These Companies Own All The Top Car Brands In The World
There are over 40 car brands with a global presence, meaning that vehicles are sold on at least three continents — commonly North America, Europe, and Asia. These brands include Toyota, Volkswagen, and Ford. However, while you may be aware of this already, you might not know that only a few companies own most of these brands. In fact, the five biggest car corporations, in terms of brand portfolio, own 34 marques.
Although it's common knowledge that General Motors owns Chevrolet, GMC, Buick, and Cadillac, other companies have a more varied portfolio. For example, while Chrysler and Peugeot are two brands from either side of the Atlantic, you might be surprised that the same corporation owns both. Furthermore, traditionally British brands Jaguar and Land Rover aren't even owned by a British company anymore.
We'll examine the five biggest corporations according to the number of brands owned with a global presence. We will also outline companies that own other global brands, like Jaguar, MINI, and Renault, even if comparatively fewer marques fall under that corporation's umbrella.
Stellantis N.V.
Stellantis is the youngest corporation on our list, having only been formed in 2021. Despite this, it currently has the biggest automotive portfolio in the world, with over 14 brands under its umbrella. Stellantis is the product of the merger between Fiat Chrysler Automobiles and Groupe PSA.
As both of these companies owned several key players across various markets, the entity that resulted from the merger has an expansive portfolio. Stellantis' brands have a significant presence in North America and Europe, making it a formidable competitor in the automotive industry.
The company's marques include mainstream names, like Chrysler, Dodge, Fiat, Peugeot, Vauxhall, Opel, and Citroën, performance brands, like Alfa Romeo, and iconic cars, like Abarth and Lancia. The corporation also owns makers of luxury cars, like DS Automobiles and Maserati, and lifestyle vehicles, like Jeep and Ram.
Even at its young age, Stellantis owns three of the five oldest car brands in the world, namely Peugeot, Vauxhall, and Opel. In 2023, Stellantis sold almost 6.4 million vehicles, underlining its significant market share in the industry. However, this still didn't make Stellantis the biggest automaker in the world in terms of sales — it's behind Toyota Motor Corporation, Volkswagen AG, and Hyundai Motor Group.
Volkswagen AG
The second-largest automotive group in our list is also the second-biggest car corporation in terms of sales, having sold over nine million units in 2023. Volkswagen was born in 1937 to produce the classic Volkswagen Beetle. However, the Second World War threw everything into chaos, and it wasn't until 1949 that the Volkswagen Beetle arrived in the U.S.
Today, aside from Volkswagen, which makes cars and SUVs, it also owns Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles, which focuses on vans, pickups, and small trucks. It also owns Porsche, with the Porsche brand controlling luxury marques Audi, Lamborghini, and Bentley.
Alongside these luxury brands, Volkswagen owns Spanish automaker SEAT and its high-performance subsidiary Cupra. SEAT has an uncertain future as an independent car brand. Volkswagen Passenger Cars CEO Thomas Schäfer noted in an interview with Autocar that "The future of Seat is Cupra," with the Cupra brand in control of exciting new models like the Cupra Tavascan Extreme E concept.
Lastly, Volkswagen also owns Škoda — the Czech car manufacturer. The company came under the control of Volkswagen AG in 1991, a few years after the Velvet Revolution deposed the Czech communist leadership and the new government decided to privatize several state-owned companies, including Škoda. If we sum up all the brands that Volkswagen AG owns, we count a total of nine marques under its umbrella.
In addition to these car brands, Volkswagen AG owns the motorcycle brand Ducati and TRATON SE, a commercial vehicle maker that produces semis and other large vehicles under Scania, Man, Volkswagen Truck and Bus, and Navistar.
General Motors Company
General Motors currently owns only four brands: Chevrolet, Buick, GMC, and Caddilac. Nevertheless, it has remained in the top five automakers in terms of 2023 sales, with over six million units sold. GM also has a stake in the SAIC-GM-Wuling (SGMW) joint venture that made Baojun and Wuling cars in China. That's why you often find news about Baojun cars in the GM's press releases.
Aside from these current brands, GM used to own Daewoo, Saturn, which closed in 2010, and the Australian Holden brand, which shuttered in 2020. Further brands in its past include the now-defunct Saab, Pontiac, which flopped in 2009, and Oldsmobile, which went out of business in 2004.
It also previously owned several other current car brands, including Opel and British brands Vauxhall and Lotus. Opel and Vauxhall now fall under the Stellantis Group, while Chinese corporation Zhejiang Geely Holding Group currently owns Lotus.
Zhejiang Geely Holding Group
Zhejiang Geely Holding Group, or simply Geely, is another relative newcomer in the automotive space, having just been founded in 1986. Nevertheless, it sold over 1.6 million cars in 2023, which makes it the second-largest automaker in China and 15th largest by sales globally. Furthermore, it owns some of the most iconic brands in automotive history.
In addition to its homegrown Geely brand, it also owns Volvo, which it bought from Ford in 2009. Since Volvo owns the now all-EV Polestar brand, it sits under the Geely umbrella. Lotus is another iconic brand under Geely's ownership. The company bought the British sportscar marque in 2017 and has since created models like the 2023 Lotus Emira, its last internal combustion-powered car. More recently, the brand was responsible for the 2024 Lotus Eletre, its first-ever SUV, which is also an all-electric affair.
Geely partly owns the Smart brand, as it entered a joint venture with Mercedes-Benz AG in 2019 to manufacture small EVs in China for global sale. Geely also owns several Chinese and international brands, like Lynk & Co., Proton, Zeekr, the London EV Company, Farizon Auto, Radar Auto, and Ji Yue.
Toyota Motor Corporation
Toyota is the biggest car maker in the world in terms of sales, with over 11.2 million units sold in 2023. What's more impressive is that it accomplished this with just three brands: Toyota, Lexus, and Daihatsu. Toyota is the primary marque, while Lexus is its luxury brand. Toyota was founded in Japan in 1937, whereas Lexus was born in the U.S. in 1989 with the launch of the LS 400. In fact, it wasn't until 2005 that it started selling in Japan — one of many little-known facts about Lexus.
On the other hand, Daihatsu was founded in 1907 as the Hatsudoki Seizo Company. It eventually rebranded itself in 1951 as the Daihatsu Motor Company, and in 1967, it entered into an alliance with Toyota. In 2016, Toyota bought out the rest of Daihatsu's shares, giving it complete control of the company and helping Toyota develop small, affordable vehicles for emerging markets.
Aside from its current brands, Toyota also owned the Scion brand, which it launched in 2003 to cater to the younger generation. However, the brand ceased to exist in 2016 when Toyota decided to dissolve Scion.
Other automotive corporations
Many other corporations own at least two or more car brands. These include India-based Tata Motors, which owns Tata, Jaguar, and Land Rover. Of course, we cannot forget the two other major German car corporations: BMW Group, which owns BMW, MINI, and Rolls-Royce, and Mercedes-Benz AG, which makes Mercedes-Benz Cars and Mercedes-Benz Vans.
Furthermore, the Ford Motor Company makes Ford and Lincoln. The Hyundai Motor Group owns Hyundai, Genesis, and Kia. Plus, Honda owns Honda and Acura.
Some may say that the Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi Alliance is a notable absentee from our list, with the Renault Group, Nissan Motor Corporation, and Mitsubishi Motors under its umbrella. The Renault Group brings Renault, Dacia, and Lada, while Nissan has Nissan, Datsun, and Infiniti. Mitsubishi has the Mitsubishi brand. However, this group is only a partnership, not a complete merger, meaning the three brands are independent of each other. The former chairman of these three companies, Carlos Ghosn, planned to merge the alliance, but his plans were dashed when he was arrested in 2018.
As of 2024, only a few major car companies remain independent. These include Aston Martin, Ferrari, and McLaren, which solely focus on the performance and luxury market. Tesla is also an independent company and was the first to popularize the EV. Other mainstream brands that remain independent car manufacturers today are Mazda, Subaru, and Suzuki.