Portal:Cars

The Cars Portal

An electric car charging station at Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. This station is run by Petrobras and uses solar energy.

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, not cargo.

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. One of the first cars affordable by the masses was the Ford Model T, begun in 1908, an American car manufactured by the Ford Motor Company. 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. The car is considered an essential part of the developed economy.

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 Maserati MC12 (Tipo M144S) is a limited production two-seater sports car produced by Italian car maker Maserati from 2004 to 2005, to allow a racing variant to compete in the FIA GT Championship. The car entered production in 2004, with 25 cars produced. A further 25 were produced in 2005 after the FIA changed the rules and reduced the maximum length allowed. The second batch of 25 are 150mm shorter than the originals, making a total of 50 cars available for customers. With the addition of 12 cars produced for racing, a total of just 62 were ever produced.

Maserati designed and built the car on the chassis of the Ferrari Enzo, but the final car is much larger and has a lower drag coefficient, along with being longer, wider and taller and has a sharper nose and smoother curves than the Enzo. The Enzo had quicker acceleration, shorter braking distance, and a higher top speed at 350 km/h (217 mph), 20 km/h (12 mph) more than the MC12. (Full article...)

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The PSA Group (French pronunciation: [ɡʁup pe ɛs ɑ]), legally known as Peugeot S.A. (Peugeot Société Anonyme, trading as Groupe PSA; formerly known as PSA Peugeot Citroën from 1991 to 2016) was a French multinational automotive manufacturing company which produced automobiles and motorcycles under the Peugeot, Citroën, DS, Opel and Vauxhall brands. On 18 December 2019, PSA and Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) announced that they had agreed to the terms of a binding $50 billion merger. On 16 July 2020, both companies announced the new name for their merged operations, Stellantis. The deal closed on 16 January 2021. , Stellantis is the fourth largest automaker by sales behind Toyota, Volkswagen Group, and Hyundai Motor Group.

Peugeot was the largest PSA brand. PSA was listed on the Euronext Paris stock exchange and was a constituent of the CAC 40 index. (Full article...)

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Buick Roadmaster wagon

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Nordmann as a Luftwaffe officer in 1943

Karl-Gottfried "Karlfried" Nordmann (22 November 1915 – 22 July 1982) was a German Luftwaffe pilot during World War II and, after the war, a president of Mercedes-Benz in North America. As a fighter ace he was credited with 78 enemy aircraft shot down in over 800 combat missions. He claimed the majority of his victories over the Eastern Front, with one during the Invasion of Poland and eight during the Battle of France and Britain.

Born in Giessen, Nordmann volunteered for military service in the Luftwaffe of the Third Reich in 1936. Following flight training, he was posted to Jagdgeschwader 132 (JG 132—132nd Fighter Wing) in October 1938. After a series of redesignations his unit was subordinated to Jagdgeschwader 51 (JG 51—51st Fighter Wing). He fought in the aerial battles over Poland, France and Britain, claiming nine victories. Following the German invasion of the Soviet Union in Operation Barbarossa, he was appointed Gruppenkommandeur (group commander) of the IV. Gruppe (4th Group) of JG 51. He was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross on 1 August 1941 following his 31st aerial victory and received the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves on 16 September 1941 after 59 victories. The Oak Leaves grades to the Knight's Cross was Germany's highest military decoration at the time of its presentation to Nordmann. (Full article...)

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On this day June 9

2000 — Production of the Chevrolet Avalanche is announced

2003 — Toyota surpasses Ford Motor Company as the world's second-largest auto maker; Toyota's Scion goes on sale in California the same day.

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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 nearly identical Ford Model T engines were produced for exactly 12,000 days
...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?

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Selected quote of the day

To get to know a country, you must have direct contact with the earth. It's futile to gaze at the world through a car window.

—Albert Einstein

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General images

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

Image 1Car exhaust gas is one type of pollution
Image 2A car being assembled in a factory (from Car)
Image 3Steam machine of Verbiest, in 1678 (Ferdinand Verbiest) (from Car)
Image 4In 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 5The Toyota Corolla is the world's bestselling nameplate. (from History of the automobile)
Image 6Panel for fuses and circuit breakers (from Car)
Image 71946 GAZ-M20 Pobeda, one of the first mass-produced cars with pontoon design (from History of the automobile)
Image 8The Selden Road-Engine (from History of the automobile)
Image 9Gurgel Supermini (from History of the automobile)
Image 101926 Bugatti Type 35 (from History of the automobile)
Image 111974 Citroën DS (from History of the automobile)
Image 12Result of a serious car collision (from Car)
Image 13Cugnot's steam wagon, the second (1771) version (from History of the automobile)
Image 14Stuttgart, 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 151924 Doble Model E (from History of the automobile)
Image 161929 Austin Seven (from History of the automobile)
Image 17Ford Motor Company automobile assembly line in the 1920s (from Car)
Image 181929 Alfa Romeo 6C (from History of the automobile)
Image 19The 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 20Carl Benz, the inventor of the modern car (from Car)
Image 21The Vélib' in Paris, France, is the largest bikesharing system outside China. (from Car)
Image 22Road congestion is an issue in many major cities (pictured is Chang'an Avenue in Beijing). (from Car)
Image 23The Flocken Elektrowagen was the first four-wheeled electric car (from Car)
Image 24A 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 25The Toyota Corolla is the best-selling car of all-time. (from Car)
Image 26Cugnot's 1771 fardier à vapeur, as preserved at the Musée des Arts et Métiers, Paris (from Car)
Image 27A 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 282011 Nissan Leaf electric car (from Car)
Image 291885-built Benz Patent-Motorwagen, the first modern car—a practical, marketable automobile for everyday use (from History of the automobile)
Image 30Audi A4 daytime running lights (from Car)
Image 31The Präsident automobile (from History of the automobile)
Image 32Trucks' 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 33Volkswagen Beetle (from History of the automobile)
Image 34Rolls-Royce Phantom III (from History of the automobile)
Image 35The first automobile in Japan, a French Panhard-Levassor, in 1898 (from History of the automobile)
Image 36The Ford Model T (foreground) and Volkswagen Beetle (background) are among the most mass-produced car models in history. (from History of the automobile)
Image 37A Chevrolet Suburban extended-length SUV weighs 3,300 kilograms (7,200 lb) (gross weight). (from Car)
Image 381959 Morris Mini-Minor (from History of the automobile)
Image 391954 Plymouth Savoy Station Wagon, one of the first US all-metal station wagons (from History of the automobile)
Image 40Fiat 4 HP, the first car model produced by Italian manufacturer Fiat in 1899 (from History of the automobile)
Image 41A robotic Volkswagen Passat shown at Stanford University is a driverless car. (from Car)
Image 42The original Benz Patent-Motorwagen, the first modern car, built in 1885 and awarded the patent for the concept (from Car)
Image 43Scaled model of the second Marcus car of 1875 (from History of the automobile)
Image 44Isotta Fraschini Tipo 8A (from History of the automobile)
Image 45A replica of Richard Trevithick's 1801 road locomotive 'Puffing Devil' (from History of the automobile)
Image 46Model-T Ford car parked near the Geelong Art Gallery at its launch in Australia in 1915 (from History of the automobile)
Image 47Bertha Benz, the first long distance driver (from Car)
Image 481958 Lancia Appia (from History of the automobile)
Image 49The German Flocken Elektrowagen of 1888, perhaps the first electric car in the world (from History of the automobile)
Image 50Ransom E. Olds founded Olds Motor Vehicle Company (Oldsmobile) in 1897. (from Car)