Posted on

When Were the Top Automobile Manufacturers Founded?

Many companies entered the automobile manufacturing industry during its early years. In the US alone there were over 1,800 companies manufacturing automobiles between 1896 and 1930. Most of these companies didn’t last, and after 1930 not many new companies got into the business in the US. In fact, when you look at the top 10 car manufacturers in the world today (as of 2015), only one of them was formed after 1948. Some have been around for over 100 years while most have been around for at least 75 years.

Below is a look at the date that the top manufacturers were founded:

1899 – Renault founded by the Renault brothers (Louis, Marcel and Fernand)

1903 – Ford founded by Henry Ford

1908 – General Motors founded by William C. Durant

1909 – Suzuki Loom Works founded (began selling cars in 1937)

1911 – Chevrolet founded by William C. Durant

1925 – Chrysler founded by Walter Chrysler

1933 – Nissan founded

1937 – Toyota founded by Kiirchiro Toyoda

1937 – Volkswagon founded by German Labour Front

1944 – Kia founded

1948 – Honda founded by Soichiro Honda

1967 – Hyundai Motor Company established by Hyundai Engineering and Construction Company


Are you interested in finding a better way to do your vehicle inspections? Start a free, 7-day trial of InspectARide to see how easy your inspections can be.