Portal:Cars

The Cars Portal

The Ford Model T, produced from 1908 to 1927, is widely credited with being the first mass-affordable automobile, and it remains one of the best-selling cars 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 1-8 people, have four wheels, and mainly transport people rather than cargo. There are over 1.6 billion cars in use worldwide as of 2025.

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 widespread in the 2020s. The transition from fossil-fuel-powered cars to electric cars is a central feature of most climate change mitigation scenarios. (Full article...)

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2017 Holden Commodore SV6 sedan (VFII)

The Holden Commodore is a series of automobiles that were sold by now-defunct Australian manufacturer Holden from 1978 until 2020. They were manufactured from 1978 to 2017 in Australia and from 1979 to 1990 in New Zealand, with production of the locally manufactured versions in Australia ending on 20 October 2017.

The first three generations of Holden produced Commodores (1978–2006) were based on the Opel designed V-body rear-wheel drive automotive platform, which was the basis of GM's largest European models, but were structurally strengthened, mechanically modified, and, in time, enlarged by Holden for Australian road conditions, production needs, and market demands. The styling of these cars was generally similar to that of the Opel Rekord E/Commodore C, and later, the Opel Omega A/B and their Vauxhall sister models the Vauxhall Carlton and Omega. (Full article...)

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The automotive industry comprises a wide range of companies and organisations involved in the design, development, manufacturing, marketing, selling, repairing, and modification of motor vehicles. It is one of the world's largest industries by revenue with global automotive market at ~$2.75 trillion in 2025.

The word automotive comes from the Greek autos (self), and Latin motivus (of motion), referring to any form of self-powered vehicle. This term, as proposed by Elmer Sperry^{[need quotation to verify]} (1860–1930), first came into use to describe automobiles in 1898. (Full article...)

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2002 Jeep Grand Cherokee

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Kenichi Yamamoto (山本健一, Yamamoto Kenichi; 16 September 1922 – 20 December 2017) was a Japanese mechanical engineer and business executive. He supervised the development of the Mazda Wankel rotary combustion engine, and served as Mazda's President (1984–1987) and Chairman (1987–1992). (Full article...)

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On this day June 25

1890 — Ugo Zagato is born

1956 — Production ends of cars engineered by Packard.

2002 — The Volkswagen Golf surpasses the Beetle as Volkswagen's most-produced vehicle and the second most-produced car nameplate in the world after the Toyota Corolla.

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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

It was Holden working at its best, doing a lot with a little. Some of the subterfuge we got up to to make things happen was probably more risky than we realised, but it was worth it.

—Tony Hyde

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General images

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

Image 1The 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 2The Toyota Corolla is the best-selling car of all-time. (from Car)
Image 31982 Toyota Camry (from History of the automobile)
Image 4Panel for fuses and circuit breakers (from Car)
Image 5Model-T Ford car parked near the Geelong Art Gallery at its launch in Australia in 1915 (from History of the automobile)
Image 6The Präsident automobile (from History of the automobile)
Image 7Result of a serious car collision (from Car)
Image 8Car exhaust gas is one type of pollution
Image 9The second Marcus car of 1888 (from History of the automobile)
Image 101946 GAZ-M20 Pobeda, one of the first mass-produced cars with a pontoon design (from History of the automobile)
Image 111929 Alfa Romeo 6C (from History of the automobile)
Image 12Carl Benz, the inventor of the modern car (from Car)
Image 13Rolls-Royce Phantom III (from History of the automobile)
Image 14Road congestion is an issue in many major cities (pictured is Chang'an Avenue in Beijing). (from Car)
Image 15Fiat 4 HP, the first car model produced by Italian manufacturer Fiat in 1899 (from History of the automobile)
Image 16The Selden Road-Engine (from History of the automobile)
Image 17Audi A4 daytime running lights (from Car)
Image 18Cugnot's steam wagon, the second (1771) version (from History of the automobile)
Image 19Volkswagen Beetle (from History of the automobile)
Image 20A car being assembled in a factory (from Car)
Image 211959 Morris Mini-Minor (from History of the automobile)
Image 22In 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 231924 Doble Model E (from History of the automobile)
Image 241955 Chevrolet Bel Air convertible (from History of the automobile)
Image 251929 Austin Seven (from History of the automobile)
Image 26The Flocken Elektrowagen was the first four-wheeled electric car (from Car)
Image 27A replica of Richard Trevithick's 1801 road locomotive 'Puffing Devil' (from History of the automobile)
Image 282011 Nissan Leaf electric car (from Car)
Image 29Carl Benz, creator of the Benz Patent-Motorwagen, considered by many as the first modern car. (from History of the automobile)
Image 30A Chevrolet Suburban extended-length SUV weighs 3,300 kilograms (7,200 lb) (gross weight). (from Car)
Image 31The first practical car, Carl Benz's Patent-Motorwagen Nr. 2 of 1886 (image from 1888) (from Car)
Image 32Steam machine of Verbiest, in 1678 (Ferdinand Verbiest) (from Car)
Image 331974 Citroën DS (from History of the automobile)
Image 34Cugnot's 1771 fardier à vapeur, as preserved at the Musée des Arts et Métiers, Paris (from Car)
Image 35A robotic Volkswagen Passat shown at Stanford University is a driverless car. (from Car)
Image 36The Ford Model T (foreground) and Volkswagen Beetle (background) are among the most mass-produced car models in history. (from History of the automobile)
Image 37Stuttgart, 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 381987 Renault Espace (from History of the automobile)
Image 391926 Bugatti Type 35 (from History of the automobile)
Image 40The first production car: 1888 Benz Patent-Motorwagen Model 2 on loan from Science Museum, London to Automuseum Dr Carl Benz, Ladenburg, 2014 (from Car)
Image 41Ransom E. Olds founded Olds Motor Vehicle Company (Oldsmobile) in 1897. (from Car)
Image 42Isotta Fraschini Tipo 8A (from History of the automobile)
Image 43The first automobile in Japan, a French Panhard-Levassor, in 1898 (from History of the automobile)
Image 44A Tesla Model Y electric car, the world's best-selling electric car, and the best selling nameplate in 2023. (from History of the automobile)
Image 45The German Flocken Elektrowagen of 1888, perhaps the first electric car in the world (from History of the automobile)
Image 46The Vélib' in Paris, France, is the largest bikesharing system outside China. (from Car)
Image 47Ford Motor Company automobile assembly line in the 1920s (from Car)
Image 48A 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 49The Toyota Corolla is the world's bestselling nameplate. (from History of the automobile)