Top 10: Who owns which marques?
Corporate takeovers and mergers are nothing new in the motor industry, and most enthusiasts are aware of the major changes. But with a few of the manufacturers that are still with us, as well as many of those that have fallen by the wayside, there’s often confusion over who owns what.
We all know that BMW owns Mini and Rolls-Royce, for example, and we’re aware of the multiple brands (Bentley, Audi, Skoda and more) owned by the Volkswagen Group. But if you’re not sure of the current situation with such disparate marques as Triumph, Talbot, Lotus and Lada, read on...
Jeep – owned by Fiat Chrysler Automobiles
Another marque with complicated ownership is the American legend of Jeep, which started out during World War II as a lightweight military offering from Willys-Overland. Kaiser Motors took over in 1963 (renaming itself Kaiser-Jeep), but the loss-making firm was bought out by American Motors Corporation in 1970. AMC (and therefore Jeep) was then acquired by Chrysler in 1987, but the American giant merged with Daimler-Benz in 1998 to become DaimlerChrysler. The two companies separated nine years later, while the subsequent acquisition of Chrysler by Italy’s Fiat means Jeep is now part of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles. Simple, eh?
Chris C on 22 April 2018
It's even more complicated with Jeep since Renault effectively owned AMC from 1979 to 1987.A Daley on 26 April 2018
An interesting article. I was amazed by how complicated it all is - who owns what and by what means they got it. Shame so many old British marques are lost to BMW and China, although I was surprised JLR owned Rover...Harrovian on 26 April 2018
You say that BMW 'own' Rolls-Royce, but do they not in fact have it under licence from Rolls-Royce themselves i.e. the aero engine makers and still a British company.I wonder if I am alone in wishing that the wonderful MG name (Morris Garages) had been laid to rest rather than used on some fairly mediocre Chinese vehicles, one wonders what Lord Nuffield, William Morris would have thought - I can guess!
oldchemist on 28 April 2018
I was always surprised BMW continued to use the MINI brand for less and less mini like cars when they could have re launched Triumph. By now we could have had Spitfires, Dolomites (& Sprints) , Toledos, Stags even and maybe 2000/2500 like sports saloons or SUVS ?? What a shame.Add a comment