Portal:Cars

The Cars Portal

The Toyota Corolla, which has been in production since 1966, is the best-selling series of automobile of all time.

A car, or an automobile, is a motor vehicle with wheels. Most definitions of cars state that they run primarily on roads, seat one to eight people, have four wheels, and mainly transport people over cargo. There are around one billion cars in use worldwide. The car is considered an important part of the developed economy.

The French inventor Nicolas-Joseph Cugnot built the first steam-powered road vehicle in 1769, while the Swiss inventor François Isaac de Rivaz designed and constructed the first internal combustion-powered automobile in 1808. The modern car—a practical, marketable automobile for everyday use—was invented in 1886, when the German inventor Carl Benz patented his Benz Patent-Motorwagen. Commercial cars became widely available during the 20th century. The 1901 Oldsmobile Curved Dash and the 1908 Ford Model T, both American cars, are widely considered the first mass-produced and mass-affordable cars, respectively. Cars were rapidly adopted in the US, where they replaced horse-drawn carriages. In Europe and other parts of the world, demand for automobiles did not increase until after World War II. In the 21st century, car usage is still increasing rapidly, especially in China, India, and other newly industrialised countries.

Cars have controls for driving, parking, passenger comfort, and a variety of lamps. Over the decades, additional features and controls have been added to vehicles, making them progressively more complex. These include rear-reversing cameras, air conditioning, navigation systems, and in-car entertainment. Most cars in use in the early 2020s are propelled by an internal combustion engine, fueled by the combustion of fossil fuels. Electric cars, which were invented early in the history of the car, became commercially available in the 2000s and are predicted to cost less to buy than petrol-driven cars before 2025. The transition from fossil fuel-powered cars to electric cars features prominently in most climate change mitigation scenarios, such as Project Drawdown's 100 actionable solutions for climate change. (Full article...)

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Chrysler 160

The Chrysler 180 was the base name for a series of large saloon cars produced by Chrysler Europe. Resulting from joining the development efforts of Rootes Group and Simca, the car was produced from 1970 to 1975 in Poissy, France, and later in Chrysler's subsidiary Barreiros' factory in Spain. The Chrysler 180 was also the base for the medium-sized model built by Chrysler Australia, the Chrysler Centura.

Depending on the engine, the cars were marketed as Chrysler 160/180/2 litre, and since 1977 in France and rest of continental Europe as Chrysler-Simca 1609/1610/2 litres. After the takeover of Chrysler Europe by PSA Peugeot Citroën, the continental Europe models were renamed Talbot 1610/2 litres for 1979 and 1980 model years, after which the model was discontinued in Europe with the exception of Spain, where a diesel model was sold until 1982. (Full article...)

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Volkswagen (VW; German pronunciation: [ˈfɔlksˌvaːɡn̩] ^ⓘ) is a German automobile manufacturer based in Wolfsburg, Lower Saxony, Germany. Established in 1937 by the German Labour Front under the Nazi Party, it was revitalized into the global brand it is today after World War II by British Army officer Ivan Hirst. The company is well known for its iconic Beetle and serves as the flagship marque of the Volkswagen Group, which became the world's largest automotive manufacturer by global sales in 2016 and 2017.

The group's largest market is China (including Hong Kong and Macau), which accounts for 40% of its sales and profits. The name "Volkswagen" derives from the German words Volk and Wagen, meaning "people's car." (Full article...)

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Buick Roadmaster wagon

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Portrait by Fred Hartsook, c. 1919

Henry Ford (July 30, 1863 – April 7, 1947) was an American industrialist and business magnate. As the founder of the Ford Motor Company, he is credited as a pioneer in making automobiles affordable for middle-class Americans through the system that came to be known as Fordism. In 1911, he was awarded a patent for the transmission mechanism that would be used in the Ford Model T and other automobiles.

Ford was born in a farmhouse in Springwells Township, Michigan, and left home at the age of 16 to find work in Detroit. It was a few years before this time that Ford first experienced automobiles, and throughout the later half of the 1880s, he began repairing and later constructing engines, and through the 1890s worked with a division of Edison Electric. He founded the Ford Motor Company in 1903 after prior failures in business, but success in constructing automobiles. (Full article...)

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On this day November 9

1960 — Henry Ford II turns over the presidency of Ford Motor Company to Robert McNamara

2000 — Nissan Motor Co., Ltd. announces plans for a factory in Canton, Mississippi

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Did you know...

...that the racing version of the Dauer 962 Le Mans, winner of 1994 24 Hours of Le Mans, is a roadcar converted from a Porsche 962 racecar, which dominated Le Mans, Group C and IMSA during the 1980s?
...that the 25 Millionth VW Golf rolled off the production line in Wolfsburg in March 2007? The first Golf started production in 1974, 33 years later the 1.4 litre TSI version became the 25 Millionth car.
...that the 2011 Ford Crown Victoria was the last car to offer a cassette tape player as an option?
...that the first production turbocharged cars were General Motors' A-body 1962 Chevrolet Corvair and Oldsmobile F-85?
...that Jeep introduced the 1993 Grand Cherokee and 2007 Wrangler in the same way — by driving them through a plate glass window?
...that a small number of Renault 20s, badged as Dacia 2000, were made in the 1980s by Dacia in Romania for Romanian communist dignitaries of that time?
...that the Autobianchi Primula was the Fiat's first automobile with the front-wheel drive, transverse engine setup and rack and pinion steering?
...that the Plymouth Sundance is a liftback, even though the outside appearance might suggest that it is a sedan?
...that the name Volvo really means 'I Roll?' That's how Volvo rolls.

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Selected quote of the day

To get to know a country, you must have direct contact with the earth. It's futile to gaze at the world through a car window.

—Albert Einstein

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General images

The following are images from various car-related articles on Wikipedia.

Image 1Cugnot's 1771 fardier à vapeur, as preserved at the Musée des Arts et Métiers, Paris (from Car)
Image 2Steam machine of Verbiest, in 1678 (Ferdinand Verbiest) (from Car)
Image 3The Flocken Elektrowagen was the first four-wheeled electric car (from Car)
Image 4A car being assembled in a factory (from Car)
Image 5Rolls-Royce Phantom III (from History of the automobile)
Image 6A replica of Richard Trevithick's 1801 road locomotive 'Puffing Devil' (from History of the automobile)
Image 72011 Nissan Leaf electric car (from Car)
Image 8The Präsident automobile (from History of the automobile)
Image 9Car exhaust gas is one type of pollution
Image 10The second Marcus car of 1888 (from History of the automobile)
Image 11Gurgel Supermini (from History of the automobile)
Image 12Trucks' share of US vehicles produced, has tripled since 1975. Though vehicle fuel efficiency has increased within each category, the overall trend toward less efficient types of vehicles has offset some of the benefits of greater fuel economy and reductions in pollution and carbon dioxide emissions. Without the shift towards SUVs, energy use per unit distance could have fallen 30% more than it did from 2010 to 2022. (from Car)
Image 13A robotic Volkswagen Passat shown at Stanford University is a driverless car. (from Car)
Image 14Isotta Fraschini Tipo 8A (from History of the automobile)
Image 15Carl Benz, the inventor of the modern car (from Car)
Image 16The Vélib' in Paris, France, is the largest bikesharing system outside China. (from Car)
Image 17In the Ford Model T the left-side hand lever sets the rear wheel parking brakes and puts the transmission in neutral. The lever to the right controls the throttle. The lever on the left of the steering column is for ignition timing. The left foot pedal changes the two forward gears while the centre pedal controls reverse. The right pedal is the brake. (from Car)
Image 18Ford Motor Company automobile assembly line in the 1920s (from Car)
Image 19Volkswagen Beetle (from History of the automobile)
Image 20The Toyota Corolla is the world's bestselling nameplate. (from History of the automobile)
Image 21Stuttgart, a cradle of the car with Gottlieb Daimler and Wilhelm Maybach working there at the Daimler Motoren Gesellschaft and place of the modern day headquarters of Mercedes-Benz Group and Porsche (from Car)
Image 221924 Doble Model E (from History of the automobile)
Image 23Ransom E. Olds founded Olds Motor Vehicle Company (Oldsmobile) in 1897. (from Car)
Image 241929 Austin Seven (from History of the automobile)
Image 25Panel for fuses and circuit breakers (from Car)
Image 26Road congestion is an issue in many major cities (pictured is Chang'an Avenue in Beijing). (from Car)
Image 271929 Alfa Romeo 6C (from History of the automobile)
Image 28Cugnot's steam wagon, the second (1771) version (from History of the automobile)
Image 291958 Lancia Appia (from History of the automobile)
Image 301946 GAZ-M20 Pobeda, one of the first mass-produced cars with pontoon design (from History of the automobile)
Image 311959 Morris Mini-Minor (from History of the automobile)
Image 321926 Bugatti Type 35 (from History of the automobile)
Image 33The Selden Road-Engine (from History of the automobile)
Image 34A Tesla Model Y electric car, the world's best-selling car in the first and second quarters of 2023. (from History of the automobile)
Image 35Model-T Ford car parked near the Geelong Art Gallery at its launch in Australia in 1915 (from History of the automobile)
Image 36A Chevrolet Suburban extended-length SUV weighs 3,300 kilograms (7,200 lb) (gross weight). (from Car)
Image 37Bertha Benz, the first long distance driver (from Car)
Image 38The Ford Model T (foreground) and Volkswagen Beetle (background) are among the most mass-produced car models in history. (from History of the automobile)
Image 39The original Benz Patent-Motorwagen, the first modern car, built in 1885 and awarded the patent for the concept (from Car)
Image 40A Stanley Steamer racecar in 1903. In 1906, a similar Stanley Rocket set the world land speed record at 205.5 km/h (127.7 mph) at Daytona Beach Road Course. (from History of the automobile)
Image 41The German Flocken Elektrowagen of 1888, perhaps the first electric car in the world (from History of the automobile)
Image 42The Toyota Corolla is the best-selling car of all-time. (from Car)
Image 431954 Plymouth Savoy Station Wagon, one of the first US all-metal station wagons (from History of the automobile)
Image 44The first automobile in Japan, a French Panhard-Levassor, in 1898 (from History of the automobile)
Image 451885-built Benz Patent-Motorwagen, the first modern car—a practical, marketable automobile for everyday use (from History of the automobile)
Image 461974 Citroën DS (from History of the automobile)
Image 47The weight of the low battery stabilises the car. This is a dual-motor, four-wheel-drive layout but many cars only have one motor. (from Car)
Image 48Audi A4 daytime running lights (from Car)
Image 49Fiat 4 HP, the first car model produced by Italian manufacturer Fiat in 1899 (from History of the automobile)
Image 50Result of a serious car collision (from Car)