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| © Provided by Consumers Union of United States, Inc. |
From Jeff S. Bartlett, Consumer Reports
The auto industry has a very confusing family tree. The past decade
has seen partnerships, sales, separations, bankruptcies, and entire
divisions killed off, making it difficult to keep up with who owns which
car brands.
As automakers have slimmed down to become more
profitable and efficient, we have seen storied names, such as Hummer,
Mercury, Oldsmobile, and Pontiac, fade into the history books. We have
seen others, such as Chrysler, Jaguar, and Volvo, find new corporate
parents, often outside their original country.
To help clear up some of the confusion, we present a road map to who owns which car brands sold in the U.S.
Several
brands that have been retired are included in the list, such as Scion,
because models are still readily available on the used-car market. We have omitted small-volume brands, such as Aston Martin and Ferrari, that are without major automaker parent companies.
Most brand names link to brand pages, where you will find links to current and past road tests.
Of
course, the list is subject to change. To find out how the major brands
compare in reliability, owner satisfaction, and road-test performance,
see our brand report cards.
Guide to Car Brands
Here
we list each major car brand and its parent corporation, including some
retired brands whose products are still readily available as used cars.
Brand: Parent Company
Acura: Honda Motor Company
Alfa Romeo: Fiat Chrysler Automobiles
Audi: Volkswagen Group
BMW: BMW Group
Bentley: Volkswagen Group
Buick: General Motors
Cadillac: General Motors
Chevrolet: General Motors
Chrysler: Fiat Chrysler Automobiles
Dodge: Fiat Chrysler Automobiles
Fiat: Fiat Chrysler Automobiles
Ford: Ford Motor Co.
GMC: General Motors
Genesis: Hyundai Motor Group
Honda: Honda Motor Co.
Hyundai: Hyundai Motor Group
Infiniti: Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi Alliance
Jaguar: Tata Motors
Jeep: Fiat Chrysler Automobiles
Kia: Hyundai Motor Group
Land Rover: Tata Motors
Lexus: Toyota Motor Corp.
Lincoln: Ford Motor Co.
Lotus: Zhejiang Geely Holding Group
Maserati: Fiat Chrysler Automobiles
Mazda: Mazda Motor Corp.
Mercedes-Benz: Daimler AG
Mercury*: Ford Motor Co.
Mini: BMW Group
Mitsubishi: Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi Alliance
Nissan: Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi Alliance
Polestar: Zhejiang Geely Holding Group
Pontiac*: General Motors
Porsche: Volkswagen Group
Ram: Fiat Chrysler Automobiles
Rolls-Royce: BMW Group
Saab: brand owned by Saab AB; assets owned by National Electric Vehicle Sweden
Saturn*: General Motors
Scion*: Toyota Motor Corp.
Smart: Daimler AG
Subaru: Subaru Corp.
Suzuki*: Suzuki Motor Corp. Owns a small stake in Toyota.
Tesla: Tesla Inc.
Toyota: Toyota Motor Corp.
Volkswagen: Volkswagen Group
Volvo: Zhejiang Geely Holding Group
*Retired brand, but many are still sold as used cars.
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| © Provided by Consumers Union of United States, Inc. |
Guide to Car Corporations
Here’s a list the major car corporations that sell in the U.S. and the brands they currently offer here.
Parent Company owns Brand
BMW Group owns BMW, Mini, and Rolls-Royce.
Daimler AG owns Mercedes-Benz and Smart.
Fiat Chrysler Automobiles owns Alfa Romeo, Chrysler, Dodge, Fiat, Jeep, Maserati, and Ram.
Ford Motor Co. owns Ford and Lincoln.
General Motors owns Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, and GMC.
Honda Motor Co. owns Acura and Honda.
Hyundai Motor Group owns Genesis, Hyundai, and Kia.
Mazda Motor Corp. owns Mazda.
Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi Alliance owns Infiniti, Mitsubishi, and Nissan.
Subaru Corp. owns Subaru.
Tata Motors owns Jaguar and Land Rover.
Tesla owns Tesla.
Toyota Motor Corp. owns Lexus and Toyota. And it has a stake in Subaru and Suzuki.
Volkswagen Group owns Audi, Bentley, Bugatti, Lamborghini, Porsche, and Volkswagen.
Zhejiang Geely Holding Group (ZGH) owns Lotus, Polestar, and Volvo.
