France

France or Republique Francaise (French Republic) is a sovereign state in Western Europe. This nation was a pioneer of automotive industry. List of French automotive companies
 * Citroen (PSA Group)
 * Peugeot (PSA Group)
 * Renault (Renault-Nissan)
 * Bugatti (Volkswagen Group)

18th and 19th centuries
1769 - Nicolas-Joseph Cugnot builds the first self-propelled mechanical vehicle.

1859 - Jean Joseph Etienne Lenoir develops an internal combustion engine.

1884 - Edouard Delamare-Deboutteville is credited in France with building the first petrol-powered automobile.

1885 - Amedee Bollee begins manufacturing steam-powered vehicles.

1887 - Leon Serpollet begins building steam-powered vehicles.

1887 - Panhard et Levassor established as a car manufacturing concern by Rene Panhard and Emile Levassor, with the first car produced in 1891.

1890 - Armand Peugeot produces a four-wheeled car powered by a Daimler petrol fueled internal combustion engine.

1894 - Albert de Doin and Georges Bouton produce a single-cylinder petrol-powered engine and in 1898 produced a four-wheeler.