Cars

People are only just figuring out that these car brands are owned by other automakers

  • Many popular car brands in the world are owned by other automakers
  • Most of these brands were acquired as subsidiaries
  • They function under the same corporate umbrella

Published on Jul 24, 2024 at 12:38 PM (UTC+4)
by Nalin Rawat

Last updated on Jul 24, 2024 at 7:01 PM (UTC+4)
Edited by Tom Wood

Within the automotive industry, some of the world’s most renowned car brands sit under the umbrella of larger parent companies, and a few of these might come as a bit of a surprise to you.

Some of these big brands are quite well-known, brands such as BMW Group, Tata Motors, Volkswagen AG, Toyota Motor Corporation, and General Motors.

You may also be surprised to learn that these major players own some of the most popular car brands in the world.

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Car brands are owned by other automakers

Volkswagen AG

Car-brands-owned-by-Volkswagen
Volkswagen

The Volkswagen Group owns the most car brands in the world by a long shot.

They also own popular car brands such as Audi, Bentley, Lamborghini, Porsche, Cupra, Jetta, SEAT, and Škoda.

Ducati motorcycles also fit in the Volkswagen family as a subsidiary brand.

However, you might not know that the Volkswagen Group is a publicly traded family business owned by the Porsche SE holding company.

The holding company is half-owned but fully controlled by the Austrian-German Porsche and Piëch family.

In the end, the Volkswagen Group is by far the largest automobile manufacturer in the world.

General Motors

Car-brands-are-owned-by-other-automakers-General-Motors
General-Motors

General Motors is the largest American car manufacturer and is also referred to as the big three in the US automobile industry, along with Ford and Stellantis – on which, more later.

Under its umbrella, GM also owns Chevrolet, Cadillac, GMC, Buick, Baojun, and Wuling.

Before this, they also owned other brands such as Pontiac, Hummer, Saab, Saturn, Vauxhall, Daewoo, Holden, and more.

However, most of these brands have either been discontinued, rebranded, or sold.

Stellantis

Car-brands-owned-by-Stellantis

Stellantis is a relatively new company founded in January 2021 as a multinational merger between Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) and French PSA Group.

As a result, the group owns quite a lot of car brands both major and minor.

It consists of 14 different car brands that have been listed below:

  • Dodge
  • Maserati
  • Fiat
  • Jeep
  • Alfa Romeo
  • Chrysler
  • Abarth
  • Citroën
  • DS Automobiles
  • Lancia
  • Opel
  • Peugeot
  • RAM
  • Vauxhall

So, these were just some of the car brands owned by other automakers.

However, it’s safe to assume that most well-known automakers have one or two brands under their belt.

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Nalin started his career by working with various national newspapers in India. He has also worked as a writer/editor for many popular websites, while still pursuing his journalism and mass communication degree. Working as a digital nomad has allowed him to inform and educate through his work. When he is not writing, you can find him playing video games or travelling the mountains on his bike.