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 around 1.644 billion cars in use worldwide as of January 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 features prominently in most climate change mitigation scenarios. (Full article...)

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The Mitsubishi i (三菱・i, Mitsubishi i) is a kei car from automaker Mitsubishi Motors, first released in January 2006, twenty eight months after its debut at the 2003 Frankfurt Motor Show. It is the first four-door automobile since the 1960s to employ a "rear midship" setup with the engine behind the passengers, in an attempt to improve safety and interior space without enlarging the overall exterior.

The innovative layout and styling of the i proved an immediate critical and commercial success, exceeding Mitsubishi's initial sales targets by 20 percent and winning thirteen awards in its first year. Although designed with the Japanese keijidōsha light automobile class in mind, the attention it generated led to its subsequent introduction in right hand drive markets in Asia, Oceania and Europe. It is also used as a basis of the 2009 i-MiEV battery electric vehicle. (Full article...)

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Beam's Shell Service Station and Office, also known as C. Grier Beam Truck Museum, is a historic service station located at 117 N. Mountain St. in Cherryville, Gaston County, North Carolina. It was built about 1930 by the Shell Oil Company, and is a one-story, rectangular Mission/spanish Revival style building. Associated with the service station are the original pump island and gasoline pumps. The building features a brick water table and brick trim on a stuccoed construction.

It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1997. (Full article...)

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2000–2006 Ford Mondeo ST220

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Ferdinand Karl Piëch (German pronunciation: [ˈfɛʁdinant ˈpiːɛç] ^ⓘ; 17 April 1937 – 25 August 2019) was an Austrian business magnate, engineer, and executive who held the positions of chairman of the executive board (Vorstandsvorsitzender) of the Volkswagen Group from 1993 to 2002, and chairman of the supervisory board (Aufsichtsratsvorsitzender) from 2002 to 2015.

A grandson of Ferdinand Porsche, Piëch began his career at Porsche before moving to Audi, where he was instrumental in transforming the brand into a formidable competitor to Mercedes-Benz and BMW, thanks to groundbreaking models like the Audi Quattro and the Audi 100. Trained as an engineer, Piëch had a profound impact on the design and engineering of several iconic vehicles, including the Porsche 911, Porsche 917, Audi Quattro, and most notably the Bugatti Veyron, which, as of 2012, held the title of the fastest, most powerful, and most expensive road-legal car ever produced. Due to his significant contributions to the automotive industry, Piëch was named "Car Executive of the Century" in 1999 and was inducted into the Automotive Hall of Fame in 2014. (Full article...)

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On this day November 2

1893 — Battista Pininfarina is born

1895 — J. Frank Duryea wins the first automobile race held in the United States

1978 — Former Ford Motor Company president Lee Iacocca becomes president of Chrysler Corporation

1983 — Chrysler Corporation introduces the minivan

2004 — Honda's unibody pickup truck, the Ridgeline is introduced

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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

The quality is remembered long after the price is forgotten

—Sir Henry Royce

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General images

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

Image 1Audi A4 daytime running lights (from Car)
Image 2Cugnot's 1771 fardier à vapeur, as preserved at the Musée des Arts et Métiers, Paris (from Car)
Image 3The second Marcus car of 1888 (from History of the automobile)
Image 4Road congestion is an issue in many major cities (pictured is Chang'an Avenue in Beijing). (from Car)
Image 5A 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 6Result of a serious car collision (from Car)
Image 71929 Alfa Romeo 6C (from History of the automobile)
Image 8The German Flocken Elektrowagen of 1888, perhaps the first electric car in the world (from History of the automobile)
Image 9Car exhaust gas is one type of pollution
Image 10Volkswagen Beetle (from History of the automobile)
Image 11Ford Motor Company automobile assembly line in the 1920s (from Car)
Image 121924 Doble Model E (from History of the automobile)
Image 13Model-T Ford car parked near the Geelong Art Gallery at its launch in Australia in 1915 (from History of the automobile)
Image 14The Selden Road-Engine (from History of the automobile)
Image 151959 Morris Mini-Minor (from History of the automobile)
Image 16A robotic Volkswagen Passat shown at Stanford University is a driverless car. (from Car)
Image 17Rolls-Royce Phantom III (from History of the automobile)
Image 181885-built Benz Patent-Motorwagen, the first modern car—a practical, marketable automobile for everyday use (from History of the automobile)
Image 19A replica of Richard Trevithick's 1801 road locomotive 'Puffing Devil' (from History of the automobile)
Image 20A Chevrolet Suburban extended-length SUV weighs 3,300 kilograms (7,200 lb) (gross weight). (from Car)
Image 211982 Toyota Camry (from History of the automobile)
Image 22A 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 23Isotta Fraschini Tipo 8A (from History of the automobile)
Image 24The Toyota Corolla is the best-selling car of all-time. (from Car)
Image 251926 Bugatti Type 35 (from History of the automobile)
Image 261929 Austin Seven (from History of the automobile)
Image 27The Toyota Corolla is the world's bestselling nameplate. (from History of the automobile)
Image 28Bertha Benz, the first long distance driver (from Car)
Image 29The Ford Model T (foreground) and Volkswagen Beetle (background) are among the most mass-produced car models in history. (from History of the automobile)
Image 30Stuttgart, 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 311955 Chevrolet Bel Air convertible (from History of the automobile)
Image 32Ransom E. Olds founded Olds Motor Vehicle Company (Oldsmobile) in 1897. (from Car)
Image 33Fiat 4 HP, the first car model produced by Italian manufacturer Fiat in 1899 (from History of the automobile)
Image 34Steam machine of Verbiest, in 1678 (Ferdinand Verbiest) (from Car)
Image 35Trucks' 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 36The Präsident automobile (from History of the automobile)
Image 372011 Nissan Leaf electric car (from Car)
Image 38The 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 39The first automobile in Japan, a French Panhard-Levassor, in 1898 (from History of the automobile)
Image 40Carl Benz, the inventor of the modern car (from Car)
Image 411987 Renault Espace (from History of the automobile)
Image 421946 GAZ-M20 Pobeda, one of the first mass-produced cars with a pontoon design (from History of the automobile)
Image 43Panel for fuses and circuit breakers (from Car)
Image 44The Vélib' in Paris, France, is the largest bikesharing system outside China. (from Car)
Image 45A car being assembled in a factory (from Car)
Image 46Cugnot's steam wagon, the second (1771) version (from History of the automobile)
Image 471974 Citroën DS (from History of the automobile)
Image 48In 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 49The original Benz Patent-Motorwagen, the first modern car, built in 1885 and awarded the patent for the concept (from Car)
Image 50The Flocken Elektrowagen was the first four-wheeled electric car (from Car)