Within the last ten years there have been major changes when it comes to the automobile industry. Not only have the technologies changed with the rise of more fuel-efficient and eco friendly vehicles taking over the market place but there also has been a major change in the world leaders when it comes to automobile production.
In 2000 the United States lead the world in production with 12,799,857 units produced, followed by Japan at 10,140,796. By 2005 the US was in a steady decline while other markets rose sharply. The most noted was China whose automobile production doubled by 2005 to 5,708,421 units produced.
As early as 2008 Japan had taken over the number one spot with 11,563,629 units produced, followed close behind by China at 9,345,101. At this time the US had a large decrease in market share with only 8,705,239 units produced.
Last year in 2009 there was a worldwide automobile crisis, which hit hard in North America when the Big 3, General Motors, Ford, and Chrysler, were in trouble of going bankrupt. Every country saw a significant decline in their automobile production and although the top 5 countries, Japan, China, South Korea, Germany, and the United States still maintained the top five positions there were some major changes. The following are the current world leaders based on the 2009 numbers from worldometers.info.
#1 Japan
The Japanese automotive industry is one of the most well known industries in the world and has revolutionized the automotive sector with its Just In Time inventory strategy. In 2009 Japan was the world's largest vehicle manufacturer with 9,756,515 units produced. Japanese automotive manufacturers include Honda, Isuzu, Kawasaki, Mazda, Mitsubishi, Mitsuoka, Nissan, Subaru, Suzuki, Toyota, and Yamaha.
#2 Germany
Germany's automotive industry is one of the largest employers in the whole country. In 2009 Germany came in at second for the world leaders in automotive production with 5,398,508 units produced. The six car manufactures in Germany are Volkswagen, Audi, BMW, Daimler AG, Porsche, and Opel.
#3 China
As of November 2009 China is the third largest automotive producing country in the world with 5,233,132 units produced. Of the automobiles produced, 44.3% are local brands, such as Chery, Geely, Hafei, Jianghuai, Chang'an, Great Wall, and so on, while the other 55.7% are made up of foreign car manufactures such as Volkswagen, General Motors, Hyundai, Nissan, Honda and Toyota. China is poised to become number one in 2010, and is already the leading automotive marketplace in the world.
#4 United Sates of America
In 2009 4,366,220 motor vehicles were manufactured in the USA making them the fourth largest in the world. The 14 major automobile manufactures that have factories in the USA are General Motors, Ford, Chrysler, Daimler AG, BMW, Navistar, Paccar-DAF, Volvo, Toyota, Nissan Motors, Honda, Fuji Heavy Industries-Subaru, Mazda, Mitsubishi, and Isuzu.
#5 South Korea
In 2009 South Korean became the fifth largest automobile industry in the world with 3,489,136 units being produced. Korean automotive manufacturers include Hyundai, Kia, GM Daewoo, Ssangyong, and Renault Samsung.
Only time will tell which countries will climb to the top five positions. Those that are researching new eco-friendly technologies and moving away from their dependence on oil are likely to be the leaders in automotive production.
