Invented in 1885 by German engineer Carl Benz, the automobile has truly taken the world by storm. There is almost no other invention that has influenced humanity so fast in such a short time. Most importantly, it has completely revolutionized transportation, making it easier and faster to travel both short as well as long distances.

Cars nowadays belong to the biggest industries in the world, selling millions of units every year and generating revenues of billions opon billions of Dollars. There are now actually more cars in the world than humans. Cars are today available in different sizes, for different priorities and in different price ranges from relatively cheap cars, to middle class to very expensive luxury cars. Some car models even manage to remain popular best-sellers over several decades. It is therefore only logical that the biggest car companies in the world also belong to the biggest companies in the world in general.

The following ranking lists the top 10 biggest car companies by generated revenues, based on the most up-to-date numbers. You probably heard of all of those companies, but may be surprised by the order they appear in this ranking.

Note: This ranking of the Top 10 Biggest Car Companies considers the biggest car manufacturers as whole. This means that the generated revenue by single car brands that belong to one of the biggest car companies will be counted as additional revenue for the parent company to which the respective car brand belongs.

The 10 Biggest Car Companies in the World 2020

top 10 biggest car companies in the world

1. Volkswagen

Volkswagen AG

Revenue: $282.9 billion

Year of Foundation: 1937
Based in: Wolfsburg, Lower Saxony, Germany

Cars sold last year: ~ 11.0 million
Number of employees: ~ 304,000

Owned Car Brands: VW, Audi, Porsche, Lamborghini, Bentley, Bugatti, SEAT, Skoda, MAN

2. Toyota

Toyota Motor Corporation

Revenue: $275.4 billion

Year of Foundation: 1937
Based in: Toyota, Aichi Prefecture, Japan

Cars sold last year: ~ 10.7 million
Number of employees: ~ 359,000

Owned Car Brands: Toyota, Lexus, Daihatsu, Ranz

3. Daimler

Daimler AG

Revenue: $172.7 billion

Year of Foundation: 1926
Based in: Stuttgart, Baden-Württemberg, Germany

Cars sold last year: ~ 3.3 million
Number of employees: ~ 298,000

Owned Car Brands: Mercedes-Benz, Smart, Fuso

4. Ford

Ford Motor Company

Revenue: $155.9 billion

Year of Foundation: 1903
Based in: Dearborn, Michigan, USA

Cars sold last year: ~ 5.4 million
Number of employees: ~ 190,000

Owned Car Brands: Ford, Lincoln

5. Honda

Honda Motor Company

Revenue: $137.4 billion

Year of Foundation: 1948
Based in: Tokyo, Tokyo Prefecture, Japan

Cars sold last year: ~ 5.3 million
Number of employees: ~ 215,000

Owned Car Brands: Honda, Acura

6. General Motors

General Motors Company

Revenue: $137.2 billion

Year of Foundation: 1908
Based in: Detroit, Michigan, USA

Cars sold last year: ~ 7.7 million
Number of employees: ~ 164,000

Owned Car Brands: Chevrolet, Cadillac, Buick, GMC

7. SAIC Motor

SAIC Motor Corporation

Revenue: $136.4 billion

Year of Foundation: 1995
Based in: Shanghai, Municipality of Shanghai, China

Cars sold last year: ~ 5.4 million
Number of employees: ~ 150,000

Owned Car Brands: Maxus, Roewe, Yuejin, MG

8. Fiat Chrysler Automobiles

Fiat Chrysler Automobiles N.V.

Revenue: $127.9 billion

Year of Foundation: 2014 (as a merger between Fiat & Chrysler)
Based in: Amsterdam, North Holland, Netherlands

Cars sold last year: ~ 4.4 million
Number of employees: ~ 150,000

Owned Car Brands: Fiat, Chrysler, Alfa Romeo, Dodge, Jeep, Lancia, Maserati, RAM

9. BMW

Bayerische Motoren Werke AG

Revenue: $123.4 billion

Year of Foundation: 1916
Based in: Munich, Bavaria, Germany

Cars sold last year: ~ 2.5 million
Number of employees: ~ 133,000

Owned Car Brands: BMW, Mini, Rolls-Royce

10. Nissan Motor Corporation

Nissan Motor Corporation

Revenue: $92.7 billion

Year of Foundation: 1933
Based in: Yokohama, Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan

Cars sold last year: ~ 4.7 million
Number of employees: ~ 139,000

Owned Car Brands: Nissan, Datsun, Infiniti

The 10 Biggest Car Companies in the World 2020
(at a glance)

(as of August 2020, by most recent revenue numbers in U.S. Dollars)

Top 10 Biggest Car Companies in the World:
1. VOLKSWAGEN Revenue: $282.9 billion
2. TOYOTA Revenue: $275.4 billion
3. DAIMLER Revenue: $172.7 billion
4. FORD Revenue: $155.9 billion
5. HONDA Revenue: $137.4 billion
6. GENERAL MOTORS Revenue: $137.2 billion
7. SAIC MOTOR Revenue: $136.4 billion
8. FIAT CHRYSLER Revenue: $127.9 billion
9. BMW Revenue: $123.4 billion
10. NISSAN Revenue: $92.7 billion

The 10 Biggest Car Companies in the world based on most recent revenues generated by worldwide sales, in U.S. Dollars.

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Top 10 Biggest Car Companies in the World

The 10 Biggest Car Companies in the World 2020