Portal:Cars

The Cars Portal

The Toyota Corolla, which has been in production since 1966, is the best-selling series of automobile 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 one to eight people, have four wheels, and mainly transport people rather than cargo. There are around one billion cars in use worldwide.

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 are predicted to cost less to buy than petrol-driven cars before 2025. The transition from fossil fuel-powered cars to electric cars features prominently in most climate change mitigation scenarios, such as Project Drawdown's 100 actionable solutions for climate change. (Full article...)

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The Mitsubishi i-MiEV (MiEV is an acronym for Mitsubishi innovative Electric Vehicle) is a five-door electric city car produced in the 2010s by Mitsubishi Motors, and is the electric version of the Mitsubishi i. Rebadged variants of the i-MiEV are also sold by PSA as the Peugeot iOn and Citroën C-Zero, mainly in Europe. The i-MiEV was the world's first modern highway-capable mass production electric car.

The i-MiEV was launched for fleet customers in Japan in July 2009, and on April 1, 2010, for the wider public. International sales to Asia, Australia and Europe started in 2010, with further markers in 2011 including Central and South America. Fleet and retail customer deliveries in the U.S. and Canada began in December 2011. The American-only version is larger than the Japanese version and has several additional features. (Full article...)

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2008-2013 Lamborghini Gallardo Superleggera (Coupé, facelift)

The Lamborghini Gallardo (/ɡaɪˈjɑːrdoʊ/; Spanish: [ɡaˈʎaɾðo]) is a sports car built by the Italian automotive manufacturer Lamborghini from 2003 to 2013. It is Lamborghini's second car released under parent company Audi, and the best-selling model at the time with 14,022 built throughout its production run. Named after a famous breed of fighting bull, the V10 powered Gallardo has been Lamborghini's sales leader and stable-mate to a succession of V12 flagship models—first to the Murciélago (4,099 built between 2001 and 2010), then to the Aventador, being the first entry-level Lamborghini in one-and-half decades. On 25 November 2013, the last Gallardo was rolled off the production line. The Gallardo was replaced by the Huracán in 2014.

Lamborghini Gallardo Superleggera

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2005 Mercedes-Benz S350

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Nicolaus August Otto circa 1868

Nicolaus August Otto (10 June 1832 – 26 January 1891) was a German engineer who successfully developed the compressed charge internal combustion engine which ran on petroleum gas and led to the modern internal combustion engine. The Association of German Engineers (VDI) created DIN standard 1940 which says "Otto Engine: internal combustion engine in which the ignition of the compressed fuel-air mixture is initiated by a timed spark", which has been applied to all engines of this type since. (Full article...)

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On this day February 7

1942 — The government of the United States of America orders passenger vehicle production to be stopped and converted to war effort.

2007 — Ford announces it will resurrect the Ford Taurus and Mercury Sable nameplates for the 2008 versions of the Ford Five Hundred, Ford Freestyle, and Mercury Montego.

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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 Aston Martin DB9 is the car that I'd be most likely to sell my children into slavery for.

—Jeremy Clarkson

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General images

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

Image 1Gurgel Supermini (from History of the automobile)
Image 2Ransom E. Olds founded Olds Motor Vehicle Company (Oldsmobile) in 1897. (from Car)
Image 3The Toyota Corolla is the best-selling car of all-time. (from Car)
Image 4The Präsident automobile (from History of the automobile)
Image 5A replica of Richard Trevithick's 1801 road locomotive 'Puffing Devil' (from History of the automobile)
Image 61958 Lancia Appia (from History of the automobile)
Image 7Carl Benz, the inventor of the modern car (from Car)
Image 8The Toyota Corolla is the world's bestselling nameplate. (from History of the automobile)
Image 9The Flocken Elektrowagen was the first four-wheeled electric car (from Car)
Image 10Stuttgart, 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 11In 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 121924 Doble Model E (from History of the automobile)
Image 13The Vélib' in Paris, France, is the largest bikesharing system outside China. (from Car)
Image 14A robotic Volkswagen Passat shown at Stanford University is a driverless car. (from Car)
Image 15Road congestion is an issue in many major cities (pictured is Chang'an Avenue in Beijing). (from Car)
Image 16A 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 17Fiat 4 HP, the first car model produced by Italian manufacturer Fiat in 1899 (from History of the automobile)
Image 181959 Morris Mini-Minor (from History of the automobile)
Image 191929 Alfa Romeo 6C (from History of the automobile)
Image 20Cugnot's steam wagon, the second (1771) version (from History of the automobile)
Image 21Steam machine of Verbiest, in 1678 (Ferdinand Verbiest) (from Car)
Image 22A car being assembled in a factory (from Car)
Image 231926 Bugatti Type 35 (from History of the automobile)
Image 241954 Plymouth Savoy Station Wagon, one of the first US all-metal station wagons (from History of the automobile)
Image 25Cugnot's 1771 fardier à vapeur, as preserved at the Musée des Arts et Métiers, Paris (from Car)
Image 26A Chevrolet Suburban extended-length SUV weighs 3,300 kilograms (7,200 lb) (gross weight). (from Car)
Image 27The Selden Road-Engine (from History of the automobile)
Image 28Trucks' 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 29Bertha Benz, the first long distance driver (from Car)
Image 30Rolls-Royce Phantom III (from History of the automobile)
Image 31A Tesla Model Y electric car, the world's best-selling car in the first and second quarters of 2023. (from History of the automobile)
Image 32Result of a serious car collision (from Car)
Image 33The Ford Model T (foreground) and Volkswagen Beetle (background) are among the most mass-produced car models in history. (from History of the automobile)
Image 342011 Nissan Leaf electric car (from Car)
Image 35Volkswagen Beetle (from History of the automobile)
Image 36Panel for fuses and circuit breakers (from Car)
Image 37Ford Motor Company automobile assembly line in the 1920s (from Car)
Image 381946 GAZ-M20 Pobeda, one of the first mass-produced cars with pontoon design (from History of the automobile)
Image 39Isotta Fraschini Tipo 8A (from History of the automobile)
Image 40The second Marcus car of 1888 (from History of the automobile)
Image 41Model-T Ford car parked near the Geelong Art Gallery at its launch in Australia in 1915 (from History of the automobile)
Image 421885-built Benz Patent-Motorwagen, the first modern car—a practical, marketable automobile for everyday use (from History of the automobile)
Image 431929 Austin Seven (from History of the automobile)
Image 44Audi A4 daytime running lights (from Car)
Image 45The original Benz Patent-Motorwagen, the first modern car, built in 1885 and awarded the patent for the concept (from Car)
Image 46The 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 47The German Flocken Elektrowagen of 1888, perhaps the first electric car in the world (from History of the automobile)
Image 48The first automobile in Japan, a French Panhard-Levassor, in 1898 (from History of the automobile)
Image 491974 Citroën DS (from History of the automobile)
Image 50Car exhaust gas is one type of pollution