# Which large nations lack a domestic auto industry?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-large-nations-lack-a-domestic-auto-industry/500791>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [June 24, 2009, 2:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-large-nations-lack-a-domestic-auto-industry/500791 "2009-06-24T02:08:24Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 2

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**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\
**Post date:** [June 24, 2009, 5:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-large-nations-lack-a-domestic-auto-industry/500791/21 "2009-06-24T17:33:47Z")

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Thanks, all!

I gotta investigate those Finnish cars! I wonder if they’re collector’s items. They only made 18,000 of them last year…

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**Author:** ![Sunspace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunspace/32/1250_2.png) [@Sunspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunspace)\
**Post date:** [June 24, 2009, 5:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-large-nations-lack-a-domestic-auto-industry/500791/22 "2009-06-24T17:53:10Z")

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> [@Hari\_Seldon](#):
>
> Bricklin was an American carpetbagger. He was, like me, from Philadelphia and I knew his cousin moderately well.
> 
> I am surprised no one has mentioned Indonesia. They are a very large country \> 100 million and I have never heard they built cars.

Is the Proton Indonesian? I encountered the name a few times reading Australian car sites. Edit: nope, Proton is [Malaysian](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Proton_(carmaker)).

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**Author:** ![An\_Gadai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d6d6ee/32.png) [@An\_Gadai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/An_Gadai)\
**Post date:** [June 24, 2009, 6:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-large-nations-lack-a-domestic-auto-industry/500791/23 "2009-06-24T18:15:41Z")

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> [@Martini\_Enfield](#):
>
> Weren’t DeLoreans made in Ireland? True, they’re not any more, but it does seem rather odd that Ireland has shipbuilding facilities but not car manufacturing facilities…
> 
> ETA: Yes, I know they were made in Northern Ireland, which is technically part of the UK, depending who you talk to.

Also, Ford Tractors were manufactured in County Cork until 1984 IIRC.

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**Author:** ![Spoons](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spoons/32/3141_2.png) [@Spoons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoons)\
**Post date:** [June 24, 2009, 6:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-large-nations-lack-a-domestic-auto-industry/500791/24 "2009-06-24T18:34:02Z")

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> [@Sunspace](#):
>
> I am not familiar with earlier [Canadian] events.

You forgot the [McLaughlin](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/McLaughlin_automobile)? Which, after growing out of carriage maker that started to produce cars in 1907, allied with Buick to become McLaughlin-Buick; which eventually was acquired by GM. This is why a large part of GM’s Canadian operations were in Oshawa–because that’s where the McLaughlin company was located.

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**Author:** ![AK84](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/85e7bf/32.png) [@AK84](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AK84)\
**Post date:** [June 25, 2009, 1:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-large-nations-lack-a-domestic-auto-industry/500791/25 "2009-06-25T13:01:38Z")

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> [@Darryl\_Lict](#):
>
> And just barely under Bangladesh is Pakistan and Nigeria.

90% of the cars in Pakistan are locally made. It is the devil to import a car (except for some luxary ones).

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