A road map to auto industry ownership and partnerships
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. 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.
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 has a stake in Subaru. Volkswagen Group owns Audi, Bentley, Bugatti, Lamborghini, Porsche, and Volkswagen. Zhejiang Geely Holding Group (ZGH) owns Lotus, Polestar, and Volvo.
Written By Jeff S. Bartlett