29 January marks birthday of the modern auto industry, which began when German car engineer Karl Friedrich Benz patented a gasoline-powered vehicle of his own design on this date in 1886. In modern world a car is not just a means of transport.  A car is used to confirm the status of its owner, be comfortable and extremely safe. These aspects are especially meaningful for world leaders, whose choice of a car sometimes becomes a political decision. Some world leaders use only domestically produced cars to support the national economy. Some reject expensive cars and drive a simple one to become closer to the ordinary people.

Leaders of the world often need several transport planes to take their car fleets on foreign visits.

See the cars chosen by presidents, kings, prime ministers and other leaders of the world in the past and today in this photo gallery by TASS.