Top car brands by production 1960–2026

In Jan 1960, the leading car producers in this dataset were General Motors (3.200M), Ford (2.050M), Chrysler (1.000M). By Sep 2026, the leaders were Toyota (8.835M), Volkswagen (8.234M), Hyundai Motor Group (6.819M).

1. Oct 1961 — 🚙 Meet the Renault 4. Renault introduces the practical Renault 4 at the Paris Motor Show. Source
2. 17 Apr 1964 — 🐎 The Mustang arrives. Ford introduces the Mustang at the New York World’s Fair. Source
3. 19 Jun 1966 — 🏁 Ford beats Ferrari. Ford finishes first, second and third at the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Source
4. 5 Nov 1966 — 🚗 A car for the masses. Toyota launches the Corolla, bringing compact family transport to more drivers. Source
5. 19 Apr 1970 — 🏭 The first Zhiguli rolls out. The first six VAZ-2101 cars leave the new factory in Tolyatti. Source
6. 12 Jul 1972 — 🚗 Small car. Big future. Honda puts the first Civic on sale in Japan. Source
7. Oct 1973 — ⛽ Queues at the pumps. The Arab oil embargo brings fuel shortages, soaring prices and queues at the pumps. Source
8. 29 Mar 1974 — 🚙 A new era for Volkswagen. The first Golf leaves the Wolfsburg line, opening a new era for Volkswagen. Source
9. Jul 1975 — 🚗 The first 3 Series. BMW introduces the E21, the first generation of the 3 Series. Source
10. 24 Oct 1976 — 🏆 Champion by one point. Hunt takes the F1 title at Fuji by one point in a Ford-powered McLaren. Source
11. 5 Apr 1977 — 🚙 Built for the rough roads. Lada begins Niva production: a compact 4×4 built for tough terrain. Source
12. Mar 1980 — 🐼 Meet the Panda. Fiat unveils the Panda: simple, practical and designed for affordable transport. Source
13. 2 Nov 1983 — 🚐 Meet the family minivan. Chrysler’s first minivan leaves the Windsor line for the 1984 model year. Source
14. Jul 1988 — 🏔️ Climb Dance. Vatanen’s record-breaking Peugeot climb becomes the iconic film Climb Dance. Source
15. 1 Sept 1989 — 🚘 Meet Lexus. Toyota launches Lexus in the US, challenging the established luxury brands. Source
16. 24 Mar 1991 — 🏆 Finally, a win at home. Senna wins in Brazil for McLaren-Honda, finishing with only sixth gear. Source
17. 27 Nov 1992 — 🏎️ The first Type R. Honda launches the NSX Type R. Senna’s Suzuka footage captures its character. Source
18. 10 May 1994 — 🚙 The compact SUV arrives. Toyota launches the RAV4, pairing passenger-car construction with four-wheel drive. Source
19. 22 Nov 1995 — 🏆 World champion. Colin McRae wins the 1995 world rally title in a Subaru Impreza. Source
20. 10 Dec 1997 — 🔋 Petrol meets electric. Toyota launches the Prius in Japan, bringing hybrid technology to production cars. Source
21. 30 Jul 2003 — 🪲 The last original Beetle. The last original Beetle leaves Puebla after a run of more than 21 million cars. Source
22. 25 Sept 2005 — 🏆 The first world title. Alonso finishes third in Brazil to secure his first F1 title with Renault. Source
23. 24 Oct 2007 — 🏎️ GT-R returns. Nissan unveils the R35 GT-R at the Tokyo Motor Show. Source
24. 1 Jun 2009 — 🏭 GM enters bankruptcy. GM files for bankruptcy. The US government backs its restructuring. Source
25. 29 Jul 2013 — ⚡ BMW goes electric. BMW unveils the production i3 in London, New York and Beijing. Source
26. 18 Sept 2015 — 🚨 Dieselgate breaks. US regulators expose Volkswagen’s diesel-emissions cheating. Source
27. 31 Mar 2016 — 🚘 Let’s bring them out. Tesla unveils the Model 3, promising an electric car starting at $35,000. Source
28. 15 Nov 2020 — 🏆 Seven world titles. Hamilton wins in Turkey to equal Schumacher’s record of seven F1 titles. Source
29. 18 Nov 2024 — 🏭 Ten million electrified vehicles. BYD builds its ten-millionth electrified vehicle, including EVs and plug-in hybrids. Source