Brands Owning Multiple Automobile Corporations

Mergers and acquisitions are two of the most important events that are taking place within the automobile industry. Even though one could list hundreds of companies producing automobiles, these brands can be traced to a few prominent corporations. These companies profit off of the huge array of product lines that they have and enter the markets around the world. It would be interesting to make a list of all the vehicle manufacturers and play “Who owns who?”.

Toyota

Owns Daihatsu, Lexus, and Toyota

Toyota was branched off to Toyota Motor Corporation in 1937. Lexus was launched in 1989 with the much-revered LS sedan. Toyota acquired Daihatsu's major stakes in 1995, with Toyota taking full control in 2016

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Volkswagen

Owns Seat, Skoda, Volkswagen, Audi, Porsche, Lamborghini, Bugatti

Volkswagen was founded in 1937 under Nazi Germany. After the fall of communism in 1990, Volkswagen beat Renault to acquire Skoda. The seat was taken over by Volkswagen completely in 1990. After spending 25 years in oblivion, Audi was completely rejuvenated by Volkswagen. Porsche was getting a hold of Volkswagen before Volkswagen turned it around in their favor. After an initial approach to Audi, Lamborghini was brought under the Volkswagen banner. Volkswagen bought Bugatti in 1998.

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Renault

Lada, Dacia, Renault, Alpine, Nissan

Renault was founded by three brothers back in 1898. During the early 70s, Alpine faced financial problems, after which Renault bough. Renault bought the Romanian firm Dacia in 1999. An alliance with Nissan helped Renault take over Lada. Renault owns 44% of Nissan due to Renault, Nissan, and Mitsubishi.

Nissan

Datsun, Mitsubishi, Nissan, Infiniti

Nissan was founded in 1911, with the first car coming out in 1914. The deal mentioned above between Renault, Nissan, and Mitsubishi remains active. Datsun was bought by Nissan in 2012 when the company was making small waves in the market. The 2010s saw Nissan purchasing the high-flying Infiniti.

Ford

Ford, Lincoln

Ford was launched in 1903 by Henry Ford. Cadillac founder Henry Leland founded Lincoln in 1917. After World War I, the company went bankrupt, after which Ford bought it.

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Hyundai

Hyundai, Kia, Genesis

It was the year 1967 when Hyundai officially got into the car-making business. The Hyundai Genesis was launched in 2007 by the company! Founded in 1944, Kia suffered crushing bankruptcy in 1997, after which Hyundai acquired it.

Tata

Tata, Jaguar, Land Rover

Tata Motors started operations in 1945. Tata is a huge player in the Indian market, alongside competing with leading brands worldwide. After Ford laid off Jaguar to prevent bankruptcy, Tata beat Mahindra & Mahindra and acquired Jaguar. Land Rover was bought by BMW but was offloaded due to losses. Tata later bought Land Rover as well.

The automobile sector has witnessed a lot of action in terms of mergers and acquisitions in the last few decades. The coming days are also expected to bring some interesting developments.