There’s a lot of overlap when you look at the car brands and the parent companies. Many people don’t realize that there are a handful of owners out there running multiple auto brands. In this guide, we look at the top brands and show you who owns them.
Aston Martin
Surprisingly, the popular car from James Bond movies is owned and run by Aston Martin Lagonda Global Holdings. It’s one of the two British brands found in the United States.
BMW Group
Bayerische Motoren Werke AG offers a great lineup of coupes, sedan, SUVs and electric vehicles. Yet, this luxury brand makes more than BMWs. It also runs the Rolls-Royce brand, sells MINI and has a lineup of motorcycles.
Daimler
This German company owned DaimlerChrysler starting in 1998 through 2007. Now, this is the parent to Mercedes-Benz. The company also manufacturers Sprinter and Metris vans.
Ferrari
At one time, Ferrari was part of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, but went back to parenting itself in 2016. It is still one of the world’s best sports car companies.
Fiat Chrysler Automobiles
Speaking of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, this company still owns several car brands. FCA is the parent of Jeep, Fiat, Alfa Romeo, Dodge, Chrysler, RAM and Maserati.
Ford Motor Company
The blue oval sold off Land Rover and Jaguar to Tata Motors in India and it also gave Volvo to a Chinese company. Mercury has also been closed up for quite sometime, but Ford still runs Lincoln.
General Motors
The other American competitor goes rid of Saturn, Pontiac and Oldsmobile. Yet, the Hummer is scheduled to come back, while the company continues to run GMC, Chevrolet, Cadillac and Buick.
Honda Motor Company
The Japanese automaker oversees both Honda and Acura. There’s also quite the lineup of motorcycles and off-road vehicles to enjoy.
Hyundai Motor Group
This South Korean automaker has the Kia lineup under its belt. It also launched Genesis, which is the luxury division, back in 2015.
Jaguar Land Rover
Tata Motors Limited, an India-based company, now runs both Jaguar and Land Rover. They were purchased from Ford Motor Company in 2008, but are built in the United Kingdom.
Mazda Motor Company
Mazda was once a part of the Ford Motor Company from 1974 through 2015. Now, the automaker stands on its own.
Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi Alliance
This alliance formed in 1999 and it is now the owner of ten different brands. In the United States, the brands Nissan and Mitsubishi fall under its hat.
Subaru Corporation
Once known as Fuji Heavy Industries, this Japanese brand sells only Subaru vehicles. However, there have been some partnerships with Toyota to create vehicles.
Tesla
Tesla is run by Elon Musk, who launched the EV Roadster in 2008. The company also sells solar panels and is responsible for managing superchargers around the world.
Toyota Motor Corporation
Toyota is the largest automaker in the world. It’s not only responsible for the Toyota lineup, but also Lexus, the company’s luxury brand. There was once a Scion brand, but that didn’t last long.
Volkswagen Group
This group doesn’t just sell Volkswagens. It’s also known for the Bugatti, Audi, Bentley, Porsche and Lamborghini nameplates.
Zhejiang Geely Holding Group
You may not recognize this company, but it is the parent to both Volvo and Lotus. Lotus was purchased in 2017 and control was taken over Volvo in 2020. The company is also behind Polestar vehicles.
What Car Brands Surprise You?
Does any of this information come as a shock to you? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.
When you are finished, check out some car acronyms you should know.
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