The technology of sheet metal joining by clinching has been presented. The clinching is a process of joining material layers with the use of plastic deformations. The process of forming a joint by classic shaping has also been shown. Successive phases of forming a clinched joint during the sheet metal joining process have been characterized. Joint quality assessment methods and example applications of clinched joints have been described. At present, tools of various designs are available for the forming of joints of this type. In most cases, a punch and a round solid die with an axially symmetrical profile are used. Other die design versions make it possible to reduce the joint-forming force to a significant degree. In the article, attention has been directed to various designs of the dies suitable for such an application and to the possibility of joining not only metallic materials but also metal and composite combinations. The possibilities of making hybrid (i.e. glued and clinched) joints have been described as well. Moreover, new research directions and the development of unconventional clinching technology solutions have been characterized, with highlighting the use of clinched joints in the thin-walled structure assembly processes in the production of motor vehicles. The main directions of automatizing the process of assembling sheet metal structures by clinching have been discussed. Examples of motor vehicle body components with clinched joints have been presented.