Everybody needs a way to get around. For many, owning their own vehicle offers a great resource to go anywhere, anytime, and global sales of passenger cars are expected to surpass 80 million vehicles this year, with a rising demand in Asia and North America.
A diverse automotive market offers many different styles and types of cars from around the world, and auto technicians should keep up to date with market changes in order to be familiar with where the car they’re working on comes from. Here is a helpful guide to some of the top performers in the global automotive industry.
The Big Three: USA, Germany, and Japan
The United States is home to three primary companies which produce nearly three-quarters of automobiles in the world, General Motors (GM), Ford, and Chrysler. Although most production in the U.S. is by foreign-owned companies, America ranks as the second largest presence in global motor vehicle production, and many graduates of auto technician training are familiar with their products.
The Toyota Motor Corporation, headquartered in Japan, is the world’s largest automobile manufacturer. Japan is also the home base of Honda, which is the largest manufacturer of motorcycles, as well as Suzuki. German inventor Karl Benz, creator of the first practical modern automobile, also lent his name to his final product, Mercedes-Benz. Today, Mercedes-Benz, along with Volkswagen, is a leading German automobile manufacturer.
China Will Continue to Grow in Importance Among Pros With Auto Technician Training
In recent years, China has overtaken the U.S. in production of electric vehicles (EVs), and has placed a lot of emphasis on capitalizing upon emerging EV technology. The country has a skillful ability to adapt quickly to new technologies in the automotive industries such as plug-in hybrids, fuel-cell vehicles, and electric cars, which students enrolled in an auto service technician course might encounter in their garage in the future.
One of the reasons that China has recently emerged as a car production powerhouse is because until recently China had a cap on allowing a certain amount of foreign ownership of car manufacturing. The repeal of these policies means that international companies are looking to expand into China, and in response Chinese car manufacturers are looking outwards into entering the global market.
Outside the Big Four: France, Italy, and India
The global automotive industry, of course, is not limited to its biggest players. France is home to Peugeot Citroen, the second-largest European automaker, and French manufacturers have one of the most reliable operating cycles, meaning that even though they are not at the top performance, they are in steady demand within the market. Along with Italy, one of Western Europe’s most promising automotive markets, France has also experienced rising EV popularity, opening up new opportunities in the electronic market.
Thanks to a new tax policy which lowered automotive manufacturing prices, India is experiencing a fast-growing sales boom. Along with government commitment to investment in infrastructure and a rising demand from the youth population, India has a good chance of emerging as a top auto manufacturer in the coming years.
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