Which Countries Were the First to Manufacture Cars?

The first country to manufacture cars was Germany, followed by France and the part of the Austro-Hungarian empire that eventually became known as the Czech Republic. The first automobile was considered to be created in Germany in about 1886. The French auto company Peugeot started manufacturing automobiles in 1889, followed by the Czech Republic auto company Tatra in 1897. After the auto industry took off in the 20th century, the highest auto-producing rates eventually were in China, the United States and Japan.

More about car manufacturing:

• The first cars produced were generally steam-powered vehicles. It wasn’t until gas combustion engines were invented that cars become more widely owned.


• The Volkswagen Beetle was widely considered to be extremely similar to the Czech Republic company Tatra’s T97 of 1936, and Tatra sued Volkswagen. In 1961, Volkswagen settled out of court.


• Although it is generally agreed that Germany was the home of the first manufactured cars, it is not clear who the first designer was. Gottlieb Daimler and Carl Benz were working on their designs simultaneously.