Key takeaways
- Karl Benz’s three-wheeled Patent-Motorwagen received its patent in 1886 and is widely treated as the first practical petrol car.
- Bertha Benz’s 1888 drive of about 104 km from Mannheim to Pforzheim showed the car could cover real distances.
- Germany built roughly 4.1 million cars a year in 2024 and 2025, according to the VDA’s monthly figures, below its pre-2020 levels.
- Claims that one country’s cars are “number one” are opinions. This article sticks to dates and figures that can be checked.
This article is general history, not buying advice. Dates and figures come from the sources listed at the end, and some early-history details are disputed, as noted.
The early years
Karl Benz’s three-wheeled Patent-Motorwagen is usually named as the first practical car. The patent, number 37435, was filed on 29 January 1886 and granted that November. Benz had it moving under its own power in 1885, and a public outing in Mannheim was reported in July 1886.
Others claim earlier firsts. Siegfried Marcus, who worked in Vienna, is often credited with a petrol-powered handcart. Wikipedia notes that dates such as 1864 or 1875 for his work “lack evidence,” that the 1870 handcart rests on thin sources, and that his surviving car in Vienna’s Technical Museum dates from 1888 or 1889. We therefore treat Benz’s 1886 patent as the safest starting point.
Bertha Benz’s drive
In August 1888 Bertha Benz drove a Benz Model III with her two sons from Mannheim to Pforzheim, about 104 km. According to the Bertha Benz Memorial Route page, she bought ligroin, a petrol-like solvent, at a pharmacy in Wiesloch, which the page calls the world’s first filling station. She returned by a different route. The trip showed that a motor car could make a real journey, and a marked Bertha Benz Memorial Route has existed since 2008.
Porsche and the Beetle
The Volkswagen Beetle was designed before the war, but series production only began after it. The final Beetle was built in Mexico in 2003, and Wikipedia gives total production as about 21.5 million cars.
Porsche’s first car, the 356, was built on Volkswagen parts. The prototype was finished in 1948, and production started that year in Gmünd, Austria, before the factory moved to Zuffenhausen in 1950. Its engine case came from the Beetle, and some suspension parts too.
Audi and four-wheel drive
Audi introduced the quattro at the Geneva Motor Show on 3 March 1980. It was the first rally car to take advantage of a rule change that allowed four-wheel drive, and in Europe it was the first to combine a front-engine, four-wheel-drive layout with a turbocharged engine. About 11,500 were built between 1980 and 1991.
Germany’s car output today
The VDA, Germany’s automotive industry association, publishes monthly production figures. Adding up its monthly table, Germany built about 4.07 million cars in 2024 and about 4.15 million in 2025. That is our own arithmetic, not a VDA total. Reports on the VDA’s 2024 figures say German exports were around 3.2 million cars and that output was still about 12% below 2019. Check the VDA’s website for its official yearly numbers.
Why “number one” is hard to prove
You will often see German cars described as the best. Quality and reliability depend on the model, the year and who is measuring. Independent reliability surveys, crash tests and sales data can disagree. If you are choosing a car, compare the specific model on safety ratings, owner-reported reliability and running costs, rather than relying on the country badge.
Frequently asked questions
Who invented the car? Karl Benz’s 1886 Patent-Motorwagen is the most commonly cited first practical petrol car. Other inventors built earlier or parallel vehicles, and some dates are disputed.
Who was Bertha Benz? Karl Benz’s wife. Her 1888 drive from Mannheim to Pforzheim, about 104 km, is regarded as the first long-distance car trip.
How many cars does Germany build? About 4.1 million a year in 2024 and 2025, by our reading of the VDA’s monthly figures.
Information checked on: October 30, 2026.
Sources
- Wikipedia, Benz Patent-Motorwagen
- Wikipedia, Bertha Benz Memorial Route (edited January 2026)
- Wikipedia, Siegfried Marcus (edited March 2026)
- Wikipedia, Porsche 356 (edited July 2026)
- Wikipedia, Volkswagen Beetle
- Wikipedia, Audi Quattro
- VDA, Facts and figures: monthly car production in Germany (vda.de)