The countries that make the most cars revealed
Daniel Coughlin
21 May 2018
Leading auto-manufacturing nations
Wonder which country leads the world in carmaking? Using the latest production statistics from the International Organization of Motor Vehicle Manufacturers (OICA), we count down the nations that produced the most cars last year, from the 30th most productive to the global number one.
30. Argentina: 203,700 vehicles per year
Argentina's auto plants are entirely devoted to producing foreign-designed vehicles. Renault is the biggest player in the South American country, and carmakers from Fiat and Peugeot to Ford and Chevrolet produce vehicles there.
29. Sweden: 226,000 vehicles per year
Focused on quality over quantity, Sweden may not be the world's largest carmaker, but the nation produces some of the planet's most prestigious vehicles. The Scandinavian nation's two major names, Volvo and Saab, make cars that are prized for safety, reliability and understated luxury.
28. Taiwan: 230,356 vehicles per year
A total of 230,356 cars rolled off Taiwanese production lines in 2017. Besides boasting several homegrown carmakers such as Yulon and Luxgen, Taiwan has a number of auto plants that are owned or partly owned by the likes of Honda, Isuzu, Toyota and more.
27. South Africa: 321,358 vehicles per year
Cars assembled under foreign licence are the bread and butter of South Africa's auto industry. Last year, the country's factories produced 321,358 cars. The most exported vehicles include Mercedes-Benz C-Class and Volkswagen Polo models.
26. Belgium: 336,000 vehicles per year
Before World War I, Belgium was the world's leading automaker with 200 different car manufacturers. These days, the country's motor industry still plays an important role in the economy, and plants like Volvo Europe in Ghent and Ford Antwerp are key employers.
25. Morocco: 341,802 vehicles per year
Morocco's auto plants, which consist of two Renault factories in Casablanca and Tangiers, manufactured 341,802 cars in 2017. The annual total is set to skyrocket next year when new Groupe PSA and BYD facilities go operational in the country, which has established itself as Africa's leading car producer.
24. Romania: 359,240 vehicles per year
Dacia, which has been a subsidiary of Renault since 1999, is Romania's largest car manufacturer by a long-shot. Its colossal plant in Mioveni is one of the biggest in Europe and produces the bulk of the nation's vehicles. Ford is the other prominent carmaker in the country.
23. Malaysia: 424,880 vehicles per year
The third biggest carmaker in southeast Asia, Malaysia has a number of domestic manufacturers that produce their own marques or cars on behalf of global giants such as Mitsubishi, Toyota and Honda. They include Proton and Perouda.
22. Hungary: 502,000 vehicles per year
Hungary may have several domestic automakers, but they produce buses in the most part. The majority of the country's cars are put together in three foreign-owned auto plants: Suzuki Esztergom, Audi Gyor, and Mercedes-Benz Kecskemet.
21. Poland: 514,700 vehicles per year
Poland is Eastern Europe's third largest carmaker, and the sector makes up a hefty 11% of the nation's industrial output. Last year, a total of 514,700 cars were assembled in the country, most of which were foreign-owned marques like Fiat and Opel.
20. Italy: 742,642 vehicles per year
Italy has more than its fair share of world-famous marques, from supercar superstars like Ferrari and Lamborghini to more accessible names such as Fiat, which dominates the industry in the country.
19. Canada: 749,458 vehicles per year
For a number of years following World War II, Canada was the world's second most productive carmaking nation. Nowadays, plants in the country assemble cars on behalf of American and Japanese auto manufacturers for the most part, producing a total of 749,458 in 2017.
18. Thailand: 818,440 vehicles per year
Thailand may be southeast Asia's leading vehicle manufacturing nation, but the county falls behind Indonesia in terms of the total number of cars produced. Thai factories made 818,440 cars last year on behalf of foreign-owned carmakers, mostly from Japan and South Korea.
17. Indonesia: 982,356 vehicles per year
Like nearby Thailand, Indonesia has a thriving auto industry that produces cars under licence for a slew of international manufacturers, the majority of which are headquartered in Japan and South Korea.
16. Slovakia: 1,001,520 vehicles per year
The world's largest carmaker per capita, Slovakia has three major foreign-owned production plants: Volkswagen Bratislava, PSA Groupe Trnava and Kia Motors Žilina. Together, they produce more than one million cars a year.
15. Turkey: 1,142,906 vehicles per year
The motor industry is well-established in Turkey and the country has several domestic carmakers including Oyak and Tofaş that partner with international names such as Renault, Fiat and Mercedes-Benz to produce their cars.
14. Russia: 1,348,029 vehicles per year
An impressive 1,348,029 cars rolled out of Russian auto plants last year. Leading carmakers include AvtoVaz, which brought the world the Lada, and GAZ. Eleven foreign auto manufacturers have plants or are in the process of setting up operations in the country.
13. Czech Republic: 1,413,881 vehicles per year
The home of Skoda and Tatra, the Czech Republic is Eastern Europe's foremost car-producing nation. In addition to its domestic carmakers, the country has several foreign-owned factories that make cars for Toyota, Hyandai and other global names.
12. Iran: 1,418,550 vehicles per year
Iran's auto industry has flourished in the past decade and the country's plants now produce 1,418,550 cars a year. Iran Khodro is the industry leader. The automaker produces the Samand, Iran's national car, and makes cars under licence for foreign firms such as Renault and Suzuki.
11. UK: 1,671,166 vehicles per year
The UK auto industry has a reputation for producing high-end vehicles, and British marques like Aston Martin, Bentley and McClaren are admired the world over. The UK is also home to a number of foreign-owned plants, including the vast Nissan Sunderland and Toyota Burnaston factories.
10. France: 1,748,000 vehicles per year
France is no longer Europe's second most productive carmaking country, but the nation's factories still produce 1,748,000 cars a year. The big players are Groupe PSA, the makers of Peugeot and Citroën, and Renault, both of which have a strong international presence.
9. Mexico: 1,900,029 vehicles per year
Mexico has two homegrown carmakers, Mastretta and DINA, but the lion's share of vehicles produced in the country bear foreign marques. They include American names such as Ford and Chevrolet, as well as European and Asian brands.
8. Brazil: 2,269,468 vehicles per year
Over the past few decades, Brazil has become Latin America's premier carmaking nation. A plethora of international automakers have plants in the country, including Volkswagen Group, Mercedes-Benz and Hyundai, and Brazil has several domestic carmakers such as Troller and Excalibur.
7. Spain: 2,291,492 vehicles per year
Europe's second biggest carmaking country, Spain has a total of 13 plants that produce 2,291,492 cars a year. SEAT, which is wholly owned by Germany's Volkswagen Group, is the most famous Spanish marque, and automakers including Ford and Renault have major factories in the country.
6. USA: 3,033,216 vehicles per year
America was the world's top carmaking country for much of the 20th century, and its 'Big Three' auto manufacturers General Motors, Ford and Chrysler produced half the world's vehicles at one point. While US carmakers lost out to foreign competition in the 1980s, they still produce more than three million cars a year.
5. South Korea: 3,735,399 vehicles per year
South Korea is now the world's fifth most prolific carmaking nation. The Hyundai Motor Group is the country's chief auto manufacturer and the third largest globally after Toyota and Volkswagen Group. Other big players in the nation include Renault Samsung Motors and Proto Motors.
4. India: 3,952,550 vehicles per year
Since the 1990s, India's auto industry has enjoyed spectacular growth averaging 17% a year. Tata Motors, which markets the world's cheapest car retailing at around $3,000 (£2,240), is the largest domestic auto manufacturer. Foreign carmakers with plants in India include General Motors, Honda and Audi.
3. Germany: 5,645,581 vehicles per year
Europe's number one car-producing nation since the 1960s, Germany has a multitude of prestigious automakers, from BMW and Porsche to Mercedes-Benz and Volkwagen Group, and its auto industry is regarded as the most innovative and competitive on the planet.
2. Japan: 8,347,836 vehicles per year
Japan's auto industry blossomed in the 1970s and 1980s, overtaking the US by the 1990s to become the world's leading carmaking country for almost two decades. Japanese marques like Toyota, Honda, Nissan and Isuzu shift millions of vehicles a year and are sold in every corner of the globe.
1. China: 24,806,687 vehicles per year
In 2009, China raced ahead of Japan to become the world's largest car manufacturer. As well as domestic carmakers, which include the 'Big Four' of SAIC Motor, Dongfeng, FAW and Chang’an, and huge firms like Geely, international auto giants like Volkswagen Group and Honda have major plants in the country.
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