Automobile Production, United States, Japan and Germany, 1950-2006 (in millions)

The second half of the 20th century has seen a major shift in car production. In 1950, the United States accounted for more than 80% of the global car production, which excludes commercial vehicle production. However, this share declined to about 9.4% in 2005, reflecting a loss of competitiveness of the American car manufacturing system. The United States, even if it represents the largest car market in the world, has been thoroughly motorized which means that its market is mainly one of replacement with acute competition between manufacturers for market share. Roughly the same number of cars was produced in the United States during the 1990s than during the 1950s. In the 1960s, two major players in the car industry emerged; Japan and Germany. They respectively accounted for 19.6% and 11.6% of the global car production in 2005. A growing share of cars are being manufactured in newly industrialized countries, but the main consumption market still remains the developed world and under the control of American, Japanese and German car manufacturers.

If commercial vehicles, such as sport utility vehicles and light trucks, are considered, the United States remains the world's largest manufacturer in this category, accounting for 35.7% of the global production in 2006. The second producer in this category is Japan with a share of 8.9%.