Here’s Every* Car Brand That Has Lived and Died Since 1949
*Minus those too obscure or too uninteresting to remember at all, which still leaves nearly 150 car brands over the past 75 years.
One thing remained true for most of MotorTrend’s 75 years: Startup automakers were doomed to fail. The car business is an absurdly expensive industry to break into, and most customers are understandably wary about making the second-largest purchase of their lifetime from a company that hasn’t been around long and might not be for much longer.
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Prior to Tesla, Chrysler was the last mainstream startup car company to make it in America. (Brands introduced by existing automakers, such as Lexus, have generally fared better.) Every other company that tried has failed, from Tucker to DeLorean to Fisker. Aside from a few boutique outfits selling a handful of cars per year, it’s been a bad investment for nearly anyone with Elon Musk–type aspirations. Tesla broke through, and in its wake several others have made a go of it to varying degrees of success and with no guarantee of long-term viability.
Compiling an exhaustive list of every brand that has lived and died in the U.S. market since our founding is a challenge—if a boutique builds three cars in the forest and no one’s there to buy them, does the brand exist? Many on this list launched prior to our first issue and remain household names today, and more than a few old marques bit the dust during our run. An unfortunate few were born, lived, and died during MotorTrend’s tenure. Here are 13 of those unfortunate short-timers.
American Motors Corporation, 1954–1988
AMC was formed in 1954 when Nash-Kelvinator purchased the Hudson Motor Car Company. AMC was best known for rugged, affordable compacts like the Rambler American (formerly the Nash Rambler) and 1970s styling icons like the Hornet, Matador, and Pacer. Most presciently, in 1970 AMC spent $70 million to buy the money-losing Jeep lineup from Kaiser. It was a gamble that necessitated a shoestring development budget for the Gremlin, which became one of AMC’s most successful cars.
An ocean of red ink in the late 1970s prompted a partnership with French automaker Renault, which produced the Car of the Year–winning Renault Alliance. AMC created the crossover-SUV segment (decades too early) with the Eagle, a desperate paring of Hornet-derived cars with Jeep running gear, but it was the strength of the Jeep brand that prompted Chrysler to buy AMC in 1987, morphing it into the Jeep-Eagle division.
What We Said: “It’s a feisty little auto from a company that’s proving more and more adept at doing what the Big Three can’t or won’t.” —Re: the AMC Pacer, February 1975 Avanti, 1965–1991, 2000–2007
The original Avanti was a two-door personal luxury coupe introduced by Studebaker in 1962 as a competitor to Ford’s Thunderbird. Production ended when Studebaker closed its plant in South Bend, Indiana, but two local dealers bought the plant, rights, and tooling—and hired back much of the old plant staff—to form Avanti Motor Corp. The 1965 Avanti II used the same Loewy-designed fiberglass body, now with Chevrolet power.
Development continued: Different engines, updated styling, a convertible, and even a short-lived four-door. Also, bankruptcy and acquisition. Production stopped in 1991, but a Y2K revival brought a reborn Avanti, basically a Pontiac Firebird (and later a Ford Mustang) with new body panels, plus a prototype SUV bearing the Studebaker name (which prompted a lawsuit from GM). Hopes were dashed when company chief Michael Kelly was arrested for running a Ponzi scheme in 2006, and Avanti shut down for good the following year.
What We Said: “The car felt solid, steady, and under control right up to the point of breakaway.” —Re: the Avanti II, November 1965 Bricklin, 1974–1975
Malcom Bricklin is famous for bringing Subaru to the U.S. in 1968 and infamous for bringing Yugo in 1986. In 1974 he launched his own car company to build the Bricklin Safety Vehicle 1, designed as an efficient, safe sports car. Innovative features included a rollover cage, energy-absorbing bumpers, and gullwing doors—but no ashtray or lighter because smoking while driving is dangerous.
New Brunswick, Canada, eagerly funded Bricklin in the hopes of becoming Canada’s Detroit, but production SV-1s were plagued with problems, and not just the expected leaks and electrical maladies. The fiberglass-acrylic composite bodies warped so badly in the Canadian cold that assembly workers had trouble bolting the cars together, and the power-operated doors would drain the battery and trap occupants inside. By 1975 the provincial government was into Bricklin for around $20 million; when he asked for another 10, New Brunswick said no, and the operation shut down.
What We Said: “If the Bricklin folks get it together, the ’Vette is going to get a run for the crown.” —Re: the Bricklin SV-1, May 1975
Daewoo Motors, 1997–2002
Daewoo, a South Korean automaker with origins in the late 1930s, spent years selling rebadged Datsuns and Opels in the home market. When Daewoo hatched its first home-grown designs, it aspired to sell them in the U.S., and in late ’97 the 1998 Daewoo Lanos, Nubira, and Leganza made their beachhead.
Daewoo sold cars through “campus advisers,” but when the students learned their 50 percent discount was reported to the IRS as income, they sued. Ultimately, the Asian financial crisis in the late ’90s did Daewoo in. Corporate parent Daewoo Group went bankrupt in 1999, and GM bought the car division. U.S. sales ceased in 2002, but the vehicles lived on as Suzuki and Chevy models. Daewoo became GM Korea in 2011 and still does much of GM’s small-vehicle engineering.
What We Said: “Korea’s second-largest but fastest-growing automaker definitely faces an uphill battle.” —Re: the Daewoo Leganza, December 1998
Daihatsu, 1988–1992
With Japan clobbering Detroit in the 1980s, Daihatsu was no doubt eyeing the success of small players like Isuzu, Suzuki, and Subaru when it decided to open for business in America. Its first U.S.-market car was the 1988 Charade, a sub-Civic-sized econobox with lavish-for-a-cheap-car trimmings, followed by the Rocky, a Suzuki Samurai–like off-roader with a wide track and surprisingly entertaining on-road handling.
Daihatsu soon found itself driving into strengthening headwinds, including a small share of Japan’s voluntary import quotas, a strong yen that drove down profits, and growing American hostility toward Japanese cars. Despite being well built and well received by critics, the Charade and Rocky were small and slow by U.S. standards, and sales never took off. Facing new U.S. crash standards, Daihatsu left our market in 1992.
What We Said: “Rocky be nimble, Rocky be quick, Rocky is fun and truly a kick!” —Re: the Daihatsu Rocky, April 1990
Eagle, 1988–1999
Chrysler bought AMC in 1987 primarily for Jeep, but what about the rest of the lineup? It decided to create an upscale import-fighting brand, taking the patriotic name of the AMC Eagle 4x4 while ditching the car itself. The first new Eagle model was a Renault-based luxury sedan called the Premiere, followed by the Mitsubishi-designed Summit in ’89.
The latter was a product of the Diamond-Star joint venture, which soon yielded Eagle’s best-known product, the Talon. It was a small, stunning sportster with a turbocharged engine and, in keeping with Eagle’s AMC roots, available AWD. When Chrysler introduced its stellar LH cars for 1993, Eagle got a version called the Vision. But all of Eagle’s cars were available from other marques, and despite all best efforts and copious marketing dollars, sales were weak. Chrysler combined the Jeep-Eagle and Chrysler-Plymouth divisions in 1996, and 1999 was Eagle’s last year.
What We Said: “Even on wet pavement and trying to emulate stupidity as much as possible, we still stayed in remarkable shape.” —Re: the Eagle Talon TSi, July 1989
Geo, 1989–1997
In the mid-1980s, GM partnered with Toyota on a joint venture called NUMMI, which used a former GM plant in California to build a Corolla clone badged as the Chevrolet Nova. Two problems: Import buyers didn’t shop for Chevrolets, and a Japanese-engineered car didn’t fit Chevy’s “Heartbeat of America” image.
GM’s solution was to group its imported models under a new brand called Geo, to be sold at Chevy dealerships. Suzuki supplied the frugal Metro and rugged Tracker 4x4. The Isuzu-sourced Spectrum was almost instantly replaced by the Prizm, NUMMI’s Nova successor, and the nifty Isuzu Impulse–based Storm coupe joined the lineup in 1990. 1991 was Geo’s best year, but buyers soon knew they could find reliable imports at Chevy dealerships, and the Geo brand seemed to only sow confusion. In 1998, the Geo models were re-rebadged as Chevrolets.
What We Said: “You won’t go very fast in the overall scheme of things, but you’ll get the impression you’re really bombin’ around.” —Re: the Geo Metro LSi, October 1988
Maybach, 2002–2012
It makes sense that Mercedes would want to get into the ultra-profitable ultra-luxury segment, so it was that the company revived the name Maybach (“My-bock”), a former Zeppelin engine manufacturer that built high-end luxury cars until the end of World War II. Following a 1997 concept, Maybach premiered with two V-12 sedans for 2002, priced on opposite sides of $300,000.
The Maybach 57 and 62 were magnificent inside, but from outside they looked like the $100,000 S-Class they were based on, a sharp contrast with the stunning Bentley Continental GT and Rolls-Royce Phantom launched in 2003. Maybach sold just 600 cars in its first and best year—one-third of its goal—and sales soon descended to levels that made Rolls-Royce look like GM. Mercedes finally killed the Maybach brand in 2012, though it lives on as a trim level for high-end Mercedes cars and SUVs.
What We Said: “It’s hard to imagine how an automobile could possibly be any better.” —Re: the Maybach 57/62, March 2003
Merkur, 1983–1989
European sport sedans were all the rage in the high-rolling ’80s, and Ford was already a big player in the Old World with a comprehensive lineup of Euro-specific models. The German-engineered Capri and Fiesta sold well in the U.S. in the ’70s, so why not try high end? Ford launched Merkur in 1985 with the XR4Ti, a hot-rod version of the salesman-special Sierra powered by a modified Mustang SVO engine, and the Scorpio, the posh version of Ford’s Euro-market Granada.
Merkur was sold at Lincoln Mercury dealerships, which turned out to be a huge miscalculation. L-M’s aging buyer base had no interest in the boy-racer XR4Ti (which was too soft for real boy racers). Nor could they see paying Lincoln prices for a Scorpio when Mercury’s similarly sized Sable was cheaper. Sales were dismal. Rather than modify the cars for upcoming crash standards, Ford axed the whole brand in 1989.
What We Said: “The inherent—and virtually instantaneous—oversteer can make for lots of fun on mountain roads. Just be sure you’re used to it beforehand.” —Re: the Merkur XR4ti, September 1984
Saab, 1956–2010
Svenska Aeroplan Aktiebolaget—literally, Swedish Airplane Company—was formed in 1937 and began building small cars with two-stroke engines in 1950. In 1956, Saab opened a New York office and began importing the three-cylinder 93 to the U.S. The 1967 Sonnet II sportster and 1969 99 sedan were more conventional and better accepted, though “Saab” and “quirky” remained synonymous. The 900 and 9000 became staples of 1980s yuppie culture, while the sizzling Turbo models put them on enthusiasts’ radar.
GM bought into Saab in 1990, and the Opel-based 900 of ’94 marked the beginning of the end of Saab’s unique character. Full GM ownership brought the poorly received 9-2X and 9-7X, based on the Subaru WRX and Chevy Trailblazer, respectively; sales collapsed in 2008, and GM shuttered Saab in the U.S. in 2010.
What We Said: “It may not be the perfect car, but it’s close.” —Re: the Saab 900 Turbo, November 1979
Saturn, 1991–2010
Struggling to fend off Japan, GM opted to start fresh with a new company. Its first car, some seven years in gestation, was a plastic-bodied compact engineered by Saturn’s own staff, built in its own plant, and sold by its own dealers. Initial sales were strong, but despite the integration of Japanese manufacturing techniques, quality was distinctly American.
The $5 billion GM poured into the venture ate up the redesign budget for Saturn and other GM divisions. It took nearly a decade for Saturn to expand its lineup, and new models were increasingly based on other GM products. Sales foundered, and when GM, hit hard by the 2008 financial crisis, decided to shutter several brands, Saturn was among them. A deal to sell Saturn to Roger Penske fell through, and in 2010 GM’s innovative experiment came to an ignominious end.
What We Said: “Next to traditional American cars from any of the domestic manufacturers, the three models from Saturn and the philosophies they represent shine uncharacteristically bright.” —Re: the Saturn S-Series, November 1990
Sterling, 1987–1990
With the U.S. looking to Europe for style and Japan for quality, Britain’s Rover Group would pair with Honda to build a big, sporty luxury car to be marketed here under a new brand: Sterling. Rover did the body, Honda made the engines, and each supplied their own interior, their own chassis tuning … and their own electrical system. Ruh-roh, Rover.
The resulting Sterling 825i was pretty much as expected: lavish interior, thrilling dynamics, and tragic build quality. J. D. Power’s quality stats had Honda’s version, the Acura Legend, up top while the Sterling languished at the bottom. Sales plummeted, and even a $6,000 rebate on the 1990 Sterling 827’s $23,300 base price couldn’t turn things around. Rover killed Sterling in 1991. Fortunately, Rover was having much better luck with another nameplate it brought to the U.S. in 1987: Range Rover.
What We Said: “Sterling management assures us that all the quality problems have been corrected. We’d like to think so, because, frankly, we like the car.” —Re: the Sterling 827Si, March 1990
Yugo, 1986–1990
When the Yugoslavian-built Yugo GV (Great Value) hit the market in 1985 with a $3,990 price tag ($11,500 in 2024 dollars), buyers literally lined up with checkbooks in hand—never mind that the Yugo was a 5-year-old Fiat design built in a communist country not known for high-quality automobiles.
Despite being spiffed up for the U.S. market and built by specially trained workers paid a higher salary for higher diligence, the Yugo was flimsy, fickle, and fault-prone. Hyundai’s $4,995 Excel was not exactly a Toyota Corolla, but its Mitsubishi bones were more palatable to U.S. buyers, and it set a bare-minimum standard Yugo could not reach. Yugo sales peaked at 49,000 in 1987.
What We Said: “No frills, no excuses, no pretension. No indication of personal net worth or good taste. You want snuggly carpeting and high-tech fit-and-finish? Go sit in your Mercedes.” —Re: the Yugo GV, December 1985
Were you one of those kids who taught themselves to identify cars at night by their headlights and taillights? I was. I was also one of those kids with a huge box of Hot Wheels and impressive collection of home-made Lego hot rods. I asked my parents for a Power Wheels Porsche 911 for Christmas for years, though the best I got was a pedal-powered tractor. I drove the wheels off it. I used to tell my friends I’d own a “slug bug” one day. When I was 15, my dad told me he would get me a car on the condition that I had to maintain it. He came back with a rough-around-the-edges 1967 Volkswagen Beetle he’d picked up for something like $600. I drove the wheels off that thing, too, even though it was only slightly faster than the tractor. When I got tired of chasing electrical gremlins (none of which were related to my bitchin’ self-installed stereo, thank you very much), I thought I’d move on to something more sensible. I bought a 1986 Pontiac Fiero GT and got my first speeding ticket in that car during the test drive. Not my first-ever ticket, mind you. That came behind the wheel of a Geo Metro hatchback I delivered pizza in during high school. I never planned to have this job. I was actually an aerospace engineering major in college, but calculus and I had a bad breakup. Considering how much better my English grades were than my calculus grades, I decided to stick to my strengths and write instead. When I made the switch, people kept asking me what I wanted to do with my life. I told them I’d like to write for a car magazine someday, not expecting it to actually happen. I figured I’d be in newspapers, maybe a magazine if I was lucky. Then this happened, which was slightly awkward because I grew up reading Car & Driver, but convenient since I don’t live in Michigan. Now I just try to make it through the day without adding any more names to the list of people who want to kill me and take my job.
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