A Mile Of Machinery
More often than not, you’re probably not thinking about where cars are born, right? You usually just see them ready to go at your local dealership. But there are massive, and we mean massive, communities in the world that thousands of people work in every single day. Some of them are so big you can even pay to take a tour. If you want the inside scoop on the size of these manufacturing monoliths, read on.
1. Volkswagen’s Wolfsburg Plant
Considered the worldwide headquarters of the Volkswagen group, this plant is often considered one of the largest in the world. It has a total area of nearly 6.5 million square meters, and produces between 3,000 and 4,000 cars every day.
2. Hyundai’s Ulsan Factory
This South Korean factory is home to the creation of five different vehicle models. The building opened back in 1968, but has expanded to house over 34,000 employees and 54 million square feet. The plant makes one car every 12 seconds.
3. Sonalika in Hoshiarpur
Okay, so it might not be a car in a traditional sense, but you can still drive a tractor! The Sonalika plant is home to the world’s largest tractor manufacturing unit, back in 2017, and prides itself on creating a ready-to-go tractor in two minutes, tops.
4. Tesla Gigafactory in Shanghai
This plant was only established in 2019, but is currently considered one of the largest electric vehicle production sites around the world. It’s also considered one of the fastest, with the entire factory being built up and producing vehicles within one year.
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5. Belvidere Assembly Plant
This jeep plant opened back in 1965, and is over 3.5 million square feet. It predominantly focuses on the Jeep Compass and Patriot, as well as the Dodge Dart. While it is currently idle, Chrysler announced they would be investing $600 million to get the plant up and running again.
6. Tesla in Nevada
This giant opened in 2016 and has a total manufacturing area of 4.9 million square feet. It currently produces Model 3 motors and batteries, as well as the Powerwall and power pack.
7. Ford River Rouge Complex
Located in Michigan, this manufacturing plant was established all the way back in 1917 by Henry Ford himself. It was considered the largest integrated factory worldwide for a time, and still holds the title of Ford’s largest factory today.
8. Jean-Luc Lagardère Plant
Located in Toulouse-Blagnac, this 1.3 million square foot plant is home to a different kind of vehicle — the Airbus A380. It even has its very own runway to test out these big metal birds.
9. Bugatti, Atelier
Located in Molsheim, France, this plant focuses on quality more than quantity. It’s said that one car is hand-assembled by a team of 20, and is also the spot where personalized vehicles are created.
10. Koenigsegg in Angleholm
In a rare case of recycling, this particular plant was originally home to a Swedish air force base. While it has under 1000 employees, the factory is implementing some pretty wicked technology to create its prized vehicles.
11. Mercedes-Benz in Sindelfingen
This plant has been operating for over 100 years, starting back in 1915. Its total square footage is nearly 32,000,000, and it is home to the production of S-Class and E-Class models.
12. McLaren in Woking
While it originally started small, this property is now known for housing the entire McLaren Technology Group. It spans over 123 acres, with the production centre covering around 34,000 square meters.
13. Toyota in Kentucky
Considered the largest Toyota plant in the world, this 8.1 million square foot plant produces over 500,000 vehicles each year. It currently employs over 8000 people and has been in operation since May 1988.
14. Morgan in Malvern
Perhaps one of the most unique plants on this list, this English car manufacturer still uses wood to create its vehicles. All their vehicles are hand-built from scratch, offering a unique historical method not often seen in other vehicle manufacturers today.
15. Porsche in Stuttgart
This German car company covers around 600,000 square meters and houses all the necessary facilities, offices, and even the Porsche museum. The company doubled in size back in 2011, and produces the iconic Porsche 911, the Taycan, and, most recently, the electric motors.
16. Pagani in Modena
This plant is located in Italy’s Motor Valley, which is well-known for handcrafted vehicle work. The plant also comes with its own museum and showroom, and even offers restoration services on older cars, so you can keep your favorite vehicle in tip-top shape.
17. Rolls-Royce in Goodwood
This plant is just as much about looks as it is about quality. Featuring a green roof that spans both the factory and the headquarters, this long-standing British staple employs over 17000 workers across 42 acres.
18. AMG in Affalterbach
This German plant has been open since 1976, and is the current headquarters of AMG. Every engine in this plant is hand-built following their “One Man - One Engine” technique. This means that each engine has its own specialized technician to follow from start to finish.
19. Mazda, Hiroshima
Mazda is one of the oldest car companies in the world, and this factory has maintained its headquarters on Hiroshima Bay since its inception. This factory is over 420 acres, with some assembly lines stretching almost a mile long. This plant also, somehow, survived the atomic bombing of World War II.
20. Bentley in Crewe
This plant dates back to 1938 and has been home to both automobile and aircraft engine production. It was also the home to Rolls-Royce builds, but switched exclusively to Bentleys after Volkswagen acquired the historic company.
