Portal:Cars

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The Cars Portal

The Ford Model T, produced from 1908 to 1927, is widely credited with being the first mass-affordable automobile, and it remains one of the best-selling cars 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 1-8 people, have four wheels, and mainly transport people rather than cargo. There are over 1.6 billion cars in use worldwide as of 2025.

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 widespread in the 2020s. The transition from fossil-fuel-powered cars to electric cars is a central feature of most climate change mitigation scenarios. (Full article...)

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Anthony Davidson in the TS030 at the 2013 24 Hours of Le Mans

The Toyota TS030 Hybrid is a Le Mans Prototype 1 (LMP1) sports car built by Toyota Motorsport GmbH and used by the manufacturer in the FIA World Endurance Championship in 2012 and 2013. It was Toyota's first all new prototype since the GT-One last competed in 1999, and was the first petrol-hybrid engine car to participate in the World Endurance Championship. Work on designing the car began in late 2010 when early chassis designs were presented to Toyota Motorsport. The project was stopped briefly after the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami, but the car's building was approved six months later. The TS030 Hybrid featured a Kinetic energy recovery system (KERS) regenerative braking device to charge a super capacitor. Its engine, a naturally aspirated petrol 3.4-litre (210 cu in) V8 power unit, was mounted at a 90-degree angle, produced 530 horsepower (400 kW; 540 PS), and was based on Toyota's Super GT project.

On 24 January 2012 the TS030 Hybrid was shown to the press for the first time at Circuit Paul Ricard and the team commenced testing at the track shortly after. Its planned debut at the 2012 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps was delayed while the car's chassis was rebuilt after a heavy testing crash. Two TS030 Hybrid cars were entered for Le Mans which saw the team fail to finish because of a sizeable accident by Anthony Davidson in the No. 8 vehicle, and an engine failure for the sister No. 7 entry. After the race, the company fielded a sole TS030 Hybrid for the rest of the season and attracted attention for an innovative rear wing extension. It was able to compete successfully against the two Audi R18 e-tron quattro cars, securing three victories with drivers Nicolas Lapierre and Alexander Wurz, ending the season second to their rivals in the World Manufacturers' Championship. (Full article...)

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1948-1950 Hudson Super Six

The Hudson Super Six is an automobile that was first manufactured by the Hudson Motor Car Company of Detroit, Michigan in 1916. This initial model remained in production until 1928.

The nameplate was revived for a rebadged Essex for 1933 (single model year). (Full article...)

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1998 Peugeot 206

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Soichiro Honda (本田宗一郎, Honda Sōichirō; 17 November 1906 – 5 August 1991) was a Japanese engineer and industrialist. In 1948, he established Honda Motor Co., Ltd. and oversaw its expansion from a wooden shack manufacturing bicycle motors to a multinational automobile and motorcycle manufacturer. (Full article...)

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On this day March 15

1990 — Ford introduces the Explorer SUV

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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

Congestion charging was a radical solution to a long-standing problem. It has helped to get London moving again after years of choking traffic.

—Ken Livingstone, Mayor of London, October 2003

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General images

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

Image 11955 Chevrolet Bel Air convertible (from History of the automobile)
Image 2A car being assembled in a factory (from Car)
Image 3Volkswagen Beetle (from History of the automobile)
Image 4The Vélib' in Paris, France, is the largest bikesharing system outside China. (from Car)
Image 5Fiat 4 HP, the first car model produced by Italian manufacturer Fiat in 1899 (from History of the automobile)
Image 6Road congestion is an issue in many major cities (pictured is Chang'an Avenue in Beijing). (from Car)
Image 7Model-T Ford car parked near the Geelong Art Gallery at its launch in Australia in 1915 (from History of the automobile)
Image 8The German Flocken Elektrowagen of 1888, perhaps the first electric car in the world (from History of the automobile)
Image 9Isotta Fraschini Tipo 8A (from History of the automobile)
Image 10The second Marcus car of 1888 (from History of the automobile)
Image 11Rolls-Royce Phantom III (from History of the automobile)
Image 12The Ford Model T (foreground) and Volkswagen Beetle (background) are among the most mass-produced car models in history. (from History of the automobile)
Image 13Carl Benz, the inventor of the modern car (from Car)
Image 14A Chevrolet Suburban extended-length SUV weighs 3,300 kilograms (7,200 lb) (gross weight). (from Car)
Image 15Car exhaust gas is one type of pollution
Image 161885-built Benz Patent-Motorwagen, the first modern car—a practical, marketable automobile for everyday use (from History of the automobile)
Image 17The original Benz Patent-Motorwagen, the first modern car, built in 1885 and awarded the patent for the concept (from Car)
Image 18Steam machine of Verbiest, in 1678 (Ferdinand Verbiest) (from Car)
Image 191946 GAZ-M20 Pobeda, one of the first mass-produced cars with a pontoon design (from History of the automobile)
Image 201929 Alfa Romeo 6C (from History of the automobile)
Image 21Stuttgart, 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 221959 Morris Mini-Minor (from History of the automobile)
Image 231987 Renault Espace (from History of the automobile)
Image 24The 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 25The first automobile in Japan, a French Panhard-Levassor, in 1898 (from History of the automobile)
Image 26The Toyota Corolla is the best-selling car of all-time. (from Car)
Image 27The Flocken Elektrowagen was the first four-wheeled electric car (from Car)
Image 28The Selden Road-Engine (from History of the automobile)
Image 29A replica of Richard Trevithick's 1801 road locomotive 'Puffing Devil' (from History of the automobile)
Image 30Cugnot's steam wagon, the second (1771) version (from History of the automobile)
Image 31Bertha Benz, the first long distance driver (from Car)
Image 321926 Bugatti Type 35 (from History of the automobile)
Image 33A 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 34In 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 351924 Doble Model E (from History of the automobile)
Image 36A robotic Volkswagen Passat shown at Stanford University is a driverless car. (from Car)
Image 37Audi A4 daytime running lights (from Car)
Image 38Cugnot's 1771 fardier à vapeur, as preserved at the Musée des Arts et Métiers, Paris (from Car)
Image 39The Toyota Corolla is the world's bestselling nameplate. (from History of the automobile)
Image 402011 Nissan Leaf electric car (from Car)
Image 411982 Toyota Camry (from History of the automobile)
Image 421929 Austin Seven (from History of the automobile)
Image 43Ransom E. Olds founded Olds Motor Vehicle Company (Oldsmobile) in 1897. (from Car)
Image 44Trucks' 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 45A Tesla Model Y electric car, the world's best-selling electric car, and the best selling nameplate in 2023. (from History of the automobile)
Image 46Ford Motor Company automobile assembly line in the 1920s (from Car)
Image 47The Präsident automobile (from History of the automobile)
Image 481974 Citroën DS (from History of the automobile)
Image 49Result of a serious car collision (from Car)
Image 50Panel for fuses and circuit breakers (from Car)