Industrial robots welding a car body in the white section of a production line.
The automotive industry is the industry involved in the design, development, manufacture, marketing, and sale of motor vehicles. In 2007, more than 73 million motor vehicles, including cars and commercial vehicles were produced worldwide.[1]
In 2007, a total of 71.9 million new automobiles were sold worldwide: 22.9 million in Europe, 21.4 million in Asia-Pacific, 19.4 million in USA and Canada, 4.4 million in Latin America, 2.4 million in the Middle East and 1.4 million in Africa. [2] The markets in North America and Japan were stagnant, while those in South America and Asia grew strongly. Of the major markets, Russia, Brazil and China saw the most rapid growth.
In 2008, with rapidly rising oil prices, industries such as the automotive industry, are experiencing a combination of pricing pressures from raw material costs and changes in consumer buying habits. The industry is also facing increasing external competition from the public transport sector, as consumers re-evaluate their private vehicle usage.[3]
The table below shows the world's largest motor vehicle manufacturing groups, along with the marques produced by each one. The table is ranked by the latest production figures from OICA 2007[4] for the parent group, and then by marque.
Note 1: The OICA statistics rank the Toyota subsidiary companies Daihatsu and Hino separately; in this table they are included with Toyota.
Note 2: Ford and Renault own the rights to the Volvo and Renault marques for cars only; Volvo Group owns the rights to both marques for trucks.
Company relationships
It is not uncommon for automobile manufacturers to hold stakes in other automobile manufacturers. These ownerships can be explored under the detail for the individual companies.
The Renault-Nissan alliance involves two global companies linked by cross-shareholding, with Renault holding 44.3% of Nissan shares, and Nissan holding 15% of (non-voting) Renault shares.
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