Who Owns Which Car Brands?

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Branding, particularly in america, is every little thing. Most individuals aren’t accustomed to the specs, options, and worth of any given automotive by merely it on the road. Typically, the highest marker of a automobile’s worth is its badge. Consequently, when clients purchase an costly luxurious experience and want to challenge excessive wealth and standing, they might really feel the acquisition is undermined if the automotive bears a mainstream model emblem.

Consequently, automakers typically promote their premium automobiles underneath a unique model, even when they’re made in the identical factories and share an incredible variety of elements. The design language is normally altered, however the underlying bones are sometimes the identical. In some instances, solely the title will get a makeover. For instance, Toyota Security Sense expertise merely turns into Lexus Security Sense, no different modifications required.

Associated: Study extra about Toyota Security Sense

In case you’re shocked at this level, you’re not alone. Many individuals aren’t conscious that Toyota and Lexus are one and the identical firm, and that a lot of the high automakers within the U.S. make use of this technique. Actually, it’s turning into more and more frequent, as partnerships helps producers share growth and expertise prices whereas with the ability to market the identical merchandise to completely different demographics.

Under, we’ll check out who owns which automotive manufacturers offered in North America, in addition to determine some twin automobiles — fashions that, except for the badge and exterior design, are nearly an identical. That means, while you subsequent exit to buy a automotive, you’ll be able to have a greater thought of who you’re actually shopping for from. The place related, we’ll additionally define a few of these manufacturers’ partnerships with different corporations.

BMW owns Mini and Rolls-Royce. They’ve additionally partnered with Toyota to develop the Z4 convertible and create future hydrogen-powered automobiles.

Ford owns Lincoln. Most Lincoln fashions are, underneath the hood, an identical to their Ford counterparts. The Lincoln Navigator, for instance, is basically a spruced-up Ford Expedition.

Common Motors owns Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, GMC, and Hummer. Most GMC automobiles are rebranded from Chevrolet: the GMC Canyon, Yukon, and Sierra are little completely different from the Chevy Colorado, Tahoe, and Silverado.

Honda owns Acura. Lots of their automobiles share elements — just like the Honda Pilot and Acura MDX. Honda has additionally quickly partnered with GM to develop EVs till it develops its personal electrical automobile platform. The upcoming Honda Prologue and Chevy Blazer EV are largely the identical SUV.

Hyundai owns Genesis and Kia. Hyundai tends to be positioned as barely extra luxurious than Kia, however you might be hard-pressed to inform important variations between, say, a Hyundai Sonata and a Kia Optima, or a Palisade and Telluride.

Mitsubishi, Nissan, and Renault are strategic companions in what is named the Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi Alliance. There may be important overlap between their automobiles globally — although within the U.S., you’ll discover it most between Nissan and its luxurious sub-brand, Infiniti.

Stellantis is the product of a merger between Fiat Chrysler Cars and the French-based Peugeot Group. The latter doesn’t promote within the U.S., however the former does — and is comprised of Alfa Romeo, Chrysler, Dodge, Fiat, Jeep, Maserati, and Ram. There’s a number of cross-sharing right here, however the automobiles are distinct sufficient that they gained’t essentially really feel like rebranded merchandise — outdoors of some exceptions just like the Alfa Romeo Tonale and the Dodge Hornet.

Toyota owns Lexus, and whereas they share platforms, their automobiles usually are not comparable sufficient to be referred to as twins. Toyota additionally companions with Subaru to make the 86 sports activities automotive (the counterpart to the BR-Z) and with BMW to make the Supra (the counterpart to the Z4).

Volkswagen owns Audi, Bentley, Lamborghini, and Porsche. You’ll discover probably the most overlap between upscale VW and funds Audi fashions, and between high-performance Audi fashions and Lamborghini. Enjoyable reality: although Volkswagen owns Porsche, the Porsche household owns Volkswagen.

Mazda, Mercedes-Benz, Rivian, Subaru, and Tesla stand on their very own. They don’t personal different automotive corporations, nor are they owned by one — although just like the others, they often strike partnerships that lead to collectively developed automobiles (like the previous Mazda2 and Toyota Yaris).

Kurt Verlin was born in France and lives in america. All through his life he was at all times informed French was the language of romance, however it was English he fell in love with. He likes cats, music, automobiles, 30 Rock, Components 1, and pretending to be a race automotive driver in simulators; however most of all, he simply likes to jot down about all of it. See extra articles by Kurt.