Many countries in the world produce cars. Karl Benz, of Germany, is widely credited for having produced the first practical internal combustion, petrol-fueled car. This was in 1885. The United States has Ransom Olds to thank for mass-production of cars on his Oldsmobile assembly line in 1902, although often the credit goes to Henry Ford when he made significant improvements and developments on the assembly line concept in 1914.

Today, the largest car-producing nations are Japan, China, and the US.

Many other countries produce cars but are not the home to those brands. For example, India produces some Mercedes, Thailand manufacturers some Alfa Romeos, and Mexico makes Volkswagens. Various Japanese automakers have set up in the US - this way they can claim to be American-made yet still have the benefits of Japanese quality and reputation for reliability.

Globalization and outsourcing are playing a major role in the global economies, and the automobile is certainly involved. While some jobs are going to cheaper countries (like India and Thailand) others are moving to more expensive centers of production, like the US.