Source: Worldwatch Institute; International Organization of Motor Vehicle Manufacturers, http://www.oica.net.

Automobile Production, Selected Countries, 1950-2009 (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 7.1% in 2008, 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 18.8% and 10.5% of the global car production in 2008. 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. Car manufacturing in China has experienced a spectacular growth to reach 12.8% of global production, surpassing every other manufacturing country. The financial crisis of 2008 had a substantial impact on global car production with production in the United States, Japan and Germany plummeting. This is in contradiction with Chinese car production, which surged and in 2009 China became the world's largest car manufacturer.

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%.

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