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Interesting stats on automakers:
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BMW
-Mini
-Rolls Royce

DaimlerChrysler
-Chrysler
-Dodge
-Eagle (brand discontinued)
-Hyundai (DaimlerChrysler only owns a percentage)
-Jeep
-Maybach
-Mercedes-Benz (recently bought in whole)
-Mitsubishi (DaimlerChrysler owns controlling shares, is largest shareholder)
-Plymouth

Fiat
-Ferrari
-Maserati

Ford
-Aston Martin
-Jaguar
-Land Rover (bought in whole)
-Lincoln
-Mazda (Ford owns controlling shares, is largest shareholder)
-Mercury
-Volvo
-Yamaha partnership (some of Fords engines are built by Yamaha)

General Motors
-Buick
-Cadillac
-Chevrolet
-Daewoo
-GMC
-Hummer
-Isuzu (GM owns a big percentage)
-Oldsmobile (brand discontinued)
-Pontiac
-Saab
-Saturn
-Subaru (GM owns a big percentage, 2% short of control)
-Suzuki (GM owns large percentage, just short of control)
Fiat (GM owns small percentage)


Honda
-Acura (fictional marketing name)

Hyundai
-Kia


Porsche
-They do a lot of work with VW but Porsche stil remains its own company


Renault
-Nissan (Renault owns controlling shares)
-Infiniti (fictional marketing name)


Toyota
-Lexus (fictional marketing name)
-Scion (fictional marketing name)
-Yamaha (Toyota is now second largest shareholder)


Volkswagen
-Audi (rebadged VW)
-Bentley
-Bugatti
-Lamborghini



Bridgestone Tire Company, Japan
-Firestone Tire and Rubber (owned outright by Bridgestone, famous for making exploding tires on Ford Explorers)



A few tidbits:
Pontiac Vibe (Toyota Matrix)
Chevy Sprint/Pontiac Firefly (Suzuki)
Dodge Colt (Mitsubishi)
Dodge Stealth (Mitsubishi)
Eagle Talon (Mitsubishi)
Ford Mercury Villager (Nissan)
Ford Mercury Tracer (Mazda)
Ford Probe (The body & styling is by Ford, the engineering & 'guts' is Mazda)
Ford Taurus SHO (Yamaha engine)
Ford Escape (Mazda)
GM's Geo cars (mostly Japanese)
Honda Passport (Isuzu/GM)



Toyota and Honda are now the only two remaining independant car companies left in Japan. The rest are owned in part or whole by overseas motor companies. Currently Japanese auto sales in the US account for 22-25% of all car sales, and 8% of all truck sales. Toyota is the NO.1 car maker in Japan as well as the largest company in Japan, and the NO.3 automaker in the world. Honda, the NO.2 automaker in Japan, has seen strong growth in sales from US markets, but sales of Honda's in Japan remain weak, at only 10% of gross sales income. (Toyota still dominates the domestic car market in Japan). After being aquired by Renault, Nissan has become the fastest growing Japanese automaker next to Mitsubishi (DaimlerChrysler).

 
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That was interesting...good post

 
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wow that was intersting..

 
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Renault owns nissan??? i thought it woulda been the other way around...

 
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"DaimlerChrysler
-Mercedes-Benz (recently bought in whole)"

Daimlerchrysler has owned Mercedes-Benz for a while now.

 
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I thought the Honda Pilot was just a re-badged Acura MDX? (Honda MDX in Japan)

 
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I like that kind of information, thanks, very informative

 
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as you can see, JDM is always where the quality is, Honda and Toyota are the only 2 companies that are fully japanies, and they are by far the best 2 car manufacturers.

 
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Regarding the post above, VW/Audi are very good as well. The only car companies I would ever shell money out to for a car would have to be Honda, Toyota, VW/Audi, or BMW.

 
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^^ i agree, but recently there has been some complains about BMW, they arnt as good as they used to be, i dont know if that is myth or fact.

as for american cars, it is just sad. i mean u look at 20 year old american cars. those were some good cars, stronge powerfull reliable. i dont know what happened to them, i guess corporate greed is at fault.

 
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damn very interesting post...THANX for the info

 
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Interesting thanks!

This industry is all focked up.

 
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wow, thanks guys. I just received it from a friend, who is really into cars (american) and wanted to get the best of me, cause I like imports (can't stand american cars). Im into Honda's, so I think Im still safe from it being controlled by an american company.

 
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i think that is also happening to toyota since they are becoming a big auto corp. the cut in production cost will be a cut in build quality.

 
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what do you mean by: Audi (rebadged VW) ?

 
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Cool thanks for the post

 
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Honda - Honda also owns 47% of mitsubishi.
Fiat- Owns 90% of ferrari and they also own alfo romeo
Chrysler - Owns Lamborghini (Italy Division) and 15.6% of Maserati (Italy Division)

 
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VW... Audi

is kind of like

Honda... Acura

 
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Nope, last time I checked the Volkswagen Group owned Lamborghini

 
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I made a post a loooong time ago very similar to this. The old thread was about Saturn using Honda motors. Here it is if anyone is interested. Anyway, here's the stuff I posted...very interesting stuff about shared platforms.

From old thread:
"The relationships between American and Japanese car makers has been going on for decades, so it's nothing new. That whole Geo division was all import cars, rebadged with slightly modified bodywork.

Some examples of those and other vehicles (the first vehicle being the originating mfgrer):

Ford Ranger = Mazda B-Series
Mazda MX-6 = Ford Probe (mazda engine)
Mazda truck = Ford Courier
Ford Explorer = Mazda Navajo
Mazda 323 = Ford Escort
Mazda 323 = Mercury Tracer
Nissan Quest = Mercury Villager

Chevy S10 = Isuzu Hombre
Isuzu P'up = Chevy Luv
Isuzu Rodeo = Honda Passport

Isuzu Impulse = Geo Storm
Suzuki Swift = Geo Metro
Toyota Corolla = Geo Prizm
Suzuki Sidekick = Geo Tracker
Toyota Matrix = Pontiac Vibe (toyota engine)
Pontiac LeMans = (I forgot, something Korean I think...Hyundai?) But who really cares about it...

Numerous Dodge cars and trucks were rebadged Mitsubishi's: Ram 50/Mighty Max, Colt/Mirage, Stealth/3000GT, Laser/Eclipse/Talon/Avenger/Sebring Coupe, Conquest/Starion, Raider/Montero. One ironic twist, I think, is the Laser/Daytona were originally Chrysler designs. But later switched to the Eclipse platform due, IMO, to bad build quality.

The Hyundai Excel and the Mitsubishi Precis always looked like the same car to me, but I can't verify that.

Even the new Isuzu Ascender SUV will be a modified Trailblazer. Isuzu got out of the car business after their failures with the Impulse, Stylus, and I-Mark.
Isuzu even used GM V6 motors for awhile in the Rodeo, until they developed their own V6's.

For the most part, Honda has stayed out of this car sharing stuff, until the Passport. But that was only temporary, as you've noticed the new Pilot replaced it."

 
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The info that I read about the Pilot basically stated that it was a heavily modified MDX. Sort of like the comparison between the pathfinder and it's infiniti counterpart.

Even more interesting is that the Odyssey was also on that same platform.

On a side note, I think GM was crazy to get rid of Oldsmobile. They should have combined Olds and Buick with the best models of each surviviing. The Aurora and Intrigue was some of the best cars GM has made in long time...attractive and good horsepower.

I also think Chevy has gone WAY off track. Besides the 'vette, everything they have is bland and boring. It actually makes Pontiac look good, and I hate Pontiacs. It wouldn't be a bad idea for those two to combine into one division. And for pete's sake, wtf are they doing with a GMC division? They have nothing that Chevy doesn't already have in their division. Kill it too.

 
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great post