Who Owns Which Car Brands?
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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 Mercury, Oldsmobile, and Pontiac, fade into the history books. We have seen others, such as Chrysler, Jaguar, and Volvo, find new corporate parents, outside their original country. And new companies have risen, such as Rivian and Tesla.
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 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: Stellantis
Audi: Volkswagen Group
BMW: BMW Group
Bentley: Volkswagen Group
Buick: General Motors
Cadillac: General Motors
Chevrolet: General Motors
Chrysler: Stellantis
Dodge: Stellantis
Fiat: Stellantis
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: Stellantis
Kia: Hyundai Motor Group
Land Rover: Tata Motors
Lexus: Toyota Motor Corp.
Lincoln: Ford Motor Co.
Lotus: Zhejiang Geely Holding Group
Maserati: Stellantis
Mazda: Mazda Motor Corp.
Mercedes-Benz: Daimler AG
Mercury*: Ford Motor Co.
Mini: BMW Group
Mitsubishi: Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi Alliance
Nikola: Nikola Motor Company, with a supply relationship with General Motors.
Nissan: Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi Alliance
Polestar: Zhejiang Geely Holding Group
Pontiac*: General Motors
Porsche: Volkswagen Group
Ram: Stellantis
Rivian: Rivian Automotive, with investments from Amazon and Ford, among others.
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. Owns a small stake in Toyota.
Tesla: Tesla Inc.
Toyota: Toyota Motor Corp.
Voltswagen: Volkswagen AG. Volkswagen of America announced that its name would be changed to Voltswagen in May, 2021. Going forward, electric vehicles will be badged Voltswagen and gas-powered models will wear a VW logo.
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.
Ford Motor Co. owns Ford and Lincoln.
General Motors owns Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, and GMC. Hummer has returned as a GMC sub-brand. GM has agreed to supply fuel-cells to Nikola. (It has canceled the previous investment and the arrangement to build the Badger pickup truck.)
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.
Stellantis is the new corporation formed from the Fiat Chrysler Automobiles and Peugeot S.A. merger. The name is explained as being rooted in the Latin verb “stello” meaning “to brighten with stars.” The FCA brands sold in the U.S. are now under Stellantis: Alfa Romeo, Chrysler, Dodge, Fiat, Jeep, Maserati, and Ram. Overseas, Citroen, DS Automobiles, Opel, Peugeot, and Vauxhall are among the other Stellantis car brands.
Subaru Corp. owns Subaru.
Tata Motors owns Jaguar and Land Rover.
Tesla owns Tesla.
Toyota Motor Corp. owns Lexus and Toyota. And it has a stake in Subaru and Suzuki.
Volkswagen AG owns Audi, Bentley, Bugatti, Lamborghini, Porsche, and Voltswagen.
Zhejiang Geely Holding Group (ZGH) owns Lotus, Polestar, and Volvo.
