Whether you’re an enthusiast who likes to know everything about cars or just a regular driver looking to purchase a new vehicle, it’s worth exploring which car company belongs to which automobile group. After all, many of the vehicles manufactured by the same corporation are built using an identical platform (even if they are technically from different brands). For instance, Mitsubishi’s GS Platform from 2005 was used for various vehicles, such as the 2005 Mitsubishi Outlander, 2008 Dodge Avenger, 2011 Chrysler 200, and 2012 Citroën C4 Aircross.
This happens because it is extremely expensive to develop a separate platform for every new model. Additionally, new technologies and interior design solutions are frequently quite similar among models by brands belonging to the same group. That’s why, if you’re shopping for a new vehicle, it is very useful to know which car brand owns which company. The vast array of models in today’s car market may not be so different after all.
However, in addition to being handy, we wanted to make our infographic interesting, and that’s why we added a few curious facts about each major car group. Here’s a sneak peek at the ten most intriguing ones:
1. Henry Ford, the founder of Ford Motor Company, is famous for many things, good and bad, but perhaps his strangest quirk was asking Thomas Edison’s son to capture his father’s dying breath in a tube and seal it with a cork, and then deliver it to him so he can keep it for memory.
2. The first Daimler-produced luxury car was sold all the way back in 1889 to the sultan of Morocco. Judging by the look of the automobile, the sultan certainly had a refined taste.
3. You’ve likely heard the story that BMW based its logo on a spinning propeller. It turns out this tale is simply not true. The logo was actually inspired by the national colors of Bavaria: blue and white. Check out this video from BMW’s official channel to find out more.
4. Have you ever been surprised by an interesting fact about something lying in plain sight? It turns out Fiat’s company name is just that: it’s an acronym that stands for Fabbrica Italiana Automobili Torino, which simply means Italian Automobile Factory, Turin.
5. You’ve probably heard about Tesla’s self-driving cars, but did you know that GM plans to introduce self-driving Chevy Bolts for taxi services by the end of 2019?
6. Hyundai was the first automaker to offer a 10-year/100,000-mile warranty. Nowadays, most car manufacturers offer extended warranties for new vehicles, but some insurance companies, like Geico, offer an even cheaper one.
7. It comes as no surprise that the world’s most-sold car comes from a manufacturer like Toyota. Car sales statistics show that more than 40 million units of its Corolla model have been shipped worldwide. One is sold every 27–37 seconds.
8. The record for the highest number of light commercial vehicles sold in 2018 belongs to PSA Groupe, with 289,500 units.
9. To prove the quality of its products, Tata participated in the 8,000-mile Geneva–Bombay Rally with three of its trucks in 1955, without a single breakdown.
10. Honda doesn’t only deal with cars and motorcycles. In 1986 the company began exporting soybeans from the US to Japan because the crop was in high demand in the land of the rising sun, and Honda had already established its business in Ohio.
Check the our other articles to discover more interesting automobile industry stats and learn which automobile industry groups own which car brands. It will help you make a better decision when buying a new vehicle—and you will also learn some fascinating trivia to impress your friends with.
When you finally select the perfect new car for you, you’ll be required by law to purchase some sort of car insurance. But choosing the right insurance can be as difficult as finding the right car. However, checking the best car insurance reviews, written by industry experts, will certainly help you make the right choice.