Cars produced in the World

Article extracted from: World 'O' Meters - Cars

Cars produced in the world - sources and methods

The data on global car production displayed on the Worldometers' counter is based on the latest statistics on worldwide car production issued by the International Organization of Motor Vehicle Manufacturers (OICA).

A formula based on the current data available, historical trends, and projections is used to estimate total cars produced in the current year.

Because the auto industry is an important sector of the global economy, numerous analysis of sales data and future outlook are issued by financial and economic institutes worldwide.

National trade organizations are surveyed on their annual data by OICA. Each summer, a survey on the last six months provides a first estimation of the year’s production figures .

Definition of "car" and "production"

By "car" we are referring to passenger cars, which are defined as motor vehicles with at least four wheels, used for the transport of passengers, and comprising no more than eight seats in addition to the driver's seat. Cars (or automobiles) make up approximately 87% of the total motor vehicle annual production in the world.
The remaining 13%, not included in this statistics, is made up by light commercial vehicles and heavy trucks (motor vehicles with et least four wheels, used for the carriage of goods), buses, coaches and minibuses (comprising more than eight seats in addition to the driver's seat)

By "production" we are following the convention used by national trade organizations and referring to completely built vehicle (CBU) as opposed to assembly of completely knocked down (CKD) or semi-knocked down (SKD) sets when vehicle parts originate in another country.

How many cars are produced in the world every year?

For 2009, global vehicle sales remain in the midst of a precipitous fall-off, led by sharp declines in the mature markets of the United States, Western Europe and Japan. We project total cars produced at 51,971,328.

In 2006 there were 49,886,549 passenger cars produced in the world, with an increase of 6.45% over the previous year. The increase for 2007 was more modest, and 2008 showed a decline. Analysts from various institutes had in fact pegged the year 2007 as the year which would end the 5-year cycle (2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006) of record global auto sales worldwide.

year	cars produced in the world
2009 (projection)	51,971,328
2008	52,940,559
2007	54,920,317
2006	49,886,549
2005	46,862,978
2004	44,554,268
2003	41,968,666
2002	41,358,394
2001	39,825,888
2000	41,215,653
1999	39,759,847

Which country produces most cars?

A third of all cars in the world is produced in the European Union (see chart below)

China became the world’s third-largest car market in 2006, as car sales in China soared by nearly 40% to 4.1 million units. China should become the world’s second-largest car market by 2010, as low vehicle penetration, rising incomes, greater credit availability and falling car prices lift sales past those of Japan. Furthermore, vehicle penetration in China stands at only 24 vehicles per 1,000 people, compared with 749 vehicles per 1,000 people in the mature markets of the G7.

For a breakdown of production by country in the world, see chart table below:

Country	Cars	Commercial Vehicles	Total	Total Change
Argentina	263,120	168,981	432,101	35,1%
Australia	270,000	60,900	330,900	-16,2%
Austria	248,059	26,873	274,932	8,6%
Belgium	881,929	36,127	918,056	-1,2%
Brazil	2,092,029	519,005	2,611,034	3,3%
Canada	1,389,536	1,182,756	2,572,292	-4,3%
China	5,233,132	1,955,576	7,188,708	25,9%
Czech Rep.	848,922	5,985	854,907	41,3%
Egypt	59,462	32,111	91,573	32,2%
Finland	32,417	353	32,770	51,4%
France	2,723,196	446,023	3,169,219	-10,7%
Germany	5,398,508	421,106	5,819,614	1,1%
Hungary	187,633	3,190	190,823	25,5%
India	1,473,000	546,808	2,019,808	24,2%
Indonesia	206,321	89,687	296,008	-40,1%
Iran	800,000	104,500	904,500	10,7%
Italy	892,502	319,092	1,211,594	16,7%
Japan	9,756,515	1,727,718	11,484,233	6,3%
Malaysia	377,952	125,021	502,973	-10,8%
Mexico	1,097,619	947,899	2,045,518	22,4%
Netherlands	87,332	72,122	159,454	-11,8%
Poland	632,300	82,300	714,600	14,2%
Portugal	143,478	83,847	227,325	3,7%
Romania	201,663	11,934	213,597	9,6%
Russia	1,177,918	330,440	1,508,358	11,6%
Serbia	9,832	1,350	11,182	-21,1%
Slovakia	295,391	0	295,391	35,3%
Slovenia	115,000	35,320	150,320	-15,5%
South Africa	334,482	253,237	587,719	11,9%
South Korea	3,489,136	350,966	3,840,102	3,8%
Spain	2,078,639	698,796	2,777,435	0,9%
Sweden	288,583	44,585	333,168	-1,6%
Taiwan	211,306	91,915	303,221	-32,1%
Thailand	298,819	895,607	1,296,060	15,2%
Turkey	545,682	442,098	987,780	12,4%
Ukraine	274,860	20,400	295,260	36,8%
UK	1,442,085	206,303	1,648,388	-8,6%
USA	4,366,220	6,897,766	11,263,986	-6,0%
Uzbekistan	100,000	10,000	110,000	14,8%
Supplementary	411,982	129,210	541,192
Totals	49,886,549	19,240,607	69,127,156	4,0%

Which are the manufacturers and how many cars they produce?

The statistics on world car production include the following auto-makers: Anhui, Avtovaz , Beijing, BMW, Brilliance, Byd, Chana, Changhe, Chery, China National, Chrysler, Daewoo, Daihatsu, DaimlerChrysler, Dongfeng, Faw, Fiat, Ford, Fuji, Fujian, Gaz, Geely, General Motors, Great Wall, Guangzhou, Harbin, Hino, Honda, Hyundai, Ij-Avto, Isuzu, Kamaz, Kia, Mahindra&Mahindra, MAN, Mazda, Mitsubishi, Multicar, Nanjing, Navistar, Nissan, Nissan Diesel, Paccar, Porsche, Proton, PSA, Renault, Saic, Scania, Suzuki, Tata, Toyota, Uaz, Vaz, Volkswagen, and Volvo.

For detailed statistics on production by manufacturer, make, country and type visit the International Organization of Motor Vehicle Manufacturers

How many cars are there in the world currently?

It is estimated that over 600,000,000 passenger cars travel the streets and roads of the world today.

In the United States alone, 247,421,120 "highway" registered vehicles were counted in 2005, of which 136,568,083 passenger cars. (Bureau of Transportation Statistics U.S. Department of Transportation)