American car brands have undergone a major metamorphosis in recent years. Globalization and the expanding monopoly on the automotive market from time to time carry reports of further mergers and acquisitions of smaller concerns by the giants of the automotive world. What once seemed to us to be an authentic American brand today is taken over by large automotive concerns that create new companies for tax and localization purposes, relocating capital.
General Motors
Founded: September 16, 1908
Founder: William C. Durant, Charles Stewart Mott
Headquarters: Detroit, Michigan, United States
Website: www.gm.com
The company was founded in 1908 and is located in Detroit, Michigan. This automotive giant includes other American brands that do not belong to other concerns. Following the sale of Opel and Vauxhall, GM comprises four American companies – Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, GMC – and Australian Holden. All of them have been owned by General Motors almost since the beginning of their existence, but the raisin here is Holden, which is the oldest company in the group. It is worth adding that GM included automotive bankruptcies and companies that ceased their activities, including Bedford, Oldsmobile, Hummer, Pontiac, Saab and Saturn.
Ford
Founded: June 16, 1903
Founder: Henry Ford
Headquarters: Dearborn, Michigan, U.S.
Website: www.ford.com
The automotive giant Ford is an independent company. It has been the owner of the premium brand – Lincoln – since 1922. Although Ford has cooperated with many car manufacturers, for example with Fiat or Mazda, the vast majority of products are original designs. Ford Motor Company is divided into several continental divisions and many models are made exclusively with local markets in mind. It is not entirely true that every Ford is American and you can safely talk about German or Australian Ford.
Chrysler
Founded: June 6, 1925
Founder: Walter Chrysler
Headquarters: 1000 Chrysler Drive, Auburn Hills, Metro Detroit, Michigan, United States
Parent: Stellantis
Website: www.chrysler.com
It is one of the most popular US brands. It has belonged to the Italian Fiat since 2009. Chrysler also owns the Dodge and Jeep brands, which are the pillars of sales in the US, reaching 2.5 million cars per year. Chrysler provides profits for the entire Fiat group, and one of the most famous models is the minivan. Chrysler has one of the most turbulent stories in the industry. Founded by Walter Chrysler in 1925, he purchased the Dodge 3 years later.
Chevrolet
Founded: November 3, 1911
Founder: Louis Chevrolet, William C. Durant, Samuel McLaughlin, Edwin R. Campbell, William Little
Headquarters: Detroit, Michigan, United States
Parent organization: General Motors
Website: www.chevrolet.com
It is an automotive company belonging to the American group General Motors. The company’s history began in 1911 – it was founded by Louis Chevrolet and William C. Durant in Detroit. Currently, the cars produced by the concern can be purchased in over 140 countries around the world. Chevrolet’s most popular models are the Aveo, Cruze, Sports Camaro and Electric Volt.
Cadillac
Founded: 22 August 1902
Founder: William Murphy, Lemuel Bowen, Henry M. Leland
Headquarters: Warren, Michigan, United States
Owner: General Motors Company
Website: www.cadillac.com
It is a well-known manufacturer of luxury cars, part of the American concern General Motors. It operates mainly in the USA, Canada and China. In 2016, the company released over 170,000 exclusive cars to the market. It is one of the oldest brands in the world and the second in America. It was founded in 1902 in Detroit.
Jeep
Founded: 1943
Headquarters: Toledo, Ohio, U.S.
Parent: Fiat Chrysler Automobiles
Website: www.jeep.com
The first Jeep cars were the light 4 x 4 utility vehicles used in World War II by the United States. Due to its high quality and acceptance, it was created as a brand in 1950. It is currently part of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles. Its main characteristic is its strength, its 4 x 4 traction and its all-terrain condition. There are even international off-road competitions where Jeep has won many awards.
Dodge
Founded: 1900
Founder: John Francis Dodge, Horace Elgin Dodge
Headquarters: Auburn Hills, Michigan, United States
Parent company: Fiat Chrysler Automobiles
Website: www.dodge.com
Dodge is an American manufacturer of passenger cars, SUVs, pickups and muscle cars. The history of the Dodge brand dates back to the end of the 19th century – initially it dealt with the production of bicycles and machine parts, and only several decades after the brand was founded, the first car model with its logo was created. The Dodge brand currently belongs to the FCA Fiat Chrysler group – just like RAM, which was created on the initiative of the Dodge brand.
Lincoln
Founded: August 1917
Founder: Henry M. Leland, Wilfred Leland
Headquarters: Dearborn, Michigan, United States
Parent organization: Ford Motor Company
Website: www.lincoln.com
It is an American concern that produces luxury cars. The company was founded by Henry Leland in 1917 in Michigan. Less than five years after its inception, it was bought by Ford for $ 8 million. The company’s current offer includes two sedans (Continental and MKZ), three crossovers (MKX, MKT, MKC) and one SUV (Navigator). For many years, Lincoln’s have served as the official models that the US President rides.
Buick
Founded: 1899
Founder: David Dunbar Buick
Headquarters: Detroit, Michigan, United States
Parent company: General Motors
Website: www.buick.com
An American brand of luxury passenger cars founded in 1903 in Detroit (the Buick headquarters is still located in Detroit today) by David Dunbar Buick, a designer and inventor. One of the company’s first owners was William C. Durant, founder of General Motors, which Buick belongs to. The three shields in the brand’s logo refer to the coat of arms of the noble family of the company’s founder.
Tesla
Founded: July 1, 2003
Founder: Elon Musk, JB Straubel, Martin Eberhard, Marc Tarpenning, Ian Wright
Headquarters: Palo Alto, California, United States
Owner: Elon Musk (20.8%)
Website: www.tesla.com
It is an electric car manufacturer company founded in 2003. They also manufacture electric motors for industry. This company has concentrated all its efforts to make its cars affordable for the public, gaining much acceptance, and continuously innovating. They have several models on the market, the Tesla S being the most prominent for its beauty and luxury line.
Abbott
Founded: 1909
Defunct: 1919
Founder: John G. Utz
Headquarters: Detroit, Michigan, later Cleveland, Ohio
It is a company that produces luxury industrial cars from the beginning of the 20th century. The company was founded in 1909 in Detroit and sold its cars under the Abbott-Detroit brand.
SSC
Founded: 1998
Founder: Jerod Shelby
Headquarters: Richland, Washington, United States
Owner: Jerod Shelby
Website: www.sscnorthamerica.com
It is a young company (founded in 2004) with the meaningful name “Shelby Super Cars” (“Shelby” – in honor of the founder J. Shelby).
Fisker
Founded: August 2007
Defunct: 2014
Founder: Henrik Fisker, Bernhard Koehleri
Headquarters: Anaheim, California, United States
Successors: Karma Automotive, Fisker Inc.
Website: www.fiskerinc.com
The young company Fisker, named after its founder Henrik Fisker, was one of the first to produce ecological-friendly cars.
Eagle
Founded: March 19, 1988
Defunct: July 4, 1999
Headquarters: Auburn Hills, Michigan, U.S.
Parent: Chrysler Corporation (1988–1998)
Website: www.eaglecars.com
Eagle was established in 1987 after the acquisition of American Motors Corporation by Chrysler Corporation. It is of the subsidiaries of Chrysler Corporation, specializing in the production of budget cars.
Saleen
Founded: 1983
Founder: Steve Saleen
Headquarters: Corona, California, United States
Subsidiaries: Saleen Automotive Show Cars, Inc., SMS Signature Cars, Saleen Special Vehicles
Owner: Steve Saleen
Website: www.saleen.com
Founded by ex-driver Steve Saleen, it produces road and racing sports cars, including those based on the Ford Mustang, Ford 150, Tesla Model S. Its proprietary product, Saleen S7 Twin Turbo, is one of the most powerful and fastest cars in the world.
Lucid Motors
Founded: August 22, 2007
Founders: Sheaupyng Lin, Bernard Tse, Sam Weng
General counsel: Jonathan Butler
Headquarters: Newark, California, United States
Owner: Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia
Website: lucidmotors.com
It is a company founded by former employees of Tesla Motors, Mazda and BMW. The manufacturer is developing premium electric cars in an attempt to compete with Tesla and business sedans from Europe.
Panoz
Founded: 1989
Founder: Don Panoz, Dan Panoz
Headquarters: Hoschton, Georgia, United States
Website: panoz.com
It is an American manufacturer specializing in the production of exclusive sports cars for public roads and racing. The company was founded in 1989 by Daniel Panoz.
Hummer
Founded: January 22, 1992
Headquarters: Detroit, Michigan, U.S
Parent: GMC; (General Motors)
Parent company: AM General
Website: www.hummer.com
HUMMER is an American company, part of the General Motors concern, specializing in the production of powerful super-high-capacity vehicles designed for the needs of the army.
Mercury
Founded: November 4, 1938
Founder: Edsel Ford
Defunct: January 4, 2011
Headquarters: Dearborn, Michigan, U.S.
Parent: Ford Motor Company
Website: www.mercuryvehicles.com
Mercury is a car brand introduced by Ford in 1938 that is offered almost exclusively on the North American market. Mercury cars have their equivalents among Fords, using the same solutions and technologies, but they are slightly more luxurious and comfortably finished.
Hennessey
Founded: 1991
Founder: John Hennessey
Headquarters: Sealy, Texas, United States
Divisions: Hennessey Special Vehicles
Website: hennesseyperformance.com
In 1991 was founded one of the most creative and unusual car companies in the United States of America, which takes its name from its founder John Hennessy. Until 1996 the company was exclusively engaged in the modification of cars of the Chrysler concern, becoming one of the first professional tuning ateliers in the world.
Bollinger
Founded: 2014
Founder: Robert Bollinger
Headquarters: Oak Park, Michigan, U.S.
Website: bollingermotors.com
Bollinger Motors was founded by American businessman Robert Bollinger. The main outlined priorities for the development of their own startup was the production of electric SUVs.
GMC
Founded: July 22, 1911
Founder: William C. Durant
Headquarters: Detroit, Michigan, United States
Parent organization: General Motors
Divisions: Hummer
Website: www.gmc.com
It is a specialized division of General Motors dedicated to the production of full and mid-size SUVs and pickups.
Airstream
Founded: 1920s
Founder: Thor Industries
Previous owners: Wally Byam
Website: www.airstream.com
A company specializes in the production of trailers. Having actively started its activity in 1932, when about 50 companies were engaged in this in the USA, today only Airstream continues its work.
AC Propulsion
Founded: 1992
Founder: Wally Rippel
Headquarters: San Dimas, California, United States
Website: www.acpropulsion.com
AC Propulsion is mainly engaged in the production of electric motors and batteries for electric vehicles.
DeLorean
Founded: October 24, 1975
Founder: John DeLorean
Headquarters: Humble, Texas, United States
Ceased operations: 1982
An automobile concern founded by John DeLorean in 1975. DMC is best known for its only ever produced vehicle, the DeLorean DMC-12 sports car with stainless steel body and gull-wing doors.
Polaris
Founded: 1954
Founder: Edgar Hetteen, David Johnson, Allen Hetteen
Headquarters: Medina, Minnesota, United States
Divisions: Polaris Defense, Polaris Commercial
Website: www.polaris.com/en-us
This car brand is engaged in the production and sale of ATVs, snowmobiles and scooters.
