This is one of the “legacy” databases started in 2003, typing data from AutoKatalog car magazines into computer. The original database I abandoned in May 2019 and replaced in 2020 with a filtered version of German Car Database. Last update: 7 February 2022, see changelog.
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History (2005-2019 version)
Started in 2005, originally a research-analysis to compare cars and study evolution in terms of dimensions, weight and engines. For example Golf 1 (3705 mm length, 1100-1800 cm³, 50-112 PS), vs Golf 5 (4204 mm length, 1400-3200 cm³, 75-250 PS). However, once I started selling databases via my website in 2012, I realized that typical customers are car shipping companies pricing transport costs by car dimensions, or car cover manufacturers.
At least one customer bought this Car Body Specs Database (SURPRISE!) not for body specs, but just for list of car body types. Previously I was adding car models only when/if data of car dimensions was available, but since 2013 I choose to add EVERY car manufactured after World War II (as ultimate goal) even if no dimensions are available, over time I may find dimensions and complete the table.
In 2015-2019 the database was looking like THIS: Car Models Database SAMPLE .xls
Car Models Database contains separate row for each car body style, showing basic data:
Car dimensions (length, width, height, wheelbase, cube) with 99% completion for 1980-present and 75% for 1945-1980.
Car weight range and cargo space with 99% completion for 1980-present.
Car engine range (displacement, horsepower and top speed), for 1980-present (except for cars not sold in Europe).
Coverage
Cars sold in Europe, european domestic models 1945-present, Asian imports 1970/1980-present, American imports 1990-present, for more details see List of car manufacturers and years included.
Bonus: some Asian cars not imported in Europe, for example Malaysian cars (Proton’s all 15 models, not just the two imported in continental Europe, Perodua’s 10 models, none imported in continental Europe but few imported in United Kingdom). Add-on with cars produced in India, Brazil and Argentina (added during 2013).
This is NOT a database of Latin America / India market. I guarantee completion for European market ONLY. Indians and Latin Americans can buy European database + add-on of vehicles produced locally, delete yourself the vehicles not imported in your country and request me to add if there is any additional foreign models available in your country but not in European database!
Source of data: AutoKatalog for 1980s-present (99% data completion and accuracy guaranteed), and Wikipedia for older automobiles (expect some mess and missing data in pre-1980s). All data written manually in Excel, making an original product “Made by Teoalida”.
Sorting order: alphabetic by make, followed by class from mini to luxury cars, followed by model from old to new, followed by body style. You are advised to NOT change sorting order for example do not sort models alphabetically.
This vehicle database focus on model only and breakdown for body type (sedan, wagon, coupe, convertible, etc). There are NO list of car engines. For breakdown by individual engines, see Car Models & Engines Database.
List of car makes included
Mainstream makes: AC Cars, Alfa Romeo, Alpine, Alvis, ARO, Asia Motors, Aston Martin, Audi, Austin / Rover, Austin-Healey, Autobianchi, Auto-Union, Bentley, BMW, Bond, British Leyland (Austin, MG, Mini, Morris, Riley, Rover, Triumph, Vanden Plas, Wolseley), Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet USA, Chrysler USA, Chrysler Europe / Simca / Talbot (France) / Sunbeam / Hillman / Talbot (UK), Citroën, Dacia, Daewoo / Chevrolet Korea, DAF, Daihatsu, De Tomaso, DeLorean, Dodge, Ferrari, Fiat, Ford Europe, FSO, GAZ (Volga), Honda, Hummer, Hyundai, IFA (Trabant, Wartburg, Barkas), Infiniti, Innocenti, ISO, Isuzu, Iveco, Izh, Jaguar, Jeep, Kia, Lada, Lamborghini, Lancia, Land Rover, Lexus, Lotus, Maserati, Matra, Maybach, Mazda, Mercedes, Mini, Mitsubishi, Morgan, Moskwitch, Nissan, NSU, Oltcit, Opel, Otosan, Perodua, Peugeot, Pontiac, Porsche, Proton, Reliant, Renault, Rolls-Royce, Saab, Samsung, Santana, Seat, Skoda, Smart, SsangYong, Standard-Triumph, Subaru, Suzuki, Tatra, Tesla, Tofas, Toyota, TVR, UAZ, Vauxhall, Volkswagen, Volvo, Zastava, ZAZ.
Bonus minor makes: Artega, Bitter, Bristol, Bugatti, Caterham, Cizeta, Donkervoort, Felber, Fisker, Ginetta, GTA Spano, Gumpert, Isdera, Jensen, Koenigsegg, LuAZ, Lynx, McLaren, Messerschmitt, Monica, Monteverdi, Pagani, Panther, Saleen, Shelby SuperCars, Venturi, Wiesmann, ZIL (producing less than 100 cars per year).
List as September 2017. Italic makes to be added in next releases. Additional minor makes may be added in the future.
History (2020-present version)
I was thinking in March 2016 to offer a major update for Car Models Database after Car Models & Engines Database will be fully expanded to 1970, I will recheck every car and add correct dimensions, weight and engine range from the expanded bigger database. Until that, I will offer minor updates with new cars added and with dimensions only.
Some things are yet to be decided:
- Cars that had a mid-life facelift that changed external dimensions only slightly do not have a separate row, instead they have in Notes column “Length X mm after year Y”, would be better if I make separate row for every slight variation of dimensions, or this will make unnecessarily too many rows?
- Make & Model & Platform controversy: since I started this database in 2003, until I published on website and started selling in 2012, there was a single column “Car name”, starting from 2012 I made columns Make and Model, since 2014 I made 4 columns Make, Model-Platform, Model, Platform. May I know how are you using these 4 columns?
- I am questioning if this is the best format or I can improve it even further, for example I am thinking to remove (facelift) from model names, and add instead production years to differentiate pre- and post-facelift models
- If you have any better proposal, let me know!
During 2017 I expanded Car Models & Engines to 1975 using AutoKatalog books, leaving 1970-1975 to be added at later stage, but meantime I created additional car databases for other continents, using automated web scraping software, and they sold so well making me to lose interest for this original European database. www.ADAC.de which was once time ago 1990-present only, was redesigned in February 2017 adding car images and during 2017 was expanded backwards to 1950, then in March 2018 I added commercial vehicles in Car Models & Engines Database sourcing them from ADAC.
In 2019 I realized that compiling data manually from AutoKatalog have NO advantage over using web scraping software to extract data from ADAC website, and decided to recreate whole database, based on ADAC. I drafted a SAMPLE: Car Models Database new proposed format.xls. Feel free to suggest changes.
I could potentially start this project in January-February 2020, but due to ADAC website redesign in December 2019, followed by on-going changes in model hierarchy in 2020, I decided to put this project on hold a bit until ADAC settle up its model hierarchy… to avoid needing to re-do same work again in the future. I started in July 2020.
I copied 1st model version of each of the 5451 model series of German Car Database and used Excel ARRAY formulas to generate MIN-MAX ranges for dimensions and engines and published a BETA version on 12 July 2020 having a bit too many rows and some duplicates because ADAC Datenbank classify every minor facelift as new model series. Work in progress to eliminate facelifts that did not changed car dimensions to reduce duplicates.
By this way, the new ADAC-based Car Models Database include production years as month/year instead of just year, also car images and unique ID that you may find useful at future updates to see what rows been added/changed.
A customer emailed me a critique review.
I really appreciate that! Hope others will do the same!
1. Model record should contain same model without additions such as “Laguna 1” should be “Laguna” – possibly an additional column “version” and there alone the words “I” or the name of the model generation
I would like to discuss this with several more customers…. An american buying Car Models List by Model Year told me to delete the model generation, as it is not displayed on car official brochure, but it is often used in popular talk and also is very important for auto parts businesses.
However putting it on a separate column may make both happy, BUT it will be after model-body name? isn’t correct Volkswagen Golf Variant III since there’s no Golf Variant I or II. Volkswagen Golf III Variant is correct word order.
2. Years – a record in column B is unnecessary – it is better split the column E “yr from” “yr is”
You’re the only one asking this, and I did dozens of sales. What is the problem with column E, more exactly? You can split it using Data > Text to columns.
The year in Column B is for statistical purposes, to count how many car models are launched each year.
3. Column Q “Car size (m³)” – I do not know if there is a place where the value can be used
Indeed, it is useless, but is a formula = no extra effort in adding it. Engine size and power range isn’t useless too?
4. it would be nice to eliminate the “?” This generate confusion – some fields are empty, and some have a “?”
The ? sign is important for me, meaning that I have checked AutoKatalog and Wikipedia and have not found any data. The blank cells (especially in old cars) means TO BE ADDED, that I do not have AutoKatalog or I have not checked yet Wikipedia and other websites. You can use Find-Replace to get rid of ? signs.
5. KIA brand, in the “model” is repeated KIA – the record looks like this
MAKE: KIA
MODEL: Kia Enterprise
This is obviously an example. Opel has the same problem.
The Kia Enterprise error is only in Timeline table, in Alphabetic table is fixed already.
In December 2012 I added a column for make and I wrote manually make of each model, then I used find-replace to delete the make from second column, but few makes escaped. In January I re-sorted the models by brand, and until March I fixed all what escaped (in alphabetical table). Note: to save time, I haven’t update timeline tables since February, the alphabetical table I updated each month, so use it instead.
6. it would have been eliminated in the model all the suffix like “(not imported in Europe)” or “(XX30) (North America only)” and write such things in a column such as “notes”
Since few months ago I am moving this info to the rightmost column, out of table. I haven’t rushed to fix all at once, instead I recheck brand by brand to add older models, and by this way I fix this too. I will fix all in the next edition.
7. if you have a record such
MAKE: DEAWOO
MODEL: Kalos / Chevrolet Aveo
you should break it into two records
Make1: DEAWOO
MODEL1: Kalos
MAKE2: Chevrolet
Model2: Aveo
Blame the insurance company who asked in December 2012 to separate make and model (and did not purchased when I emailed that I am DONE), otherwise would be Daewoo Kalos / Chevrolet Aveo in a single column so probably would be no problem. I will solve in the next edition.
If you are thinking seriously deal with the sale of vehicles data you have to think like your customer.
Despite a few comments, I think it is very good job and certainly in the future we will purchase another database.
I have A LOT of different customers, and I do not know yet what each customer is and how he use the data. Sorry if I do not apply your suggestions immediately, but I want to get feedback from more people!
received update today thank you
Can you leave a LONGER comment? Tell how long are you using my database, how did you found my website, how happy are you using my database, etc. And answer the 2 questions in survey.