Automotive industry

The automotive industry comprises a wide range of companies and organizations involved in the design, development, manufacturing, marketing, selling, repairing, and modification of motor vehicles.

[3][failed verification] The word automotive comes from the Greek autos (self), and Latin motivus (of motion), referring to any form of self-powered vehicle.

In the automotive industry, safety means that users, operators, or manufacturers do not face any risk or danger coming from the motor vehicle or its spare parts.

Automobiles and other motor vehicles have to comply with a certain number of regulations, whether local or international, in order to be accepted on the market.

In 2007, there were about 806 million cars and light trucks on the road, consuming over 980 billion litres (980,000,000 m3) of gasoline and diesel fuel yearly.

The Detroit branch of Boston Consulting Group predicted that, by 2014, one-third of world demand would be in the four BRIC markets (Brazil, Russia, India, and China).

[13] It is also expected that this trend will continue, especially as the younger generations of people (in highly urbanized countries) no longer want to own a car, and prefer other modes of transport.

[21][22] Major car manufacturing nations like the United States, Germany, China, Japan and South Korea, as well as Volkswagen, Toyota, Peugeot, Honda, Nissan and Hyundai, did not pledge.

Some estimates surpass 180,000 L (39,000 imp gal) of water per car manufactured, depending on whether tyre production is included.

Production processes that use a significant volume of water include surface treatment, painting, coating, washing, cooling, air-conditioning, and boilers, not counting component manufacturing.

[26] In 2022, Tesla's Gigafactory Berlin-Brandenburg ran into legal challenges due to droughts and falling groundwater levels in the region.

Brandenburg's Economy Minister Joerg Steinbach said that while water supply was sufficient during the first stage, more would be needed once Tesla expands the site.

The factory would nearly double the water consumption in the Gruenheide area, with 1.4 million cubic meters being contracted from local authorities per year — enough for a city of around 40,000 people.

[27] 1960s: Post-war increase 1970s: Oil crisis and tighter safety and emission regulation 1990s: Production started in NICs.

An automotive assembly line at Opel Manufacturing Poland in 2015
SEAT , Škoda , and Volkswagen cars being transported by train in Kutná Hora , Czech Republic in 2014
The Thomas B. Jeffery Company automobile factory in Kenosha, Wisconsin around 1916
Fiat 1800 and 2100 sedans being assembled at a Fiat factory in 1961
A 2010 Hyundai Tucson used for a crash test by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
An advertisement for the Pontiac 6 , c. 1928
Trucks' 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 reduction of carbon dioxide emissions. [ 24 ] Without the shift towards SUVs, energy use per unit distance could have fallen 30% more than it did from 2010 to 2022. [ 25 ]
World motor production (1997–2016)
Percentage of exported cars by country (2014) [ clarification needed ] [ 55 ]
Global automobile import and export in 2011