Od 1980 do 2026 — każdy rok modelowy w europejskim katalogu ma własną stronę. Co debiutowało. Co dominowało. Jak zmieniał się miks nadwozi (sedan → SUV), jak przechylał się miks paliw (benzyna → diesel → powrót do benzyny → elektryczny) i które samochody zdefiniowały erę. 101 518 wariantów zindeksowanych w całym okresie.
Before catalytic converters were mandatory. Before electronic fuel injection became universal. The 1980s belonged to the wedge, the three-box sedan, the steel bumper. The Audi 100 broke aero records at 0.30 Cd in 1982; almost nobody else cared yet. The hot hatch arrived (Golf GTI, Peugeot 205 GTI, Renault 5 Turbo), and so did the European turbo diesel.
Audi launches the C3 with a 0.30 Cd — a record for production cars.
European catalytic converter mandate begins to phase in.
ABS, airbags, side-impact beams, crumple zones — what had been luxury options in 1989 became baseline by 1999. Aero shaping replaced the wedge: Ford Sierra, Opel Calibra, Honda NSX. The first generation common-rail diesel arrived in 1997 (Alfa 156 JTD), redrawing the European fuel map for the next 20 years.
Audi 100 C4 launches; Lexus debuts the LS400 globally.
EU phases out leaded petrol. The Renault Scenic invents the compact MPV.
Toyota Prius launches in Japan; common-rail diesel in the Alfa 156.
BMW X5 redefines the luxury SUV category.
The crossover SUV arrived in volume — Toyota RAV4, Honda CR-V, Nissan X-Trail — and then in luxury, with BMW X5 and Porsche Cayenne legitimising the body in markets that had previously refused it. Common-rail diesel peaked at ~55% of new EU sales by 2009. Hybrid went mass-market with the Prius Mk2.
Toyota Prius Mk2 makes hybrid mass-market.
EU CO₂ regulation for new cars adopted — phase-in 2012 onwards.
Stop-start became standard. Three-cylinder turbos replaced four-cylinder NA in the city-car class (Ford Fiesta 1.0 EcoBoost, BMW 1.5 B38). Tesla released the Model S in 2012 and the Model 3 in 2017 — by 2019, every major OEM had committed to a 2030 ICE phase-out. Dieselgate hit in 2015.
Tesla Model S launches in North America.
Dieselgate breaks. EU emissions testing fundamentally overhauled.
Tesla Model 3 starts deliveries. WLTP replaces NEDC.
EV market share rose from 4% (2020) to 18% (2025) of new sales in Europe. Software-defined platforms (VW MEB, Stellantis STLA Medium, Hyundai E-GMP) replaced bespoke ICE architectures. Chinese OEMs entered Europe at scale: BYD, MG, Zeekr, Xpeng. The first €25k mass-market EVs arrived in 2024.
EU CO₂ fleet limit hits 95 g/km — fastest year of EV launches yet.
EU "Fit for 55" framework: 100% EV new-car sales by 2035 proposed.
EV share of EU new car sales reaches 14%. Chinese OEMs cross 5% market.
First mass-market €25k EVs ship (Renault 5, Citroën ë-C3, Dacia Spring 65).
Stricter CO₂ averaging kicks in; PHEV WLTP recalibration penalises gaming.