32
Do you want to buy a European car? Here is a comprehensive list of the origins of all brands.
(feddit.org)
cross-posted from: https://lemmy.dbzer0.com/post/39361822
European Car Brands and Their Origins
1. Germany
-
Volkswagen Group (Headquarters: Wolfsburg)
- Brands: VW, Audi, Porsche, Skoda, Seat, Cupra, Bentley, Lamborghini, Bugatti, Ducati (motorcycles)
- Major Shareholders:
- Porsche SE (Germany, Porsche/Piëch family): ~53.3% of voting rights
- State of Lower Saxony (Germany): ~20%
- Qatar (Qatar Holding): ~17%
-
Mercedes-Benz Group (Headquarters: Stuttgart)
- Brands: Mercedes-Benz, Smart, Maybach
- Major Shareholders:
- BAIC (China, state-owned automaker): ~10%
- Geely (China, Li Shufu): ~9.7%
- Kuwait Investment Authority (Kuwait, sovereign wealth fund): ~6.8%
-
BMW Group (Headquarters: Munich)
- Brands: BMW, MINI, Rolls-Royce
- Major Shareholders:
- Quandt family (Germany): ~46.8%
- Institutional investors (mostly from Europe and the US)
-
Stellantis (partially German) (Headquarters: Netherlands)
- Brands: Peugeot, Citroën, DS Automobiles, Opel, Vauxhall, Fiat, Chrysler, Jeep, Dodge, RAM, Alfa Romeo, Maserati, Lancia
- Major Shareholders:
- Exor (Agnelli family, Italy): ~14.4%
- French government (Bpifrance, through PSA acquisition): ~6%
- Peugeot family (France): ~7%
- Dongfeng (China, former PSA partner): ~4%
2. USA
-
General Motors (GM) (Headquarters: Detroit)
- Brands: Chevrolet, GMC, Cadillac, Buick
- Major Shareholders:
- Institutional investors (USA, e.g., BlackRock, Vanguard, Capital Group)
-
Ford Motor Company (Headquarters: Dearborn)
- Brands: Ford, Lincoln
- Major Shareholders:
- Ford family (USA, holds special shares with voting control)
- Institutional investors (BlackRock, Vanguard, State Street, mostly USA-based)
-
Tesla (Headquarters: Palo Alto, California)
- Brands: Tesla
- Major Shareholders:
- Elon Musk (South Africa/USA): ~13%
- Institutional investors (BlackRock, Vanguard, State Street, mostly USA-based)
3. Japan
-
Toyota Motor Corporation (Headquarters: Toyota City)
- Brands: Toyota, Lexus, Daihatsu, Hino (commercial vehicles)
- Major Shareholders:
- Japanese banks & insurance companies (Toyota itself, Nippon Life, Sumitomo Mitsui, JP Morgan Japan)
-
Honda Motor Co. (Headquarters: Tokyo)
- Brands: Honda, Acura
- Major Shareholders:
- Institutional investors (Japan, Nippon Life, BlackRock Japan, Sumitomo Mitsui Trust)
-
Nissan Motor Co. (Headquarters: Yokohama)
- Brands: Nissan, Infiniti, Datsun (discontinued)
- Major Shareholders:
- Renault (France): ~15%
- Japanese investors (state-owned and private companies, e.g., Japan Trustee Services Bank)
-
Mazda (Headquarters: Hiroshima)
- Major Shareholders:
- Toyota (Japan, around 5%)
- Japanese banks and institutional investors
- Major Shareholders:
-
Subaru Corporation (Headquarters: Tokyo)
- Major Shareholders:
- Toyota (Japan, around 20%)
- Major Shareholders:
4. France
- Renault Group (Headquarters: Boulogne-Billancourt)
- Brands: Renault, Dacia, Alpine, Mobilize
- Major Shareholders:
- French government: ~15%
- Nissan (Japan): ~15%
- Institutional investors (mainly from France and Europe)
5. Italy
-
Ferrari (Headquarters: Maranello)
- Major Shareholders:
- Exor (Agnelli family, Italy): ~24%
- Institutional investors (Europe & USA, e.g., BlackRock, Vanguard)
- Major Shareholders:
-
Lamborghini (Part of Volkswagen, Audi subsidiary)
6. South Korea
- Hyundai Motor Group (Headquarters: Seoul)
- Brands: Hyundai, Kia, Genesis
- Major Shareholders:
- Chung family (South Korea, Hyundai founders)
- Korean banks & sovereign funds
7. China
-
Geely (Headquarters: Hangzhou)
- Brands: Geely, Volvo, Polestar, Lotus, Zeekr, Lynk & Co
- Major Shareholders:
- Li Shufu (China, company founder): Majority owner
- Chinese sovereign funds & banks
-
BYD (Headquarters: Shenzhen)
- Major Shareholders:
- Warren Buffett (Berkshire Hathaway, USA): ~8%
- Chinese institutional investors & banks
- Major Shareholders:
-
Nio, XPeng, Li Auto
- Major Shareholders:
- Private and state-owned Chinese investors
- Major Shareholders:
8. India
- Tata Motors (Headquarters: Mumbai)
- Brands: Tata, Jaguar, Land Rover
- Major Shareholders:
- Tata Sons (India, majority owner)
—
Summary by Ownership Structure
- Strong State Influence: Renault, Nissan, Volkswagen, Mercedes-Benz, Stellantis
- Family-Controlled: BMW (Quandt), Volkswagen (Porsche/Piëch), Stellantis (Agnelli/Peugeot), Hyundai (Chung), Ferrari (Agnelli)
- Institutional Investor Dominance: GM, Ford, Tesla, Toyota, Honda
- Chinese-Controlled: Geely, BYD
—
Note for the German brands that are "Family-Controlled" that these families gained most of their wealth and power during the Third Reich, abusing Jewish slave work and selling arms to the Wehrmacht. They managed to keep it in the post war times thanks to the "Denazification" being mostly just on paper and the Western allies looking to quickly rebuild a Western German industry, to prevent Sovjet influence.
BMW, Porsche and Volkswagen are the O.G. Swasticars.
Agreed, but you have to acknowledge that this happened a long time ago. It is good to remember the lineage and call that out, but I’m more worried (for example) about VWs current stance e.g. on Chinese slave labor or the general attitude towards EVs.