mazda		Division	Global
16. Mitsubishi Motors Corporation ( Japan)
Mitsubishi		Division	Global
17. Chana Automobile Company, Ltd ( People's Republic of China)
Chana		Division	China, South Africa, Europe
18. Tata Motors, Ltd ( India)
Hispano		Subsidiary	Europe
Jaguar		Subsidiary	Global
Land Rover		Subsidiary	Global
Tata		Division	Global, except North America
Tata Daewoo		Subsidiary	South Korea
19. First Automotive Group Corporation ( People's Republic of China)
Besturn		Division	China
Freewind		Subsidiary	China
Haima		Subsidiary	China
Hongqi		Division	China
Jiaxing		Subsidiary	China
Vita		Subsidiary	China
Xiali		Subsidiary	China
20. Geely Automobile ( People's Republic of China)
Geely		Division	China, Russia, North Africa
Maple		Division	China
Volvo (Cars)		Subsidiary	Global
21. Chery Automobile Company, Ltd ( People's Republic of China)
Chery		Division	China, Africa, South East Asia, Russia
Riich		Division	China
Rely		Division	China
22. Fuji Heavy Industries, Ltd ( Japan)
Subaru		Division	Global
23. Dongfeng Motor Corporation ( People's Republic of China)
Dongfeng		Division	China
24. Beijing Automotive Industry Holding Corporation, Ltd ( People's Republic of China)
BAW		Division	China
Foton		Subsidiary	China
25. OAO AvtoVAZ ( Russia)
Lada		Division	Global, except North America and Portugal
26. BYD Auto ( People's Republic of China)
BYD		Division	China, Russia
27. Isuzu Motors, Ltd ( Japan)
Isuzu		Division	Global, except North America
28. Anhui Jianghuai Automobile Company, Ltd ( People's Republic of China)
JAC		Division	China
29. Brilliance China Automotive Holding, Ltd ( People's Republic of China)
Brilliance		Division	China, North Africa
Jinbei		Subsidiary	China
30. Great Wall Motor Company, Ltd ( People's Republic of China)
Great Wall		Division	China, South Africa, Russia, North Africa, Australia
31. SAIC Motor ( People's Republic of China)
MG Motor		Subsidiary	China, United Kingdom, Chile, Argentina
Roewe		Division	China
Soyat		Division	China
Yuejin		Division	China
32. Mahindra & Mahindra, Ltd ( India)
Mahindra		Division	India, South East Asia, Europe, North Africa, North America, Australia
SsangYong		Subsidiary	Global
33. Hafei Motor ( China)
Hafei		Subsidiary	China
34. AB Volvo ( Sweden)
Mack		Subsidiary	Global
Nissan Diesel		Subsidiary	Global
NovaBus		Subsidiary	North America
Prevost		Subsidiary	North America
Renault Trucks		Subsidiary	Global, except Japan
Volvo Trucks		Division	Global
35. Jiangxi Changhe Automobile ( China)
Changhe		Division	China
36. Qingling Motors Company Ltd. ( China)
Qingling		Division	China
37. Proton Holdings, Bhd ( Malaysia)
Proton		Division	Asia Pacific (except Japan and South Africa), United Kingdom, Middle East
Lotus		Subsidiary	Global
38. Hunan Jiangnan Automobile ( People's Republic of China)
Jiangnan		Division	China
39. Chongqing Lifan Automobile Company, Ltd ( People's Republic of China)
Lifan		Division	China
40. Fujian Motor Industry Group Company ( People's Republic of China)
Soueast		Division	China
41. Kuozui Motors, Ltd ( Taiwan)
Kuozui		Subsidiary	Taiwan
42. Shandong Kaima ( China)
Kaima		Division	China
Jubao		Division	China
Aofeng		Division	China
43. Porsche Automobil Holding SE ( Germany)
Porsche		Division	Global
44. Chenzhou Gonow Nanyan Chifeng Vehicle ( People's Republic of China)
Gonow		Division	China
45. Ziyang Nanjun Automobile Co., Ltd. ( People's Republic of China)
Nanjun		Division	China
46. Rongcheng Huatai Motor ( People's Republic of China)
Huatai		Division	China

Minor automotive manufacturers[link]

There are many automobile manufacturers other than the major global companies. They are mostly regional or operating in niche markets.

See also[link]

References[link]

External links[link]

Look up automotive industry in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

• Market Share Auto
• Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers
• All vehicle manufacturers in the world (in Dutch with English etc. translation)
• Car makes of the world, 1894—present
• Automaker Rankings 2007: The Environmental Performance of Car Companies
• 2011 Thailand Automobile Market Review

Rhys Millen (born in New Zealand), nephew of IMSA GTS driver Steve Millen, son of Rod and elder brother of Ryan, is one of the America's top competitors in drifting. Prior to that he was a top rally driver in the US, and became the first works backed driver from a car manufacturer with GM in 2004 after narrowly losing to Ken Nomura in the US D1 Grand Prix exhibition event in 2003. In 2011 Millen raced a 500bhp AWD Hyundai Veloster in the US Rallycross championship, in 2012 he will compete in the US-based so-called Global Rallycross Championship.

Career[link]

Millen became just the second champion in the short history of the United States' top drifting series, Formula D, just a year after his good friend, Samuel Hubinette, became the maiden series champ. Millen has two wins in his Formula D career: the 2004 season finale at the Irwindale Speedway, and the 2005 season opener at the Wall Speedway in Wall Township, New Jersey. He became the highest placed non-Japanese driver in the US round of the D1GP event in 2005, making it to the last 8 after beating Masato Kawabata, only to lose to Yasuyuki Kazama through a "One More Time" rerun. Millen's father, Rod, also competes in drifting on occasion. In fact, Rod made his Formula D debut at the 2005 season finale at Irwindale, the same event where his son was crowned the champion.

Millen has driven a Pontiac GTO drift car for three seasons (Winning in 2004 and 2005, but losing out to Hubinette in 2006) and a Pontiac Solstice for the 2007 D1 Season. For the 2009 season, he will drive a Hyundai Genesis Coupe.^[1] Red Bull has been a major sponsor of Rhys' drifting efforts, as well as the paint schemes of many of his cars.

Besides racing, Millen is also a stunt driver for films such as The Dukes of Hazzard, Mr. & Mrs. Smith, and The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift. He also did the driving for the first Hyundai Genesis Coupe commercial.

On December 31, 2008, he became the first person to back-flip an off-road truck in the air. He landed off-balance, forcing his vehicle to flip on its side a few times after landing, but then walked away unharmed.

In 2009, Hyundai teamed up with Millen to race the Hyundai Genesis Coupe at the Formula Drift Professional Drifting Championship, the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb and select Redline Time Attack Series events in 2009.^[2][3] On July of that year, Millen set a new rear wheel drive record to take Pikes Peak's time attack title.^[4][5]

Complete Drifting Results[link]

(key)

D1 Grand Prix[link]

Formula D[link]

References[link]

This article includes a list of references, related reading or external links, but its sources remain unclear because it lacks inline citations. Please improve this article by introducing more precise citations. (April 2009)

External links[link]

• IMDB entry
• Official Site
• Formula D profile
• Rhys Millen Documentary Mad Skills
• Rhys Millen Interview before attacking the Pikes Peak Hill Climb