Not sure what car company to get your car from? Then you’ve come to the right place!
How many car manufacturing companies are there in the world? While some would argue that there are over 100 car manufacturers, we will just say that there are quite a few. And which one is better than the other – it depends on who you ask. Some may prefer an American car manufacturer while for others, if feels like blasphemy to even suggest such. We put together this list of car makers so you can decide for yourself which car company has made up your mind about which car brand you’d like to purchase next time around.
To help narrow down the list, we included car manufacturers owned by larger conglomerates. We have car companies owned by car manufacturers – car manufacturers owned car companies! So, to spare you the headache, we included only the top 20 largest automotive groups around. It’s these companies that are responsible for manufacturing most of the cars in our roads today.
Without further ado, here’s our list of top 20 automotive companies around the world:
1) General Motors Company (GM) – employs 266,000 people across 6 continents and is formed in 2009 after a restructuring involving splitting ownership in its main American brands between GMS Inc., which took over GMC truck & SUV, Cadillac & Buick while leaving Chevrolet with GM.
2) Toyota Motor Corporation (TMC) – founded in 1937, TMC has become an automotive powerhouse thanks to the popular Toyota Camry that is ‘the bestselling car of all time’ with over 40 million units sold. They are also the car manufacturer behind Scion car brands. Toyota houses brands like Lexus & Daihatsu. Lexus, launched in 1989 with the ground-breaking LS sedan, the luxury marque predominantly relied on reworked Japanese-market Toyota models at launch. It wasn’t until Lexus launched in Japan in 2005 this practice largely stopped, although the recent LM people mover – a super-luxurious version of the Toyota Alphard and the Vellfire – is an exception. According to Toyota, the Alphard has a luxury orientation while the Vellfire has a sporty orientation. Daihatsu traces its history back to the 1907 establishment of Hatsudoki Seizo, a firm specializing in engines for power generation and trains. Renamed in 1951, the company made its first vehicle in 1957: a three-wheel truck. Toyota took its first stake in the firm a decade later, beginning an era of cooperation between the two automakers.
3) Volkswagen Group – known for their ever-evolving Beetle model, they got into serious trouble recently after being caught using software designed to cheat on pollution tests. Volkswagen employs 572,000 people across 130 countries and owns several other companies including Audi, Skoda, Seat & Porsche.
4) Ford Motor Company – Founded by Henry Ford in 1903, Ford is the second largest car manufacturer in the United States. They are also the car company behind Lincoln. Ford employs 201,000 people and sells their cars in over 200 countries worldwide.
5) Nissan Motor Co., Ltd. – Headquartered in Yokohama, Japan, they are known for making affordable cars with a sporty edge. Nissan was founded in 1933 and owns brands like Renault, Datsun & Infiniti. They have a workforce of over 155,000 people.
6) Honda Motor Company – owns Acura and Honda. This carmaker needs no introduction – founded by Soichiro Honda in 1948, this company has been a staple in the car industry for decades. They make a range of cars from city car to sports car and have a workforce of over 145,000 people.
7) Hyundai Motor Company – Hyundai Motor Group owns Genesis, Hyundai, and Kia. This South Korean car manufacturer was formed in 1967 and has grown because of its focus on affordable yet reliable cars.
8) Dongfeng Motor Corporation – One of the largest state-owned automotive manufacturers in China, Dongfeng also makes trucks & engines for other companies. Dongfeng Motor Corporation manufacturer headquartered in Wuhan, Hubei, China. Traditionally one of the “Big Four” Chinese automakers, Dongfeng is currently in the top four in terms of output along with Changan Automobile, FAW Group, and SAIC Motor
9) PSA Peugeot Citroen – For those living under a rock, Peugeot is actually one of the oldest automakers around making its first model way back in 1891! They are headquartered in Paris and own several car brands including DS, Opel, Vauxhall & Citroen.
10) Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) – This carmaker was only founded in 2014 after the merger of Fiat and Chrysler. Headquartered in London, UK, this car company owns brands such as Jeep, Dodge, Ram Trucks, Alfa Romeo, Maserati & Ferrari.
11) SAIC Motor Corporation Limited – SAIC is the largest car manufacturer in China and has been around since 1997. They are responsible for making cars for brands like Volkswagen Group, General Motors Company and Ford Motor Company.
12) Zhejiang Geely Holding Group – Formed in 1986, Zhejiang Geely Holding Group Co., Ltd. manufactures automobiles in Hangzhou, China. The company offers cars, engines, transmissions, and automotive electronics. It sells its products through its sales network and dealers in China and internationally. this Chinese carmaker bought Volvo for $1.8 billion in 2010 and owns several car brands like Lotus, Lynk & Co., Proton, Tata Motors (India) and co-owns super car manufacturer Polestar.
13) FAW Group Corporation – Located in Changchun City, China, this carmaker manufactures Audi, Volkswagen & Skoda cars under license from its European headquarters. Established in 1991, this large-scale automobile manufacturer is a joint venture between FAW Group and Volkswagen AG which, as of 2003, have ownership stakes of 60% and 40%, respectively.[38] It manufactures Audi and Volkswagen-branded automobiles for sale in China.
14) Great Wall Motor Company – Another car company from China, Great Wall is the largest maker of sport utility vehicles by sales revenue around.
15) Chery Automobile Company Ltd. – Formed after a merger between Chery and First Automotive Works in 1997, Chery is a Chinese car manufacturer that made headlines recently with their production of the EC Series electric car which was spied in India earlier this year.
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photo by ptksgc
