The animated bar chart race visualization above shows the world’s top ten producers of motor vehicles from 1950 to 2021 using data from the International Organization of Motor Vehicle Manufacturers (English version of OICA). The annual OICA motor vehicle production figures include passenger cars, light commercial vehicles, minibusses, trucks, buses, and coaches. Here are some observations of this visualization:

1. The US was the world’s No. 1 production of motor vehicles in every year from 1950 until 1975 when Japan’s production surpassed the US. From 1975 to 1994 Japan held the No. 1 spot until 1995 when the US out-produced Japan again and moved to the No. 1 spot. Japan moved back to the world’s No. 1 car producer from 2006-2008 before China surpassed both the US and Japan in 2009 to become the global leader in motor vehicle production, a position it has held ever since. Last year China’s motor vehicle production was nearly three times greater than the USA (26.1 million vs. 9.2 million) and Japan (7.8 million), and produced more vehicles than the USA, Japan, Germany, and South Korea combined (24.1 million)!

2. China didn’t appear in the world’s Top Ten producers of motor vehicles until 1995, and then it moved up to the Top Five producers in 2001.

3. In 1960, the USA produced more than half (52%) of the world’s motor vehicles and produced more vehicles than the next ten countries combined. Last year China’s share of world motor vehicle production was 32.5% compared to America’s share of 11.4%.

4. Mexico never consistently ranked among the world’s top ten motor vehicle producers until 2008 and it moved up to the No. 6 position in recent years before falling to No. 7 for the last two years.

5. South Korea emerged as a top global car producer in the mid-1980s and has been among the top ten producers ever since, rising into the world’s top five producers in most recent years including 2021.

6. Canada ranked among the world’s top ten motor vehicle producers in most years except during the Great Recession and from 2017-2020 as production increased in countries like India and Mexico. Canada out-produced Mexico in every year until 2008, when Mexico’s production rose above Canada’s for the first time. Last year Mexico produced nearly three times more than more vehicles than Canada (3.1 million vs. 1.1 million).

7. Overall, global vehicle production increased by 3.1% (and by 2.4 million units) last year following a 16% drop in 2020 due to the global pandemic and economic struggles resulting from the government-imposed lockdowns. Among the world’s largest vehicle producers, China (3.4%), the US (3.9%), and India (30.1%) experienced production increases last year, while production dropped in Japan (-2.7%), South Korea (-1.3%), Germany (-11.6%) and Mexico (-1.0%).

Enjoy the show!

The post Animated chart of the day: World’s top ten producers of motor vehicles annually from 1950 to 2021 appeared first on American Enterprise Institute – AEI.