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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Entries here consist of Good and Featured articles, which meet a core set of high editorial standards.

Lexus (レクサス, Rekusasu) is the luxury vehicle division of the Japanese automaker Toyota Motor Corporation. The Lexus brand is marketed in more than 90 countries and territories worldwide and is Japan's largest-selling make of premium cars. It has ranked among the 10 largest Japanese global brands in market value. Lexus is headquartered in Nagoya, Japan. Operational centers are located in Brussels, Belgium, and Plano, Texas, United States.

Created at around the same time as Japanese rivals Honda and Nissan created their Acura and Infiniti luxury divisions respectively, Lexus originated from a corporate project to develop a new premium sedan, code-named F1, which began in 1983 and culminated in the launch of the Lexus LS in 1989. Subsequently, the division added sedan, coupé, convertible and SUV models. Lexus did not exist as a brand in its home market until 2005, and all vehicles marketed internationally as Lexus from 1989 to 2005 were released in Japan under the Toyota marque and an equivalent model name. In 2005, a hybrid version of the RX crossover debuted and additional hybrid models later joined the division's lineup. Lexus launched its own F marque performance division in 2007 with the debut of the IS F sport sedan, followed by the LFA supercar in 2009. (Full article...)

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View of the 2007 JAHFA induction ceremony

The Japan Automotive Hall of Fame (or JAHFA) is based at the National Museum of Nature and Science in Tokyo, Japan. It was established in 2000 and, since 2001, five or six people have been inducted in an annual award ceremony held at the museum.

With plans to involve other museums (as in Kumamoto, where a dedicated display was opened), the Japanese Automotive Hall of Fame (a registered NPO) serves a useful role by informing people of the outstanding achievements made over the years by the motor industry pioneers and their successors. Of even greater importance, it is intended to inspire the next generation. (Full article...)

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Honda NSX

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Shōjirō Ishibashi in 1952

Shōjirō Ishibashi (石橋正二郎, Ishibashi Shōjirō, February 1, 1889 – September 11, 1976) was a Japanese businessman who founded the Bridgestone Corporation, the world's largest maker of tires, in 1931 in the city of Kurume, Fukuoka, Japan. the company was named after its founder: in the Japanese language, ishi means "stone" and hashi (here voiced to bashi) means "bridge", whence the origin of the company's name in English.

After the end of the Second World War and the subsequent occupation of Japan, Ishibashi became extensively embroiled in Japanese politics. Ishibashi was close to Ichiro Hatoyama, who was a rival to prime minister Shigeru Yoshida. Ishibashi became an advisor to Hatoyama on Japan's post-war economic development, expressing his views on the economic policy of the parties of Hatoyama's political affiliation. (Full article...)

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On this day May 12

1988 — The front wheel drive Ford Probe is introduced as the Ford Mustang's replacement

2000 — Ford Motor Company announces the closure of the Dagenham Assembly complex with a loss of 1,400 jobs.

2006 — General Motors announces that it will phase out production of the Hummer H1 in June.

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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

If automobiles had followed the same development cycle as the computer, a Rolls-Royce would today cost $100, get a million miles per gallon, and explode once a year, killing everyone inside.

—Robert X. Cringely

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General images

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

Image 1Fiat 4 HP, the first car model produced by Italian manufacturer Fiat in 1899 (from History of the automobile)
Image 2In 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 3The original Benz Patent-Motorwagen, the first modern car, built in 1885 and awarded the patent for the concept (from Car)
Image 4A 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 5Steam machine of Verbiest, in 1678 (Ferdinand Verbiest) (from Car)
Image 6The Selden Road-Engine (from History of the automobile)
Image 71924 Doble Model E (from History of the automobile)
Image 81954 Plymouth Savoy Station Wagon, one of the first US all-metal station wagons (from History of the automobile)
Image 9Car exhaust gas is one type of pollution
Image 101926 Bugatti Type 35 (from History of the automobile)
Image 11A 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 12Rolls-Royce Phantom III (from History of the automobile)
Image 13Carl Benz, the inventor of the modern car (from Car)
Image 14Isotta Fraschini Tipo 8A (from History of the automobile)
Image 15Model-T Ford car parked near the Geelong Art Gallery at its launch in Australia in 1915 (from History of the automobile)
Image 161958 Lancia Appia (from History of the automobile)
Image 17Audi A4 daytime running lights (from Car)
Image 18Bertha Benz, the first long distance driver (from Car)
Image 19Panel for fuses and circuit breakers (from Car)
Image 20Result of a serious car collision (from Car)
Image 21The Toyota Corolla is the world's bestselling nameplate. (from History of the automobile)
Image 22The 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 23The Vélib' in Paris, France, is the largest bikesharing system outside China. (from Car)
Image 241974 Citroën DS (from History of the automobile)
Image 25Cugnot's steam wagon, the second (1771) version (from History of the automobile)
Image 26The Ford Model T (foreground) and Volkswagen Beetle (background) are among the most mass-produced car models in history. (from History of the automobile)
Image 27A Chevrolet Suburban extended-length SUV weighs 3,300 kilograms (7,200 lb) (gross weight). (from Car)
Image 28The Flocken Elektrowagen was the first four-wheeled electric car (from Car)
Image 29Cugnot's 1771 fardier à vapeur, as preserved at the Musée des Arts et Métiers, Paris (from Car)
Image 301885-built Benz Patent-Motorwagen, the first modern car—a practical, marketable automobile for everyday use (from History of the automobile)
Image 31The first automobile in Japan, a French Panhard-Levassor, in 1898 (from History of the automobile)
Image 321929 Austin Seven (from History of the automobile)
Image 33The Toyota Corolla is the best-selling car of all-time. (from Car)
Image 34Road congestion is an issue in many major cities (pictured is Chang'an Avenue in Beijing). (from Car)
Image 35Stuttgart, 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 361959 Morris Mini-Minor (from History of the automobile)
Image 37Ransom E. Olds founded Olds Motor Vehicle Company (Oldsmobile) in 1897. (from Car)
Image 38Gurgel Supermini (from History of the automobile)
Image 39A replica of Richard Trevithick's 1801 road locomotive 'Puffing Devil' (from History of the automobile)
Image 40A robotic Volkswagen Passat shown at Stanford University is a driverless car. (from Car)
Image 41Trucks' 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 42Volkswagen Beetle (from History of the automobile)
Image 43Scaled model of the second Marcus car of 1875 (from History of the automobile)
Image 44Ford Motor Company automobile assembly line in the 1920s (from Car)
Image 45A car being assembled in a factory (from Car)
Image 461946 GAZ-M20 Pobeda, one of the first mass-produced cars with pontoon design (from History of the automobile)
Image 471929 Alfa Romeo 6C (from History of the automobile)
Image 48The Präsident automobile (from History of the automobile)
Image 492011 Nissan Leaf electric car (from Car)
Image 50The German Flocken Elektrowagen of 1888, perhaps the first electric car in the world (from History of the automobile)