Did you know? Toyota led the automotive industry in U.S. patents for the tenth consecutive year in 2023, securing 2500+ patents—a testament to the industry’s relentless pursuit of innovation.
But it’s not just the traditional automotive giants shaping the future. Startups like Applied Intuition, now valued at $6 billion, are reshaping autonomous driving, while Foxconn, best known for manufacturing iPhones, is making a bold entry into the EV market, aiming to produce 40% of the world’s electric vehicles.
The past five years have marked a turning point for automotive industry, with breakthroughs in electric mobility, self-driving technology, AI-powered vehicle manufacturing and connected car systems. As innovation accelerates, intellectual property has become a critical driver of technological leadership. Companies are not just developing cutting-edge technologies—they are strategically protecting their innovations through patents, shaping the trajectory of mobility before it even reaches consumers.
Want to know which automotive companies are leading in innovation? Check out our list of the top automotive companies ranked by their patent count here
In this article, we analyze the automotive patent landscape, spotlighting the most active players, research centers and key inventors. We explore how companies are leveraging patents to protect their innovations, secure market position, and drive the future of mobility.
Discover a wealth of patent insights and trends across various industries – click here to explore now!
What is the patent filing trend in Automotive Industry?
The chart below represents the patent filing trend in US within the Automotive Industry from the year 2010 to 2024.
Are you wondering why there is a drop in patent filing for the last two years? It is because a patent application can take up to 18 months to get published. Certainly, it doesn’t suggest a decrease in the patent filing.
The table below provides the number of applications filed and the number of patents granted from the year 2019 to 2025.
| Year | Applications Filed in Automotive Industry | Patents Granted in Automotive Industry |
| 2025 | – | 2838 |
| 2024 | 23170 | 62211 |
| 2023 | 53714 | 58231 |
| 2022 | 74024 | 60043 |
| 2021 | 77252 | 60552 |
| 2020 | 77981 | 65868 |
| 2019 | 82634 | 66256 |
Patent Grant Time Analysis in the Automotive Industry
This chart visualizes the patent grant time distribution in the automotive industry from 2019 to 2024.
A staggering 99% of automotive patents are granted within the first five years, reflecting the industry’s rapid pace of innovation.
What is the Patent Legal Status of Automotive Patents?
The chart illustrates the legal status distribution of patents in the automotive industry from 2019 to 2024.
Key companies filing patents in Automotives
The chart below showcases the leading 15 companies actively involved in research and development in automotive industry.
The table below shows the number of patents assigned to the leading 25 companies involved in the automotive industry.
| Leading Companies | Patents |
| Toyota | 25447 |
| Hyundai | 16227 |
| Ford | 13507 |
| Kia Corporation | 12843 |
| Honda Motor | 11539 |
| LG | 10684 |
| General Motors | 9377 |
| Samsung | 7965 |
| Denso | 6003 |
| Robert Bosch | 5887 |
| General Electric | 5148 |
| Panasonic | 4809 |
| Mitsubishi | 4539 |
| Sumitomo | 4152 |
| Rolls-Royce | 3896 |
| BMW | 3546 |
| Hitachi | 3401 |
| Volvo | 3004 |
| IBM | 2827 |
| CATL | 2804 |
| Safran | 2658 |
| ZF Friedrichshafen | 2653 |
| Boeing | 2618 |
| Nissan Motor | 2568 |
| Magna International | 2557 |
Key Startups filing patents in Automotives
The chart below showcases the startups actively involved in research and development in automotive industry.
Who Are the New Entrants Filing Patents in the Automotive Industry?
The chart below showcases the new entrants actively innovating in the automotive industry.
Where are the Research Centers of Automotive Industry patents located?
The chart below represents the major research and development centers contributing towards innovations and technological advancements in the automotive industry.
Despite being a powerhouse in automotive research and development, the United States only has two companies in the top 15 global leaders in the automotive industry.
Who are the Key Inventors in the Automotive Industry?
This chart highlights the top inventors in the automotive industry based on published patents from 2019 to 2024. The ranking showcases key innovators shaping technological advancements in the sector.
The table below shows the number of patents assigned to the top 25 inventors involved in innovations and technological advancements in the automotive industry.
| Inventor Name | Patents |
| Stuart C Salter | 681 |
| Lee Seungmin | 605 |
| Seo Hanbyul | 589 |
| Wang Peng | 468 |
| Aed M Dudar | 414 |
| Paul K Dellock | 395 |
| Bor Z Jang | 332 |
| Kim Soenghun | 319 |
| Charles Howard Cella | 305 |
| John R Van Wiemeersch | 300 |
| Kapil Gulati | 294 |
| David Brian Glickman | 281 |
| Mohammad Omar Faruque | 273 |
| Johnathan Andrew Line | 272 |
| Sarbajit K Rakshit | 267 |
| Dean M Jaradi | 262 |
| Li Wei | 260 |
| SM Iskander Farooq | 253 |
| Lei Wang | 245 |
| Li Junyi | 244 |
| Anil Agiwal | 244 |
| Scott T Christensen | 231 |
| Lee Chul-Haeng | 221 |
| Haizu Jin | 220 |
| Jeong-O Mun | 217 |
Top Patent Buyers in the Automotive Industry
This chart illustrates the number of patents acquired through IP transfers by various companies in the automotive sector between 2019 and 2024.
The chart reveals that while NPEs like Malikie Innovations are actively acquiring patents to build substantial portfolios for licensing and enforcement, traditional automotive companies such as Hyundai Motor and RM Acquisition are also involved in patent transactions.
Top Patent Sellers in the Automotive Industry
This chart illustrates the number of patents sold through IP transfers by various companies in the automotive sector between 2019 and 2024.
The chart highlights how major tech companies like Intel and IBM dominate the automotive industry’s patent selling landscape. Their significant patent portfolios underscore the growing trend of tech companies actively monetizing their innovations, providing valuable IP assets to automotive players, and shaping the future of the industry with advanced technologies.
How Has Patent Litigation Evolved in the Automotive Industry?
This chart illustrates the rising trend of litigation cases in the automotive industry over the past five years, highlighting the growing IP disputes shaping the sector.
Patent litigation in the automotive industry has surged, peaking at 276 cases in 2024, driven by competition in EVs, autonomous tech and battery innovations, signaling increased IP enforcement.
Who Are the Most Active Plaintiffs in Automotive Patent Litigation?
This chart highlights the top companies driving patent litigation in the automotive industry from 2019 to 2024, reflecting key IP enforcement trends.
Samsung and Netlist each filed 20 patent lawsuits in the automotive space, reflecting growing IP enforcement around memory and semiconductor technologies critical to EVs and connected vehicles. Notably, several Chinese EV and battery firms also appear among top plaintiffs, signalling intensifying global competition.
Which Companies Face the Most Patent Lawsuits in the Automotive Industry?
This chart highlights the most frequently sued companies in automotive patent litigation from 2019 to 2024, revealing key targets of IP disputes.
Samsung is both a top enforcer and the most sued company in automotive patent litigation, reflecting its high-stakes battle in automotive electronics and AI innovation.
Who Are the Top Patent Licensees in the Automotive Industry?
This chart highlights the top organizations and companies licensing automotive patents from 2019 to 2024, revealing key players adopting external innovations.
This chart flips expectations—government agencies, not automakers, top the list of automotive patent licensees. Leading by a huge margin, the U.S. Department of Energy has licensed over 1,600 patents since 2019, reflecting its push to fast-track innovations in EVs, battery tech, and clean transportation. This is more than 5x the count of the next key licensee—the National Science Foundation (NSF)—and far ahead of traditional automotive players.
Which Companies Are Top Licensors in the Automotive Industry?
This chart highlights the top licensors in the automotive industry from 2019 to 2024, showcasing key players driving technology transfers through patents.
Which Companies Are Prioritizing Expedited Patent Examinations in the Automotive Industry?
This chart highlights the top companies filing for expedited patent examinations in the automotive industry from 2019 to 2024.
Ford is accelerating innovation at record speed, filing over 870 expedited patents—more than the next two companies combined!
Which Companies Are Leading in Patent Non-Publication Requests?
This chart highlights the top companies filing non-publication requests in the automotive industry from 2019 to 2024, revealing those keeping patents confidential.
Amazon leads the secrecy race with 1,041 non-publication requests, signaling a strategy to conceal innovations until commercial launch. Companies like Zoox, Waymo and Apple also prioritize stealth, likely in autonomous driving and AI-powered mobility.
Top-Cited Patents in the Automotive Industry
This chart ranks the top-cited patents in the automotive industry from 2019 to 2024, showcasing the most influential patents based on citation counts.
Which Patents have the Most NPL References in the Automotive Industry?
This chart showcases the patents with the highest number of Non-Patent Literature (NPL) references in the automotive industry from 2019 to 2024.
Which Automotive Patents Have the Highest Continuity Filings?
This table highlights automotive patents with the most continuity applications, including Continuation-in-Part (CIP), Continuation, and Divisional filings. A high continuity count often signals valuable inventions with extended R&D and strong IP protection strategies.
| Publication Number | Patent Count |
| US10992185B2 | 156 |
| US12166363B2 | 155 |
| US11502551B2 | 154 |
| US11035940B2 | 120 |
| US2024028031A1 | 61 |
| US11796998B2 | 60 |
| US11358615B2 | 57 |
| US2024370596A1 | 51 |
| US2023252382A1 | 47 |
| US2023153722A1 | 44 |
Evolution of Automotive Technology: 2019-2024
The chart below showcases the technology through the years 2019 to 2024 for the Automotive Industry
Technology Overview of Automotive Patents
The technology analysis of patents related to automotive industry explores the diverse and evolving nature of innovations within the sector.
The patents have been classified into distinct technological categories such as Electric Vehicles, Vehicle Propulsion System and Autonomous Vehicles with each representing key areas of innovation while serving as blueprints for technological progress in the domain.
This classification aids in creating a roadmap for understanding technological developments in the sector as well as assists in efficient analysis, trend identification and improved understanding of dynamic nature of the automotive industry.
Technology Overview of Key Companies in Automotive Industry
This analysis provides an insight into areas of focus and innovations of companies thereby offering comprehensive snapshot of their contributions to the dynamic landscape of automotive sector.
The technology overview reveals a focus on diverse areas such as Vehicle Propulsion System, Electric Vehicles and Vehicle Technology.
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