Today's car market is replete with a variety of brands. But not everyone knows that most car brands do not exist on their own, and almost every one is backed by a large automobile concern.

Of course, there are independent brands, but their number can be counted on the fingers of one hand. decided to figure out who owns most of the world's car brands, who owns whom, and who exists autonomously.

Probably everyone noticed how similar the car models of Volkswagen, Skoda, Seat or Audi are. To be honest, they even have identical components. But few people know that in addition to these cars, VW owns MAN and Scania trucks, as well as such premium cars as Bentley, Porsche, Lamborghini and even Bugatti.

Toyota is the largest brand owner among Japanese manufacturers. Today it includes brands such as Subaru, Dihatsu, Scion, Hino and Lexus, which was created by Toyota itself as a manufacturer of luxury cars.

Japanese car and motorcycle manufacturer Honda boasts only one company. It is the Acura brand, which was founded by Honda itself for the production of premium cars.

The French concern ranks second in terms of production in Europe, yielding the leading position to Volkswagen. The concern includes cars such as Citroen, Peugeot and DS Automobiles. Since 2017, the concern has owned the Opel brand and its English counterpart Vauxhall.

The merger of brands such as Nissan and Renault formed a fairly large concern. This was due to the fact that at the time of the merger, the companies already owned several brands. Subsidiaries of Nissan are premium Infiniti and budget Datsun. Renault, in turn, had brands such as Dacia, Samsung Motors and AvtoVAZ in its division. The Mitsubishi Motors Company joined the alliance in 2016 as a big contribution.

General Motors is one of the largest automobile concerns today. He owns brands such as Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, Daewoo, GMC, Holden.

Prior to the 2008 crisis, Ford owned brands such as Jaguar, Lincoln, Land Rover, Volvo and Aston Martin, as well as 33% of the Japanese Mazda. Due to the crisis, all brands were sold. Only Lincoln remained in the possession of Ford, which specializes in the production of premium cars.

The Fiat concern has collected almost all Italian brands, such as Alfa Romeo, Maserati, Ferrari and Lancia. Also in 2014, Fiat took over Chrysler, and with it all of its brands such as Dodge, Jeep and RAM.

BMW owns only 2 brands: Mini, which produces small city cars, and Rolls-Royce, which specializes in producing the most premium cars in the world.

For Daimler, things are the same as for BMW. The main direction is the production of Mercedes-Benz, and in addition, small Smart cars and premium Maybachs are already being produced.

Concern Hyundai

Top Korean manufacturers do not exist autonomously either. The Kia brand is owned by Hyundai. The similarities in the cars of these brands are also visible. An example is their identical engines and gearboxes.

Independent companies

Large but independent companies include the Mazda brand, which was partially owned by Ford until 2008, and the Suzuki brand that produces cars and motorcycles.

At times, the impression of an overcrowded automotive market with a variety of brands and their products can be created. This business never stands still, something is always happening here, every day is filled with news and paparazzi shoots of models that are still kept secret (an example of such filming).

For a simple layman, of whom there are most of you, sometimes it becomes quite difficult to understand the lines of car manufacturers and their connections with each other. In an effort to help you understand which parent company owns a particular brand, we have decided to group the various automotive brands that can be found anywhere in the world. We hope you find this article helpful.

Please note that we are not trying to list all the existing brands, in this article we have only focused on the major players in the automotive industry.

First of all, let's look at independent reps, brands that haven't really adopted any other company. Mazda, Subaru, and Aston Martin are some of the most significant and perhaps desirable singles out there. Tesla is the youngest member of this group. Volvo could be included in this company, but now this brand is owned by the Chinese company Geely. Well, and, of course, do not forget about the good old Mitsubishi.

Binary (paired) companies

Now it is the turn of some companies that are harnessed to one team. Some of the obvious pairs are Ford and its luxury arm Lincoln, the company and its corporate sibling Kia, and the British brands Jaguar and Land Rover, which were previously closely associated with Ford but are now owned by Indian firm Tata. In addition, it should be called the company Honda and its luxury brand Acura, as well as the fact that the company also produces motorcycles and.

Versatile Nissan

This Japanese company is world famous for its namesake brand, but Infiniti, their luxury arm, shouldn't be forgotten. In addition, the company recently relaunched the Datsun brand, which is designed to provide low-cost vehicles for emerging markets around the world. In addition, Nissan has strong ties to French carmaker Renault, which in turn owns Dacia and another separate Renault Samsung brand.

Prosperous BMW

Bayerische Motoren Werke has long been the choice of motorists who value luxury in a vehicle. It is not surprising that the company has grown significantly over the years. Of course, BMW owns the M-Series performance car brand of the same name, as well as a new sub-brand with the "i" prefix. The company also owns two unique British brands MINI and Rolls Royce, which produce cars from opposite automotive sectors. And not to forget, BMW (as well as Honda) makes motorcycles.

Independent Toyota

The car god - Toyota, owns several divisions. The first things that come to mind, of course, are the Lexus and Scion; the former caters to the needs of wealthy customers and provides luxury cars, the latter tries to attract the attention of young buyers, albeit with varying success. In addition, Toyota also owns the Daihatsu brand, which typically focuses on small car production, and Hino, a brand dedicated to commercial vehicles.

Bankrupt, but not head-hungry, General Motors

It's a little more complicated with these guys. Granted, GM lost a lot of business units in bankruptcy in 2009, but the company still owns quite a few car brands around the world. Highlights that the company will not part with for any price tag include Buick, Chevrolet, GMC and Cadillac. But apart from this quartet, the company also owns Opel in Germany, Vauxhall in the UK, GM Korea (a division better known as Daweoo) plus a number of subsidiaries in China. Have you ever heard of brands like Baojun, Wuling, FAW? So, this is also a GM!

Who owns the Mercedes-Benz brand? Turns out Daimler

Daimler is the parent company for a number of different business units. Of course, the most famous brand is Mercedes-Benz, but the company has many other, maybe lesser known, brands. These include Freightliner, Fuso, Western Star and Bharat Benz, all of which are commercial vehicles and trucks. Also worth mentioning are Thomas, Setra and other service divisions of the company. How impressive to you? Well, one cannot fail to mention the division that produces mega-performance cars. As you might have guessed, this is AMG.

Big daddy of luxury cars Volkswagen Group

"Volkswagen" means "people's car", although today it is difficult to say that this is true. The VW brand has grown independently into a huge group of companies and now manufactures a full range of vehicles. Today VW makes everything from the XL1 to the Phaeton luxury sedan, from commercial vehicles and trucks to anything else in the automotive market.

The Volkswagen Group became the parent company for brands such as Audi, Bugatti, Lamborghini, Bentley and Porsche. The company also owns the Spanish brand Seat and the Czech brand Skoda. In addition to all this, the international VW company also produces motorcycles with the Italian Ducati brand, as well as heavy trucks and buses under the Scania and MAN brands.

Godfather of Italian car brands - Fiat Chrysler Automobiles

Finally we come to Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, a company that has flourished in recent years. In addition to their namesake brands, they also own divisions such as Alfa Romeo, Lancia, Abarth and Fiat Commercial, the latter of which produces commercial vehicles. The company also owns Jeep, Dodge, Ram, Mopar, Ferrari, Maserati and the controversial SRT. The company also owns several non-automotive divisions. These include firms such as Comau, which makes robots, Teksid, which is famous for casting high-quality cylinder blocks, and finally VM Motori, an Italian company famous for building diesel engines (which, according to recent reports, are much more efficient and safer than gasoline ones. Details).

The first car of a modern type (that is, with a gasoline engine) was created in 1885 by a certain Karl Benz. Familiar surname? It was a three-wheeled two-seat carriage on high wheels. Since then, people have been constantly improving their invention, releasing hundreds of thousands of new products every year around the world.

Among all countries with a developed light industry, the six leaders in the production of cars stand out favorably.

# 1 China - 24.5 million units in 2015

No wonder the People's Republic of China is considered the largest car market in the world. Every year the concerns release more and more models. In terms of the number of cars, China surpasses the next two automakers (USA and Japan) combined. Most of the machines are sold domestically.

The most popular Chinese car brands are:

BYD promotes independence in the production of machines. The company intends to soon fill the whole world with its models, reviving the national auto industry.
Lifan Is a concern that in more than 20 years has become one of the hundred largest non-state companies in China. In addition to passenger cars, it also manufactures buses, motorcycles, scooters, quads and trucks.
Geely bears the title of the most innovative enterprise in the PRC. Produces over 30 models.
Chery develop models of hybrid and electric vehicles.
Great wall famous for its pickups.
FAW Is the oldest Chinese car manufacturer.

# 2 USA - 12.1 million units in 2016

The automotive industry in the United States began at the end of the 19th century. Since then, it was this state that led the rating for the production of cars. In the 80s of the twentieth century. Japan took the lead, and in 2008 China came out on top.

Top-most brands of cars from this country:

Cadillac Is a brand that produces luxury cars. Under this brand, the engine standard for the American auto industry was created.
Ford... The concern produces a wide range of passenger cars and commercial vehicles.
Chevrolet Is one of the most popular brands in America. At the moment, sales of models of this brand are stopped in Russia and Europe.
Buick Is a company that produces cars for the middle class.

# 3 Japan - 9.2 million units in 2015

The production of Japanese cars decreases every year, but, nevertheless, they remain popular. Due to the democratic ratio of price and quality, they are leading in terms of the number of sales. Comfortable interior, modern control system, low cost, excellent basic equipment and reliability - this is what many car owners love so much.

The most famous car brands are:

Toyota- a concern that produces cars for both beginners in the auto industry and for experienced drivers. Has an impressive line of family models. Toyota parts can be found all over the country.
Nissan Is a car brand that prides itself on the sustainability of its creations. Replacement parts are also manufactured by the corporation itself.
Honda Is a company that equips car interiors with the latest technology. The high level of safety in the event of an accident allows the concern to overtake competitors in sales.
Subaru- a brand that is distinguished by the presence of all-wheel drive on all 4 wheels and a monocoque body. Serviceability, a comfortable, tech-packed interior and an attractive price tag make Subaru a worthwhile investment option.
Suzuki produce compact models that have increased cross-country ability. This economy is very tempting in today's world of traffic jams and bad roads.
Mazda Is an auto concern that produces models that can survive any weather conditions.

# 4 Germany - 6 million units in 2015

Internal combustion engines were invented by the inhabitants of Germany, Karl Benz and Nicholas Otto. People immediately thought of installing the motor on a wheeled cart. The companies founded at that time are now large concerns. Among European countries, Germany occupies a leading position in the production of quality vehicles.

German car industry in brands:

Volkswagen- the largest concern that also houses brands: Audi, Skoda, Seat, Bentley, Bugatti, Lamborghini, Porsche. The first three brands are key, while the rest are more designed to maintain interest in the brand's cars.
Mercedes-Benz- a company that immediately made expensive cars, but over time began to produce high-quality small cars.
Opel was originally a German mark, but it was bought by the Americans and is now part of General Motors.
Bmw Is a manufacturer of luxury cars. The release is rather small, but a successful branding policy has allowed the company to become popular among young people.

# 5 South Korea - 4.5 million units in 2015

The auto industry of South Korea originated in the middle of the twentieth century. The first few decades produced copies of famous European models. But then, involving foreign specialists, they began to develop their own cars.

Machine manufacturers:

KIA has factories all over the world - in Turkey, North America, China, India, etc.
Hyundai Is the largest automotive company in Korea.

# 6 India - 4.1 million units in 2015

The automotive industry in India is developing at a fast pace and, thanks to its pressure, already ranks 6th in the world. The factories of many foreign concerns are located on the territory of the state, but there are also purely national productions.

Indian stamps:

Force specializes in the production of trucks, buses and agricultural machinery.
Tata- a company that produces cars and commercial vehicles, as well as engines of the same name.

The rapid development of the automotive industry in some countries and the decline in production in others change this rating every year. For several years China has been holding the first place. But will it always be this way?

This information will always help you to stand out favorably among motorists and make the right choice when buying a car. You can save car brands and a list of all manufacturers on your computer or gadget so that you can always refresh the necessary information in your memory. The list of car brands is structured so that the logo and country of manufacture of this company are present.

car model	Manufacturer country	Year of foundation
Japan	28 August 1937
Ford	America	June 16, 1903
America	November 3, 1911
Japan	December 26, 1933
Korea	December 29, 1967
KIA	Korea	June 9, 1957
Germany	June 28, 1926
Bmw	Germany	March 7, 1916
Opel	Germany	January 21, 1862
Mazda	Japan	January 1920
Acura	Japan	1986 year
Germany	May 28, 1937
France	1919 year
Volvo	Sweden	1927 year
Skoda	Czech	1895 year
Land rover	Great Britain	1948 year
France	February 25, 1899
Honda	Japan	September 24, 1948
Japan	1911 year
Japan	May 13, 1870
Audi	Germany	July 16, 1909
Jeep	USA	1941 year
LADA	Russia	1966 year
UAZ	Russia	1992 year
France	1882 year
Korea	March 22, 1967
SsangYong	Korea	1954 year
Lexus	Japan	1989 year
Japan	1954 year
Japan	October 1909
Japan	1989 year
Fiat	Italy	July 11, 1899
Chery	China	1997 year
Haima	China	1988 year
Lifan	China	1992 year
Brilliance	China	1992 year
Geely	China	1986 year
Great wall	China	1976 year

Rating of the best cars in Russia

Knowledge of the best cars of our time is important for every motorist or car enthusiast. Many newcomers often confuse car brands and badges with names, the country of origin, and not everyone is familiar with the popularity rating of cars. Today you have a unique opportunity to get acquainted with brief, but very useful information about world car brands, with their ratings and manufacturers.

Prospective car buyers most often start selection from the brand of the next car. For this reason, we have compiled our table for you, here even a rating is available for each brand name of manufacturers of the automotive industry.

Countries - producers and their creations

Germany has long established itself on the international market as an excellent manufacturer of modern multifunctional vehicles. The Germans know exactly how to create a powerful car with all the amenities and the best technical characteristics. Many experts consider Germany to be the first car manufacturer in Europe; today the Germans have presented the world with the following list of car brands:

Mercedes-Benz. It has the highest rating in the global auto industry, and has been holding the best positions in terms of sales for a long time. Differs in the highest quality, excellent technical characteristics, reliability and excellent design.
Opel. Also received the maximum number of stars in the world ranking of the most famous cars. This car brand combines practicality and speed, comfort and simplicity. Produced since 1862, this kind of experience is a huge plus for the brand image.
Audi. This brand brilliantly entered the world market in 1909 and quickly won the hearts of many motorists. Under its name, this machine hides reliability and durability, unrivaled style and design. This car brand is universal, it is loved by all categories of motorists. This brainchild of the Germans has all five stars in the world ranking.

Toyota. The name of this brand has been heard around the world since 1937. The manufacturer immediately established itself in the best light in the automotive industry market. Having been at the top of the list for many years, the brand continues to evolve and improve.
Mazda. This is the perfection of practicality and accessibility. The brand has the highest rating in the global automotive industry table, showing all the best sales results every year since 1920.
Honda. This brand combines incredible elegance and power, affordable price and excellent quality. Has five stars in the world car rating since 1948.

Korea has distinguished itself by the release of budget, but fairly high-quality cars, the car brands and badges of which are shown below:

KIA. This car brand is the embodiment of elegance and good taste. The brand has enjoyed good sales since 1957. Throughout its existence, the brand has managed to earn four out of five stars in the international rating of the automotive industry.
Hyundai. The manufacturers of this car put a lot of emphasis on safety, they wanted to create the perfect car for family life and leisure. As a result, their brainchild received four stars out of five in the rating of the best cars of our time.
Daewoo. Great car for city trips, which honestly earned only two stars on the international rating scale. Despite this, the company has been ranked first in terms of sales every year since 1967.

Car brands and the list of American car manufacturers deserve special attention, because it was in the United States that the mass production of the first cars began. America can be proud of the following car brands:

Ford. This brand has been produced for more than a hundred years, such a huge experience, probably, brought four stars to the manufacturer. In terms of sales, Ford has no equal!
Chevrolet. It has been produced since 1911, but it still occupies a good position in the ranking. Maintaining optimal sales volumes, the brand honorably wins three stars out of five.

A new buyer first looks at all brands of cars, and only then makes a selection of some cars based on the rating. Not every country makes car makers very popular, some because of their price, others because of the constant investment in car repairs. Russian roads pose huge problems for cars, based on poor quality roads and infrequent repairs.

How not to say about Chinese cars, which are so in demand all over the world. China excelled in the production of such beautiful cars:

Chery. Not only girls like this car brand, guys also feel confident behind the wheel of this car. In 1997, the release of the first model of this brand became a real sensation, which eventually brought the manufacturer four stars in the international ranking.
Lifan. A relatively young but successfully developing brand. For its versatility and practicality, the car receives as many as four stars!

The table is presented which country makes which cars

Is it easy to show the brands of cars of the country of manufacture in one table, of course it is possible. As you may have noticed, there is a very large list of car brands in a convenient information panel, where not only the names and logo of the brand are indicated, but the year of foundation is also present and even who is the ideological inspirer. Statistics or, more correctly, the rating indicates the brands of cars that are in high demand in the CIS countries.

Now you know what are the world's most popular cars and brands, their list will always be at your fingertips if you bookmark our site.

Drive you trips and good luck on the roads!

Who owns car brands

The automotive industry has always suffered from the fact that the relationship between manufacturers was very difficult to understand. After the global financial crisis severely crippled it in almost all countries, European and American auto giants began to frantically resell their brands. In this confusion, it became unclear who is now in charge of the famous brands. Let's trace the complex history of relationships between the largest automotive brands.

The German Porsche is owned by the Porsche and Pich families - the heirs of the founder of the company Ferdinand Porsche and his sister Louise Piech. The family clan owns key decision-making shares in the company and a small fraction of the preferred shares listed on the German stock exchanges. By the way, the cunning little family has a very significant effect on the German car market. So, for example, Ferdinand Pich (grandson of Ferdinand Porsche), from 1993 to 2002 headed Volkswagen.

In 2009, the family concern acquired its first major foreign shareholder, the Qatari Emirate, which bought out 10% of the holding's shares. By the way, Volkswagen itself is actually owned by Porsche, and vice versa - since 2009, Volkswagen has owned 49.9% of the shares of Porsche AG. Initially, the Volkswagen carmaker was state-owned. It was reorganized into a joint stock company only in 1960, and the federal government of Germany and the government of Lower Saxony received 20% of the shares in its capital each.

In addition to its own production, the Volkswagen group's divisions are currently: Audi (acquired from Daimler-Benz in 1964), Seat (since 1990, the Volkswagen Group owns 99.99% of the shares), Škoda, Bentley, Bugatti, Lamborghini (the company was acquired subsidiary of Audi in 1998)

The Japanese Toyota Motor Corp., whose president is the grandson of the founder of the company Akio Toyoda, owns 6.29% of The Master Trust Bank of Japan, 6.29% - Japan Trustee Services Bank, 5.81% - Toyota Industries Corporation, 9% treasury shares.

Of all the Japanese automakers, only Toyota has a good collection of brands - Lexus, Scion, Daihatsu and Subaru. In addition, the truck manufacturer Hino is part of Toyota Motor.

Honda's achievement is much more modest. In addition to the premium brand Acura and the motorcycle department, the Japanese have nothing more to brag about.

The Peugeot-Citroen carmaker is still 30.3% (45.1% of the voting shares) owned by the Peugeot family. The shares are also owned by the employees of the concern (2.76%), there are also treasury shares (3.07%). The rest of the shares are in free float.

By the way, Peugeot SA acquired 38.2% of Citroën shares back in 1974, and two years later increased this share to 89.95%. So today "Peugeot" almost completely controls the previously independent "Citroen".

Another major global automaker is the Renault-Nissan alliance, which owns brands such as Renault, Dacia, Nissan, Infiniti, Samsung. In addition, Renault-Nissan has owned 50% + 1 share of AvtoVAZ since December 2012, so from now on the Lada brand actually belongs to the French-Japanese alliance.

Over the past 60 years, the Renault concern has been gradually getting out of state control. Until 1945 Renault was 100% privately owned. However, during the war, the factories of the company were destroyed, and Louis Renault himself was accused of collaborating with the Nazis and condemned. A large businessman died in prison, and his company was successfully nationalized. However, over the years, the state share began to decline. And if in 1996 Renault was state-owned more than half, then in 2005 it already owned only 15.7% of the shares. In 1999, Renault and Nissan formed what is arguably the strongest automotive alliance ever. Nissan is 44.4% owned by the French manufacturer, and Renault, in turn, gave 15% of the shares to the Japanese.

The fifth largest automobile concern DaimlerChrysler is very fond of the Arabs. The owner of the top brands Maybach, Mercedes-Benz, Mercedes-AMG and Smart, has the Arab investment fund Aabar Investments (9.1%) as the main shareholder, the government of Kuwait owns 7.2% of the shares, and about 2% belongs to the emirate of Dubai. It is surprising to see our KAMAZ next to such brands, 10% of shares of which Daimler acquired in 2008. The German auto concern paid for the shares of KAMAZ $ 250 million immediately and left 50 million until 2012. As a result of the deal, Daimler received one seat on the board of directors of KAMAZ. In February of this year, the concern bought another 1% stake in a truck manufacturer.

The Bavarian concern BMW, which in 1959 virtually single-handedly saved Herbert Quandt from the sale, is still dependent on his family. In the late 50s, a competing company Daimler-Benz became interested in the unprofitable German brand, but Quandt did not sell it, and invested himself. Today his widow Joanna Quandt and children Stefan and Suzanne control a 46.6% stake in BMW and live quite well. Stefan Quandt even served as deputy chairman of the company's board for some time. Despite the fact that at various times Ford, General Motors, Volkswagen, Honda and Fiat offered very lucrative deals, Quandt's heirs refuse to sell, because they consider the preservation of the brand with the family a matter of honor.

In recent years, the Hyundai-Kia alliance has been rapidly breaking out into the ranks of the leaders of the global automotive industry. The alliance currently produces cars under the Hyundai and Kia brands, but the Koreans are planning to create a premium brand in the near future. According to unconfirmed information, it will be called Genesis.

Hyundai Motor was "lifted from its knees" by a single person - Chung Mong Ku, the eldest son of the founder of the Hyundai industrial group. In the late 90s, he took seriously the quality of cars. For some 6 years, the Korean man was able to increase sales in the US market by 360% and take the fourth place among imported brands.

Ford Motor is run by William Ford Jr., great-grandson of the famous Henry Ford. Henry Ford himself always dreamed of being the sole owner of the company. In 1919, Henry and his son Edsel bought out the shares of the company from other shareholders and became the sole owners of their brainchild. There is no doubt that the shares were sold to them without problems, because the first shareholders were: a coal dealer, his accountant, a banker who trusted the coal dealer, two brothers who had a workshop for the manufacture of engines, a carpenter, two lawyers, one clerk , owner of a dry goods store and a man who made wind turbines and air rifles.

Until recently, Ford boasted two more British brands - Jaguar (in 1989, Ford bought Jaguar for $ 2.5 billion) and Land Rover (in 2000, it was bought by Ford for $ 2.75 billion). dollars from BMW). In 2008, both brands were put up for sale due to huge debts. In June 2008 they were bought by Indian Tata Motors.

Today, in addition to cars with its own name, Ford Motor owns the Lincoln and Mercury brands. Ford also owns 33.4% of Mazda and 9.4% of Kia Motors Corporation.

General Motors, which has long held a leading position in the automotive market, is currently controlled by the state (61% of the shares). Its main shareholders are: the government of Canada (12%), the United Auto Workers Union of the USA (17.5%). The remaining 10.5% of the shares were divided among the largest creditors.

The famous auto concern still owns the brands Chevrolet, Pontiac, Buick, Cadillac and Opel. More recently, he also owned a controlling stake in the Swedish company Saab (50%), but after the crisis, in January 2010, he sold the company to the Dutch sports car manufacturer Spyker Cars.

In the summer of 2008, General Motors decided to sell the Hummer brand, and for almost a year tried to sell it to the Chinese, then the Russians, and then the Indians. As a result, the only promising deal with the Chinese Sichuan Tengzhong Heavy Industrial Machinery Co fell through, and on May 26, 2010, the last SUV of the brand rolled off the assembly line of the General Motors plant in the American city of Shreveport.

Since January 1, 2011, the Fiat Group has split into two subsidiaries in two sectors: Fiat SpA (light vehicles) and Fiat Industrial (industrial vehicles).
Among the mergers and acquisitions of recent years, I would like to note the transfer of the Volvo brand under the control of the Chinese Geely and the purchase of the British premium brands Jaguar and Land Rover by the Indian Tata Motor. The most curious in this row is the acquisition of the Swedish brand SAAB by the tiny Dutch supercar manufacturer Spyker.

From the once powerful British car industry, there are now only memories. The most famous British automakers lost their independence long ago, but even small English firms passed to foreign owners. The legendary company Lotus belongs to the Malaysian Proton, and MG was bought by the Chinese company SAIC. At the same time, SAIC sold Korean SsangYong Motor to Indian automaker Mahindra & Mahindra. based on materials hhttp: //www.km.ru