Automobile · The private motor vehicle that remade cities, work and leisure in the twentieth century.
Icons are not always the best sellers — they are the ones that stuck in culture, engineering lore or both.
Use the comparison lab on this page to weigh their stats side by side.
ModelTMitch · Public domain
Ford Model T stands among the reference automobile designs that shaped how the world pictures this mode.
Production or service life 1908–1927 placed Ford Model T in United States's transport story.
“Icons teach constraints: cost, regulation and infrastructure matter as much as peak performance.”
Vwexport1300 · CC BY-SA 3.0
Volkswagen Beetle stands among the reference automobile designs that shaped how the world pictures this mode.
Production or service life 1938–2003 placed Volkswagen Beetle in Germany's transport story.
“Icons teach constraints: cost, regulation and infrastructure matter as much as peak performance.”
Alexander Migl · CC BY-SA 4.0
Toyota Corolla stands among the reference automobile designs that shaped how the world pictures this mode.
Production or service life 1966– placed Toyota Corolla in Japan's transport story.
“Icons teach constraints: cost, regulation and infrastructure matter as much as peak performance.”
Alexander Migl · CC BY-SA 4.0
Mercedes-Benz S-Class stands among the reference automobile designs that shaped how the world pictures this mode.
Production or service life 1972– placed Mercedes-Benz S-Class in Germany's transport story.
“Icons teach constraints: cost, regulation and infrastructure matter as much as peak performance.”
DeFacto · CC BY-SA 2.5
Mini stands among the reference automobile designs that shaped how the world pictures this mode.
Production or service life 1959– placed Mini in United Kingdom's transport story.
“Icons teach constraints: cost, regulation and infrastructure matter as much as peak performance.”
Vauxford · CC BY-SA 4.0
Jeep Wrangler stands among the reference automobile designs that shaped how the world pictures this mode.
Production or service life 1986– placed Jeep Wrangler in United States's transport story.
“Icons teach constraints: cost, regulation and infrastructure matter as much as peak performance.”
Porsche 911 stands among the reference automobile designs that shaped how the world pictures this mode.
Production or service life 1964– placed Porsche 911 in Germany's transport story.
“Icons teach constraints: cost, regulation and infrastructure matter as much as peak performance.”
Tesla Model 3 stands among the reference automobile designs that shaped how the world pictures this mode.
Production or service life 2017– placed Tesla Model 3 in United States's transport story.
“Icons teach constraints: cost, regulation and infrastructure matter as much as peak performance.”
Stats are relative 0–100 marks within this type, for comparison only.
Toggle icons on and off — every bar rescales to the leader of your selection.
Should a automobile be judged by passenger-km and uptime, or by how completely it owns the public imagination?
Some legends dominate one corridor; others become templates copied worldwide.
Battery-electric passenger cars shifting the car from oil pumps to power grids.
Overall 78 🏍️Two-wheeled motor transport spanning scooters, sport bikes and touring machines.
Overall 67 🚌Shared road vehicles that move cities — from diesel fleets to electric BRT corridors.
Overall 69 🚛Road freight workhorses — pickups to tractor-trailers that stock the modern supply chain.
Overall 57 🚲Human-powered two wheels — the most efficient personal vehicle ever mass-produced.
Overall 68