Perhaps no better illustration of Canada’s economic dependence on the US can be found than in the history of car making in North America. From the early days, the Canadian auto industry, and thus to a large to degree the Canadian economy, has been a junior partner to the Big Three and the US economy.

But the auto industry, in North America and the world, is changing. Canada’s reliance on the US is still significant, but more and more of its trade is done with emerging economies.

Here’s the story of Canada’s auto industry, in a 140-year timeline and A Thousand Words.