Automotive industry

Citroën assembly line in 1918

CEOs of major automotive companies together with German chancellor Angela Merkel at the Electromobility Summit 2013 in Berlin. F.r.t.l.: Neumann (Opel), Varin (former PSA), Zetsche (Daimler), Wan Gang (China)

The automotive industry refers to the design, manufacture, marketing and selling of motor vehicles. It is one of the world's biggest economic sectors in terms of the money it makes. The automotive industry began in the 1890s with hundreds of manufacturers making the "horseless carriage". The Ford Model T was one of the first cars to be sold for very little money. For a long time, the United States was the biggest producer of automobiles. In 1929, before the Great Depression, the world had 32,028,500 automobiles in use. The U.S. automobile industry had produced over 90% of them. At that time, the U.S. had one car per 4.87 persons.^[1] From the 1960s, Japan became the second biggest producer of automobiles in the world. China became the world leader in making automobiles in 2009.^[2]

Automotive Industry Media

A vintage promotion of the no longer operating Pontiac, highlighting the Pontiac 6 and the manufacturer, GM
Car factory production line. Opel Astra J manufactured in General Motors Manufacturing Poland plant in Gliwice.
]] město train station in the Czech Republic
Thomas B. Jeffery automobile factory in Kenosha, Wisconsin, around 1916
Fiat assembly line in 1961
World motor production (1997-2016)
Percentage of exported cars by country (2014)
Global automobile import and export in 2011