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Data in Motion#05

Car Production: Which Countries and Makers Lead? | Data in Motion #05

Short answer

  1. The order keeps changing: we follow 8 countries from 1961 to 2025 and the top ten maker groups from 1999 as bars overtake each other.
  2. Country bars share one fixed 0–40 million scale, so you can watch Japan and the US change places as other bars grow or shrink.
  3. How we count matters: 2018 switches from OICA to industry tables with estimates, and mergers change maker totals without real growth.

Video

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Explained

Which countries and makers build the cars? Follow vehicle production as a continuous bar chart race, with hit cars alongside it.

Country chart data

Units: vehicles built in each calendar year, January–December. These selected snapshots show milestones and changes in order among the eight countries in the video; they are not a global top eight.

YearChinaUnited StatesJapanIndiaSouth KoreaMexicoBrazilSpain
1961—6,653,0001,039,00054,000——145,00075,000
1971—10,672,0005,811,00089,000—211,000516,000532,000
1981—7,943,00011,180,000149,000134,000597,000780,000987,000
1991709,0008,790,00013,245,000355,0001,498,000989,000960,0002,082,000
19991,805,00013,025,0009,905,000780,0002,832,0001,534,0001,344,0002,672,000
20002,009,00012,774,00010,145,000796,0003,115,0001,923,0001,671,0003,033,000
20078,885,00010,752,00011,596,0002,250,0004,086,0002,095,0002,971,0002,890,000
20089,233,0008,672,00011,564,0002,316,0003,827,0002,168,0003,220,0002,542,000
200913,649,0005,709,0007,935,0002,643,0003,513,0001,561,0003,185,0002,164,000
201018,265,0007,743,0009,626,0003,554,0004,272,0002,342,0003,648,0002,388,000
201118,419,0008,655,0008,399,0003,940,0004,657,0002,681,0003,144,0002,354,000
201729,015,43411,189,9859,693,7464,782,8964,114,9134,068,4152,699,6722,848,335
202025,225,2428,821,0268,067,9433,381,8193,506,7743,177,2512,014,0552,268,185
202330,160,96610,639,1408,998,5385,852,1434,243,5974,001,9642,324,8382,451,243
202431,281,59210,522,3948,234,6456,016,7644,128,2424,202,7242,553,8692,377,091
202534,530,73810,243,8448,410,2326,490,8104,102,2004,092,4482,644,0542,274,026

“—” means unavailable, not zero. Older BTS values are rounded to thousands. From 2000, the definition assigns production to the country of final assembly. Published source figures can include estimates. Motion between records is display interpolation, not observed intermediate-year or monthly data. No forecasts are used here.

Manufacturer chart data, 1999–2024

Units: vehicles per calendar year. Selected snapshots show the top ten groups drawn from each year’s candidate list. OICA surveys through 2017 and industry tables/company disclosures from 2018 differ in method; the video does not interpolate across this break. Industry estimates can use shipment or sales proxies. Group boundaries and joint-venture allocations follow each year’s source, so changes do not solely measure output growth or decline. Hyundai and Kia are combined.

1999

RankGroupVehiclesFigure type
1GM8,421,000OICA survey
2Ford6,638,000OICA survey
3Toyota5,462,000OICA survey
4DaimlerChrysler4,828,000OICA survey
5Volkswagen4,784,000OICA survey
6Fiat / Iveco2,631,000OICA survey
7PSA2,515,000OICA survey
8Nissan2,455,000OICA survey
9Honda2,425,000OICA survey
10Renault2,347,000OICA survey

2008

RankGroupVehiclesFigure type
1Toyota9,237,780OICA survey
2GM8,282,803OICA survey
3Volkswagen6,437,414OICA survey
4Ford5,407,000OICA survey
5Hyundai–Kia4,172,461OICA survey
6Honda3,912,700OICA survey
7Nissan3,395,065OICA survey
8PSA3,325,407OICA survey
9Suzuki2,623,567OICA survey
10Fiat / Iveco2,524,325OICA survey

2011

RankGroupVehiclesFigure type
1GM9,031,670OICA survey
2Volkswagen8,525,573OICA survey
3Toyota8,050,181OICA survey
4Hyundai–Kia6,616,858OICA survey
5Ford5,516,931OICA survey
6Nissan4,631,673OICA survey
7PSA3,582,410OICA survey
8Honda2,909,016OICA survey
9Renault2,825,089OICA survey
10Suzuki2,725,899OICA survey

2017

RankGroupVehiclesFigure type
1Toyota10,466,051OICA survey
2Volkswagen10,382,334OICA survey
3Hyundai–Kia7,218,391OICA survey
4GM6,856,880OICA survey
5Ford6,386,818OICA survey
6Nissan5,769,277OICA survey
7Honda5,236,842OICA survey
8Fiat Chrysler4,600,847OICA survey
9Renault4,153,589OICA survey
10PSA3,649,742OICA survey

2018

RankGroupVehiclesFigure type
1Volkswagen11,017,621Company production
2Toyota10,569,303Company production
3GM8,384,000Industry estimate
4Hyundai–Kia7,275,000Industry estimate
5Ford5,982,000Industry estimate
6Nissan5,486,516Company production
7Honda5,357,013Company production
8Fiat Chrysler4,842,000Industry estimate
9Renault4,120,000Industry estimate
10PSA3,868,000Industry estimate

2023

RankGroupVehiclesFigure type
1Toyota11,517,622Company production
2Volkswagen9,309,273Company production
3Hyundai–Kia7,340,000Industry estimate
4Stellantis6,393,000Industry estimate
5GM5,886,000Industry estimate
6Ford4,413,000Industry estimate
7Honda4,188,039Company production
8Nissan3,444,164Company production
9Suzuki3,225,000Industry estimate
10BYD3,045,000Industry estimate

2024

RankGroupVehiclesFigure type
1Toyota10,615,000Company production
2Volkswagen8,953,693Company production
3Hyundai–Kia7,231,000Industry estimate
4Stellantis5,526,000Industry estimate
5GM5,438,000Industry estimate
6Ford4,470,000Industry estimate
7BYD4,304,000Industry estimate
8Honda3,727,513Company production
9Geely3,337,000Industry estimate
10Suzuki3,300,000Industry estimate

PSA includes Peugeot and Citroën; FCA is Fiat Chrysler. Following their 2021 merger, the group is listed as Stellantis. Tesla is outside the top ten in this annual series and is tracked separately in the video.

YearTesla vehiclesFigure type
2017101,027OICA survey
2018255,000Industry estimate
20231,846,000Industry estimate
20241,773,000Industry estimate

The 2025 light-vehicle top ten

Production of passenger cars and light commercial vehicles, excluding heavy vehicles; weight limits vary by region. Values are approximate readings of the Frost & Sullivan chart on page 4, rounded to 100,000 vehicles. Small differences do not establish a precise rank. The 2024 column uses the same groups as the 2025 top ten, rather than a separate 2024 top ten. This is separate from the earlier all-vehicle series.

Group2024 (approx. vehicles)2025 (approx. vehicles)
Toyota10,100,00010,400,000
Volkswagen8,500,0008,200,000
Hyundai–Kia7,000,0007,000,000
GM5,400,0005,600,000
Stellantis5,600,0005,400,000
BYD4,200,0004,400,000
Geely3,100,0004,100,000
Ford4,000,0003,900,000
Honda3,700,0003,300,000
Suzuki3,100,0003,200,000

First half of 2026: seven groups with verified disclosures

Units: vehicles produced in January–June of each year, not full-year 2026 totals. This compares seven groups with verified disclosures, not the world’s top seven. Values use production, not sales or deliveries.

GroupJan–Jun 2025 (vehicles)Jan–Jun 2026 (vehicles)
Toyota5,471,1875,479,573
Volkswagen4,519,0004,171,000
Suzuki1,650,9431,886,585
BYD2,137,0331,814,130
Honda1,736,3811,679,637
Nissan1,439,0401,320,698
Tesla772,859860,144

Toyota includes Lexus and Daihatsu, excluding Hino in both years. VW figures are converted from reported thousands. BYD includes battery electric vehicles, plug-in hybrids and commercial vehicles; its disclosure is unaudited. Suzuki includes Japanese complete vehicles and assembly kits; overseas output excludes kits sent from Japan to avoid duplication. Other totals follow each company’s reporting scope.

Tesla totals sum Total Production for Q1 and Q2: 362,615 + 410,244 = 772,859 in 2025, and 408,386 + 451,758 = 860,144 in 2026. All four releases are linked below.

Data for the supplementary production charts

Nissan production by country (calendar year, vehicles)

These are five individually listed countries, not all Nissan production locations.

Country20242025
Japan656,990565,444
United States524,919486,232
Mexico669,941658,536
United Kingdom284,197273,174
China665,437660,831

Jan–Mar 2026: four countries by vehicle category (vehicles)

These are the source’s vehicle categories, not occupations or actual uses. This quarter is separate from the full-year tables.

CountryAll vehiclesPassenger carsCommercial vehicles
China7,039,1875,908,7201,130,467
United States2,552,630291,0962,261,534
Japan2,205,6951,885,704319,991
India1,929,1811,571,859357,322

Honda and Subaru (calendar year 2025, vehicles)

ManufacturerJapanOutside JapanWorldwide
Honda689,8022,706,2553,396,057
Subaru540,194337,822878,016

Three takeaways

  • A country’s rank and a manufacturer’s rank measure different things; one maker can build vehicles in several countries.
  • Leading groups change over time, while mergers and reporting changes also affect bar lengths.
  • All-vehicle, light-vehicle and half-year figures cannot be combined into one ranking.

Sources

Where the facts and numbers in the video and on this page come from.

  1. Toyota: June 2026 results, January–June production for 2025 and 2026 (Retrieved 2026-10-15; link rechecked 2026-10-28)global.toyota/en/company/profile/production-sales-fig…
  2. Volkswagen: June 2026 results, January–June production for 2025 and 2026 (Retrieved 2026-10-15; link rechecked 2026-10-28)volkswagen-group.com/en/press-releases/volkswagen-group-stay…
  3. Suzuki: January–June 2025 production disclosure (June year-to-date figures) (Retrieved 2026-10-15; link rechecked 2026-10-28)globalsuzuki.com/globalnews/2025/0730a.html
  4. Suzuki: January–June 2026 production disclosure (June year-to-date figures) (Retrieved 2026-10-15; link rechecked 2026-10-28)globalsuzuki.com/globalnews/2026/0730.html
  5. BYD: June 2026 results, January–June production for 2025 and 2026 (Retrieved 2026-10-15; link rechecked 2026-10-28)www1.hkexnews.hk/listedco/listconews/sehk/2026/0701/2026…
  6. Honda: June 2026 results, January–June production for 2025 and 2026 (Retrieved 2026-10-15; link rechecked 2026-10-28)global.honda/en/newsroom/news/2026/c260730eng.html
  7. Nissan: June 2026 results, January–June production for 2025 and 2026 (Retrieved 2026-10-15; link rechecked 2026-10-28)nissan-global.com/JP/IR/PERFORMANCE/ASSETS/2026/PDF/Nissa…
  8. Tesla: Q1 2025, Total Production (Retrieved 2026-10-15; link rechecked 2026-10-28)ir.tesla.com/press-release/tesla-first-quarter-2025-…
  9. Tesla: Q2 2025, Total Production (Retrieved 2026-10-15; link rechecked 2026-10-28)ir.tesla.com/press-release/tesla-second-quarter-2025…
  10. Tesla: Q1 2026, Total Production (Retrieved 2026-10-15; link rechecked 2026-10-28)ir.tesla.com/press-release/tesla-first-quarter-2026-…
  11. Tesla: Q2 2026, Total Production (Retrieved 2026-10-15; link rechecked 2026-10-28)ir.tesla.com/press-release/tesla-second-quarter-2026…
  12. US Bureau of Transportation Statistics: National Transportation Statistics, world vehicle production (historical records) (Retrieved during production, 2026-10-13 to 2026-10-15)bts.gov/archive/publications/national_transport…
  13. OICA: annual country production statistics and Q1 2026 (Retrieved during production, 2026-10-13 to 2026-10-15)oica.net/production-statistics
  14. OICA: manufacturer production statistics, 1999–2017 editions (Retrieved during production, 2026-10-13 to 2026-10-15)oica.net/manufacturers-statistics
  15. CCFA: annual industry statistics for 2018–2024 manufacturer figures, including estimates (Retrieved during production, 2026-10-13 to 2026-10-15)ccfa.fr/analyse-statistiques
  16. Country production: source table including 2017 (Retrieved during production, 2026-10-13 to 2026-10-15)oica.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/By-country-2…
  17. Country production: source table including 2020 (Retrieved during production, 2026-10-13 to 2026-10-15)oica.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/By-country-r…
  18. Country production: source table including 2023 (Retrieved during production, 2026-10-13 to 2026-10-15)oica.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/prod-total-2…
  19. 1999 GM: annual source (Retrieved during production, 2026-10-13 to 2026-10-15)oica.net/wp-content/uploads/2007/06/cl99cons2.pdf
  20. 2008 Toyota: annual source (Retrieved during production, 2026-10-13 to 2026-10-15)oica.net/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/2008_toyota.…
  21. 2008 GM: annual source (Retrieved during production, 2026-10-13 to 2026-10-15)oica.net/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/2008_gm.pdf
  22. 2008 Volkswagen: annual source (Retrieved during production, 2026-10-13 to 2026-10-15)oica.net/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/2008_volkswa…
  23. 2008 Ford: annual source (Retrieved during production, 2026-10-13 to 2026-10-15)oica.net/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/2008_ford.pdf
  24. 2008 Hyundai–Kia: annual source (Retrieved during production, 2026-10-13 to 2026-10-15)oica.net/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/2008_hyundai…
  25. 2008 Honda: annual source (Retrieved during production, 2026-10-13 to 2026-10-15)oica.net/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/2008_honda.pdf
  26. 2008 Nissan: annual source (Retrieved during production, 2026-10-13 to 2026-10-15)oica.net/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/2008_nissan.…
  27. 2008 PSA: annual source (Retrieved during production, 2026-10-13 to 2026-10-15)oica.net/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/2008_psa.pdf
  28. 2008 Suzuki: annual source (Retrieved during production, 2026-10-13 to 2026-10-15)oica.net/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/2008_suzuki.…
  29. 2008 Fiat / Iveco: annual source (Retrieved during production, 2026-10-13 to 2026-10-15)oica.net/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/2008_fiat.pdf
  30. 2011 GM: annual source (Retrieved during production, 2026-10-13 to 2026-10-15)oica.net/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/2011_general…
  31. 2011 Volkswagen: annual source (Retrieved during production, 2026-10-13 to 2026-10-15)oica.net/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/2011_volkswa…
  32. 2011 Toyota: annual source (Retrieved during production, 2026-10-13 to 2026-10-15)oica.net/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/2011_toyota.…
  33. 2011 Hyundai–Kia: annual source (Retrieved during production, 2026-10-13 to 2026-10-15)oica.net/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/2011_hyundai…
  34. 2011 Ford: annual source (Retrieved during production, 2026-10-13 to 2026-10-15)oica.net/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/2011_ford.pdf
  35. 2011 Nissan: annual source (Retrieved during production, 2026-10-13 to 2026-10-15)oica.net/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/2011_nissan.…
  36. 2011 PSA: annual source (Retrieved during production, 2026-10-13 to 2026-10-15)oica.net/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/2011_psa.pdf
  37. 2011 Honda: annual source (Retrieved during production, 2026-10-13 to 2026-10-15)oica.net/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/2011_honda.pdf
  38. 2011 Renault: annual source (Retrieved during production, 2026-10-13 to 2026-10-15)oica.net/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/2011_renault…
  39. 2011 Suzuki: annual source (Retrieved during production, 2026-10-13 to 2026-10-15)oica.net/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/2011_suzuki.…
  40. 2017 Toyota: annual source (Retrieved during production, 2026-10-13 to 2026-10-15)oica.net/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/2017_Toyota.…
  41. 2017 Volkswagen: annual source (Retrieved during production, 2026-10-13 to 2026-10-15)oica.net/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/2017_Volkswa…
  42. 2017 Hyundai–Kia: annual source (Retrieved during production, 2026-10-13 to 2026-10-15)oica.net/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/2017_Hyundai…
  43. 2017 GM: annual source (Retrieved during production, 2026-10-13 to 2026-10-15)oica.net/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/2017_GM.pdf
  44. 2017 Ford: annual source (Retrieved during production, 2026-10-13 to 2026-10-15)oica.net/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/2017_Ford.pdf
  45. 2017 Nissan: annual source (Retrieved during production, 2026-10-13 to 2026-10-15)oica.net/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/2017_Nissan.…
  46. 2017 Honda: annual source (Retrieved during production, 2026-10-13 to 2026-10-15)oica.net/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/2017_Honda.pdf
  47. 2017 Fiat Chrysler: annual source (Retrieved during production, 2026-10-13 to 2026-10-15)oica.net/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/2017_Fiat.pdf
  48. 2017 Renault: annual source (Retrieved during production, 2026-10-13 to 2026-10-15)oica.net/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/2017_Renault…
  49. 2017 PSA: annual source (Retrieved during production, 2026-10-13 to 2026-10-15)oica.net/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/2017_PSA.pdf
  50. 2018 Volkswagen: annual source (Retrieved during production, 2026-10-13 to 2026-10-15)annualreport2018.volkswagenag.com/group-management-report/business-develo…
  51. 2018 Toyota: annual source (Retrieved during production, 2026-10-13 to 2026-10-15)global.toyota/en/company/profile/production-sales-fig…
  52. 2018 GM: annual source (Retrieved during production, 2026-10-13 to 2026-10-15)ccfa.fr/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/pdf_analyse_…
  53. 2018 Nissan: annual source (Retrieved during production, 2026-10-13 to 2026-10-15)nissan-global.com/JP/IR/PERFORMANCE/ASSETS/2018/PDF/Nissa…
  54. 2018 Honda: annual source (Retrieved during production, 2026-10-13 to 2026-10-15)global.honda/en/newsroom/news/2019/c190130ceng.html
  55. 2023 Volkswagen: annual source (Retrieved during production, 2026-10-13 to 2026-10-15)annualreport2023.volkswagen-group.com/group-management-report/business-develo…
  56. 2023 Hyundai–Kia: annual source (Retrieved during production, 2026-10-13 to 2026-10-15)ccfa.fr/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/CCFA-2025-FR…
  57. 2023 Honda: annual source (Retrieved during production, 2026-10-13 to 2026-10-15)global.honda/en/newsroom/news/2024/c240130eng.html
  58. 2023 Nissan: annual source (Retrieved during production, 2026-10-13 to 2026-10-15)nissan-global.com/JP/IR/PERFORMANCE/ASSETS/2023/PDF/Nissa…
  59. 2024 Volkswagen: annual source (Retrieved during production, 2026-10-13 to 2026-10-15)annualreport2024.volkswagen-group.com/group-management-report/business-develo…
  60. 2024 Honda: annual source (Retrieved during production, 2026-10-13 to 2026-10-15)global.honda/en/newsroom/news/2026/c260129eng.html
  61. 2017 Tesla: annual source (Retrieved during production, 2026-10-13 to 2026-10-15)oica.net/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/2017_Tesla.pdf
  62. 2018 Tesla: annual source (Retrieved during production, 2026-10-13 to 2026-10-15)ccfa.fr/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/pdf_analyse_…
  63. Frost & Sullivan: Automotive Production Trends and Insights, Global, 2026–2031 (April 2026), page 4 chart of 2024 and 2025 figures (Retrieved during production, 2026-10-13 to 2026-10-15)automotive.messefrankfurt.com/content/dam/messefrankfurt-redaktion/au…
  64. Nissan: December and full-year 2025 production, sales and exports (Retrieved during production, 2026-10-13 to 2026-10-15)global.nissannews.com/en/releases/nissan-production-sales-exp…
  65. Subaru: calendar year 2025 production (Retrieved during production, 2026-10-13 to 2026-10-15)subaru.co.jp/news-en/2026_01_29_153941
  66. Toyota logo: Toyota Motor Corporation, Wikimedia Commons (PD-textlogo).commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Toyota_carlogo.svg
  67. CC BY 4.0.creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0

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