production car – Mazda RX-8 – 9,000 rpm Electric production vehicle – Tesla Model S – 18,000 rpm Sales Best-selling models Best-selling vehicle nameplate – Toyota Corolla (more than 50,000,000 sold in 12 generations since 1966) 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 Best single-month sales – 126,905 – July 2005 Ford F-Series Firsts Mostly full-production vehicles are listed here. Many were preceded by racing-only cars. This list mainly includes developments that led to widespread adoption across the automotive industry. Industry First Self-Propelled Automobile - 1770 Nicolas-Joseph Cugnot First fully functioning automobile – 1885 Benz Patent-Motorwagen First production automobile – 1888 Benz Patent-Motorwagen First automotive proving ground – 1915 Dodge Brothers Test Track, Hamtramck, Michigan First auto company technical institute – 1919 General Motors Institute (now Kettering University) Engine types Straight engines First production straight-twin engine – 1895 Panhard et Levassor and 1898 Decauville Voiturelle First production straight-three engine – 1953 DKW F91 and 1956 Saab 93 First production straight-four engine – 1908 Ford Model T First production Straight-five engine – 1974 Mercedes-Benz W115 300D First straight-six engine – 1903 Napier First production straight-eight engine – 1918 Isotta Fraschini V engines First production V2 engine – 1889 Daimler steel-wheel car First production V4 engine – 1922 Lancia Lambda First production V6 engine – 1911 Delahaye Type 44 First V8 engine – 1904 Marmon First production V8 engine – 1910 De Dion-Bouton CJ First V10 engine – 1987 Lamborghini P140 First production V10 engine – 1991 Dodge Viper First production V12 engine – 1915 Packard Twin-Six, the 1915 National V12 engine, and the 1917 Weidely Pathfinder First V16 engine – 1929 Maserati Tipo V4 First production V16 engine – 1930 Cadillac V-16 Flat engines First production flat-twin engine – 1900 Lanchester 8 hp Phaeton First flat-four engine – 1900 Benz 20 hp racing car First production flat-four engine – 1901 Wilson-Pilcher First flat-six engine – 1904 Wilson-Pilcher First production flat-six engine – 1948 Tucker 48 First flat-eight engine – 1962 Porsche 804 Formula One car First flat-twelve engine – 1964 Honda RA271 Formula One car First production flat-twelve engine – 1973 – Ferrari 365 GT4 BB W engines First production W engine – 2001 Volkswagen Passat W8 First production W12 engine – 2001 Audi A8 W12 First production W16 engine