How Much Do You Really Know About the Auto Industry?

That's a lot of cars. Despite global economic pressures, that figure is up from 93.9 million in 2016.

Of course, although global sales were at 96.8 million in 2017, not that many vehicles were produced. That figure stands at 73.4 million which, I am sure you would agree, is impressive nonetheless.

Yes, the highest number of vehicles were produced by the Chinese auto industry. They beat out Japan and Germany into second and third place. The United States only features in fifth position on the list.

Yes, China produced a staggering 24.81 million cars in 2017. That's more than a quarter of all the cars produced worldwide that year. Unbelievable!

Yes, Toyota just beat out Volkswagen as the auto manufacturer that made the most revenue in 2017.

$265 billion! Those are simply incredible numbers!

Having made the most revenue in 2017, Toyota is also the most valuable car brand in the world currently.

I suppose one would expect to see these two luxury car makers feature fairly high up the list.

Once again, it's Toyota that dominates. The Toyota Camry was the passenger vehicle with the most sales in the United States in 2017.

Yes, the Toyota Camry sold a staggering 387,081 units in 2017.

Automation has cut down the hours it takes to make a car in today's modern world. In most circumstances, it takes just 25 hours.

Yes nearly a third of the time it takes to make a modern car is spent on giving it the perfect paint job.

Yes, since 2012, all vehicles come standard with electronic stability control. This system comes into play to keep your car stable when driving in icy weather, for instance.

One car for every almost every eight people on the planet. That's a lot of pollution though, sadly.

Statistics suggest that a seatbelt saves a life somewhere around the word every six minutes. Thanks to Volvo, the patent for the seatbelt was shared with other automakers.

All things considered, that's not too bad actually. In other developed countries, this number is far higher thanks to a poorer road infrastructure.

Henry Ford was an exceptional man. Before he went into the car business, Ford would repair watches often using tools that he made himself. Brilliant!

Yes, they did. In the early years of both companies in fact. In 1909, Henry Ford agreed to sell his company to William Durant, the man behind Chevrolet. The asking price was $2 million. When Durant went to his bankers in New York, they would not loan him the money and the deal fell through.

That's a staggering number, if you think about it. Ford Model T's dominated for much of the 19 years they were on the road.

That's really impressive for a vehicle so early in the life of the automobile! Having said that, Ford made it easy to make and that certainly helped churn it out.

First introduced in 1966 and still going strong, over 44 million units of the Toyota Corolla have been produced.

Wow, that's a lot of parts. I suppose it stands to reason, though, cars are complicated things.

That's unbelievable isn't it? But it's true! What a great thing for our environment!

They don't make them like that anymore, do they! That is simply staggering!

Yes, every 45 seconds a car is stolen in the United States. And if you own a Honda Accord, be careful. It is the favorite target for grand theft auto.

That's a huge amount of wasted money. The amount factors in things such as wear and tear on vehicles, lost productivity and gas used idling.

There are several different versions of this statistic. This one comes from the National Safety Council.

Yes, it is true! An example is the BMW M5. Incredible to think that a beast of an engine like that could be so quiet.

Volkswagen owns a number of car brands, mostly from Europe. They have acquired these over the years to make them the second biggest selling car brand in world in 2017.

Yes, Italian sportscar manufacturer Lamborghini, maker of some of the maddest super cars in the world, is owned by Volkswagen. They purchased a controlling stake in 1998.

Dodge supplied engines at the rate of 400 per month to Ford in 1905. They also supplied transmission systems.

That's a lot of people. It equates to over 3,000 per day.

Yes, a fair bit more than half of the world's population drive on the right side of the road.

Yes, Americans sure do love their automatic transmission. In Europe, it's the opposite, with 80% of cars on the road using manual gearboxes.

Yes, white cars have always been popular. Why? Well figures show they are less likely to be involved in accidents as they are fairly visible and they are stolen less than other color cars.