List of automotive superlatives explained
Automotive superlatives include attributes such as the smallest, largest, fastest, lightest, best-selling, and so on.
This list (except for the firsts section) is limited to automobiles built after World War II, and lists superlatives for earlier vehicles separately. The list is also limited to production road cars that:
- Are constructed principally for retail sale to consumers for personal use transporting people on public roads. No commercial or industrial vehicles are included
- Have had 25 or more instances made by the original vehicle manufacturer offered for sale to the public in new condition (cars modified by either professional tuners or individuals are not eligible)
- Are street-legal in their intended markets and capable of passing any official tests or inspections required to be granted this status
Calendar years rather than "model years" are used except when explicitly marked as otherwise.
Vehicle dimensions
Length
- Shortest
- Current production car – 1371mm – 2011 Peel P50[1]
- Four seat production car – 29000NaN0 – 1957–1959 BMW 600 (international)[2]
Width (without mirrors)
- Widest
- Car
- Pickup truck – 2436mm – Chevrolet Silverado 3500HD[5]
- Van
Height
Track
Curb weight
Engines
Engine displacement
Largest
Power
See also: List of production cars by power output.
Highest power by engine type
Highest power by body style
Highest specific engine output (power/unit displacement)
Highest power by cylinder count (production cars)
Highest torque by engine type
Highest torque by body style
Highest specific torque (torque/unit displacement)
The mean effective pressure (MEP) is a useful comparison tool, giving the average cylinder pressure exerted on the piston.
Fuel economy
Most economical
The following are all vehicles once certified for sale in the United States. Some vehicles from other countries have better fuel economy. Figures (showed in miles per US gallon units) are based on laboratory estimates, not consumer data.
- All-diesel production vehicle – 1984 Nissan Sentra with 41 combined / 37 city / 46 highway.[36]
- All-petrol production vehicle – 1986 Chevrolet Sprint ER with 48 combined / 44 city / 53 highway[37]
- All natural gas production vehicle – 2012 Honda Civic GX with 31 combined / 27 city / 38 highway[38]
- E85 production vehicle – 2013 Ford Focus SFE FWD FFV with 22 combined / 19 city / 27 highway[39]
- Production electric hybrid – 2021 Hyundai Ioniq Hybrid (Ioniq Blue) with 59 combined / 58 city / 60 highway[40]
- Production plug-in electric hybrid – 2017/2023 Toyota Prius Prime with 133 combined MPGe (EV mode) and 54 MPG combined city/highway (petrol)[41]
- Production all-electric vehicle – 2021 Tesla Model 3 Standard Range Plus RWD with 142 combined / 150 city / 133 highway MPGe[42]
The following are as sold in Europe:
Fuel capacity
All below amounts are total capacities for fuel tanks, (lithium based) batteries and other energy storage devices, not usable/net capacity.
Price
See also: List of most expensive cars sold at auction.
Performance
See also: Fastest production car and List of fastest production cars by acceleration.
Acceleration
Top speed
Highest rpm redline
Sales
See also: List of bestselling vehicle nameplates and List of automobile sales by model.
- Best-selling models:
- Best-selling vehicle nameplate – Toyota Corolla (more than 50,000,000 sold in 12 generations since 1966)[64]
- Best-selling single model – Volkswagen Beetle (21,529,464 of the same basic design sold worldwide between 1938 and 2003)
- Best single-year sales – 1.36 million – 2005 Toyota Corolla[65]
- Best single-month sales – 126,905 – July 2005 Ford F-Series[66]
See also
Notes and References
- Web site: Peel P50 . Peel Engineering . UK . 2017-05-27 . https://web.archive.org/web/20161211144135/http://www.peelengineering.com/peels/peel-p50 . 2016-12-11 . dead.
- Book: Norbye, Jan P. . BMW – Bavaria's Driving Machines . 1984 . Publications International . Skokie, IL . 0-517-42464-9 .
- Lamborghini Countach LPI 800-4 . 13 August 2021 . 6 April 2023 . Lamborghini . Italy . The News Market.
- Web site: Mercedes-Benz 770 W150 Grosser . Oldtimer picture gallery. . Andrei . Bogomolov . 1999-12-05 . 2013-03-29.
- Chevrolet Silverado 3500HD – 2020 . GM Media . 2019-08-26.
- Book: Ford Transit . Ford . The Netherlands . Dutch . May 2021 . 2021-12-11.
- News: Mercedes Sprinter (2008-2018) van review . Auto Express . UK . 11 January 2018 . 26 April 2021.
- Web site: 2019 BMW i8 Specifications . The Car Connection . 17 March 2020.
- Web site: Mercedes-Maybach S600 Pullman Guard . Mercedes-Benz . 2017-10-06.
- Web site: Caterham Seven 170 revealed as the lightest production Seven yet . Auto-Express . 2021-10-14.
- Web site: Caterham Seven 170 . Caterham-Cars . 2021-10-14.
- News: New Koenigsegg Gemera revealed as 1700bhp four-seat hybrid . Felix . Page . Autocar . UK . 2020-03-03 . 2020-03-09.
- News: Launch of Bugatti Tourbillon marks company's fourth hypercar engine partnership since 2020.. Florian . Kamelger . Cosworth . UK . 2024-06-21 . 2024-06-23.
- Aston Martin Valkyrie V12 turns the hypercar engine up to 11,100 . Aston Martin . UK . 2018-12-14 . 2019-06-11.
- Web site: The World's most powerful diesel passenger cat. 2006-09-11. AUDI AG. AudiWorld.com. 2009-08-28.
- Web site: The ultimate high-performance SUV – the new Audi Q7 V12 TDI quattro. 2008-03-02. AUDI AG – press release. Audi-MediaServices.com. 2009-10-02.
- Web site: The New Ford Super Duty. 2022-06-01. roadandtrack.com. Hearst Digital Media. 2023-06-01.
- Web site: 2021-06-17. 2022 Tesla Model S Plaid First Test: 0–60 MPH in 1.98 Seconds*!. 2021-08-22. MotorTrend. en.
- Web site: 2024 Ford F-150 Raptor R Gets Better with More Power!. Andre . Smirnov. TFL Truck. 20 December 2023.
- Web site: 710-HP 2021 Dodge Durango SRT Hellcat Is Coming for One Year Only. Maxwell . Mortimer. Car and Driver. 2 July 2020.
- Web site: 2021 Dodge Durango SRT Hellcat First Look: The Family SUV From Hell. Alisa . Priddle. Motor Trend. 2 July 2020.
- News: 2021 Chevy Express Van Gets New 6.6-Liter Gas V8 Power . Nathan . Adlen . The Fast Lane Truck . US . 2020-03-05 . 2020-03-19.
- Web site: the World's Most Powerful Truck. 10 January 2023 . 11 January 2023.
- Web site: Ariel Atom 500 V8. evo.
- Web site: Ariel Launches Limited-Edition, 500-hp Atom 500 V8. Jake. Holmes. 10 September 2010. Car and Driver.
- Web site: Ariel Atom, Ariel Nomad, Ariel North America Ariel Atom 3S/3RS. Ariel North America.
- Web site: More details on the 500-hp Ariel Atom 500 V8. Autoblog.
- News: The Koenigsegg Jesko Has 1600 HP and Promises a 300-MPH Top Speed . Máté . Pétrány . . 2019-03-05 . 2019-03-05.
- Web site: Highlights: ALPINA Automobiles . 2021-04-01 .
- Web site: X-BOW GT-XR 2023 . KTM . 2022-10-06.
- Web site: SSC Finally Admits 1750-HP Tuatara Did Not Break 300 MPH. 22 July 2021.
- Web site: 2023 Ford Super Duty . October 2022 .
- Web site: Technical specifications . Koenigsegg . 2020-03-09.
- Web site: 2023 Ford Super Duty . October 2022 .
- Web site: 2009 Audi Q7 V12 TDI Diesel. Car & Driver. 15 October 2020.
- Web site: Power Search Results. US Department of Energy . 2019-02-04 . 2019-02-04.
- Web site: Highest Fuel Economy rated at new 2008 EPA MPG rules . Epa.gov . 2012-08-15 . 2012-08-15.
- Web site: Highest Fuel Economy rated at new 2008 EPA MPG rules . Epa.gov . 2012-09-13 . 2012-09-13.
- Web site: Compare Old and New Fuel Economy Estimates . Epa.gov . 2017 . 2021-03-27.
- Web site: Top Fuel Sippers (EPA Ratings, 2021 Model Year) – Exclude EVs and PHEVs . fueleconomy.gov . 2021-03-25 . 2021-03-27.
- Web site: Compare Plug-in Hybrids Side-by-Side – Years: 2011–2024 Vehicle Type: Plug-in Hybrid . fueleconomy.gov . 2024-01-22 . 2024-02-01.
- Web site: Most Efficient EPA-Certified Vehicles . fueleconomy.gov . 2021-06-25 . 2021-06-30.
- News: McAleer . Michael . World's most fuel efficient production car takes to Dublin . 2019-02-16 . The Irish Times . 2014-10-17 . en.
- LandCruiser 70 . Toyota . Australia . February 2023 . 2023-08-04.
- Web site: 2020-10-27 . Cars with the longest and shortest driving range in Australia . 2023-07-25 . Asset Finance Systems . en-AU.
- Web site: Lemieux . Alex . 2022-07-07 . Which Pickup Truck Has the Largest Fuel Tank? . 2023-07-25 . MotorBiscuit . en-US.
- Web site: 理想汽车 创造移动的家, 创造幸福的家 . 2023-07-25 . lixiang.com.
- Web site: Smart EQ fortwo coupe . 2023-07-25 . EV Database . en.
- Web site: O'Dell . John . 2016-08-15 . BMW i3 Range Boost: Up 40% for 2017 . 2023-08-01 . The Green Car Guy . en-US.
- News: Bugatti just revealed a $3.3 million Chiron – and it's the ultimate hypercar. Business Insider. 2018-05-21.
- News: Peter . Valdes-Dapena . Mercedes just sold the world's most expensive car for $142 million . CNN . 19 May 2022 . 2022-05-19.
- News: Jonathan . Lee . 1955 Mercedes-Benz 300SLR Uhlenhaut Coupé most expensive car sold – one of only 2, priced at RM627mil . Paultan.org . Driven Communications Sdn Bhd. . 2022-05-23 .
- Web site: Classic 1963 Ferrari 250 GTO sold for record $70 million . Fox News . 2018-06-01.
- Web site: Holderith . Peter . 17 May 2023 . The Rimac Nevera Just Shattered Pretty Much Every Acceleration Record . 21 May 2023 . thedrive.com . The Drive.
- Web site: Koenigsegg Regera Beats Rimac Nevera With New 0-249-0 MPH Record .
- Web site: Bugatti Chiron Super Sport 300+. Bugatti.
- News: New Alpina D5 S revealed in saloon and estate forms in Frankfurt. Evo. 2017-11-23. en.
- Web site: Alpina D5 S: Der schnellste Seriendiesel der Welt. DE . Süddeutsche Zeitung . 12 September 2017.
- Web site: Dhimaan. Sid. 13 January 2021. Fastest Electric Cars in the World.
- Web site: World's Fastest Production Pick-Up Truck. DaimlerChrysler. 2004-02-02. 2007-03-19. https://web.archive.org/web/20070319070946/http://www.prnewswire.com/cgi-bin/stories.pl?ACCT=104&STORY=%2Fwww%2Fstory%2F02-02-2004%2F0002101094&EDATE=. dead.
- Web site: Fastest Pickup Trucks In The World For 2023 . 2023-10-10 . Motor1.com . en.
- Web site: McLaren F1—Inspired Gordon Murray T.50 Revs to 12,100 RPM, Weighs Only 2174 Pounds. Duff. Mike. CarAndDriver.com. en. 2020-08-21.
- Web site: Gabriel . Threza . 2023-09-02 . Zeekr 001 FR model released: four motors zero hundred 2.07s . 2023-09-18 . TechGoing . en-US.
- Web site: A Quick Look Back on the Corolla's 55-Year History with Over 50 Million Customers . Toyota Times . 2021-08-13 . 2021-08-13.
- News: Happy Birthday, Corolla! The world's best-selling nameplate turns 40 . Bloomberg News . 2006-09-06 . 2016-07-31.
- Web site: Ford F-Series Sets New Monthly Sales Record .: News . 2 August 2005 . Ford-trucks.com . 2009-10-31.