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Ford-owned Land Rover originated in 1948 as a part of the British automaker, Rover. Designer Maurice Wilks based his concept, the Series I, on an American World War II Jeep vehicle.
Rover was later purchased by the European Leyland Motor Limited which would change its name to British Leyland. When the company was nationalized, Land Rover became its own brand, Land Rover Leyland Group. The now Rover Group would be purchased by BMW in 1995 where, after several years of trying to invigorate the company, sold Land Rover to Ford Motor Co. in 2000.
Land Rover is part of Fords' Premier Automotive Group which includes such marques as Jaguar and Volvo. Aston Martin, which had been a part of the group, was recently sold to a consortium led by Prodrive.
The first Land Rover to debut in the U.S. was the Range Rover. After its arrival in 1970, the all-new Land Rover Discovery went on sale two years afterwards. Under BMW's owner, Land Rover acquired its more luxurious status which continues to this day. The SUV boom in the '90s added to its popularity.
Besides the Range Rover and Discovery, other well-known Rovers include the Freelander and the Defender. The automaker debut its first concept vehicle, the Range Stormer, at the 2004 North American International Auto show.
The first Minis were produced by the British Motor Corporation (BMC) in response to a fuel shortage affecting Britain in the '50s. Sir Alec Issigonis designed the first Minis under then BMC head, Leonard Lord.
The car was sold by BMC's Austin and Morris brands under various names. The first Mini to be sold under the now familar moniker, though, would not appear until 1961.
MINIs would cross the Atlantic into the U.S. around 1962 (though earlier versions were sold in 1960). Though the Mini sold well, federal emission laws had it pulled in 1968.
In 1961, John Cooper, designer and builder of Formula 1 and rally cars and owner of the Cooper Car Company, took a liking of the Cooper and, after obtaining the reluctant help of Issigonis, built the first Mini Coopers.
In 2000, BMW obtained MINI as part of its acquisition of Rover. The German company revitalized the cars and brand, bringing the marque (now called MINI) back to the U.S. market in 2002 where it continues to sell well.
Besides the MINI and MINI Cooper, future plans include the return of the Clubman. The original Mini Clubman was subcompact car; the new version, which is schedule to go on sale within the next two years, may be the brand's first SUV/crossover.
Kia Motors was founded in 1944 as the Kyungsung Precision Industry and is considered South Korea's oldest automakers. Kyungsung first manufactured bicycles and steel tubing; later, it switched to bicycles, cars, and trucks. Kyungsung would change its name to Kia (translated roughly as "arise" or "Rising out of Asia") in 1952.
The Ford Aspire is Kia's first vehicle sold in the U.S. which it co-produced with Ford Motor Co. Kia's first wholly own U.S. vehicle was the Kia Sephia which debuted in 1994.
Kia Motors went bankrupt in 1997 where it was quickly swallowed up by Hyundai Motor Co. to create the Hyundai Kia Automotive Group.
Many of today's Kia's are rebadged versions of Hyundai vehicles. Some of the more well-known Kias include the Kia Spectra (Hyundai Elantra), Sportage SUV (Hyundai Tuscan); and Sedona minivan (Hyundai Entourage). Some of the brand's future plans include the all-new Soul crossover; the ex_cee'd convertible; and an Audi TT competitor. While a production version of the Soul is scheduled to debut and go on sale next year, there is no word yet if the convertible has been approved for sale. The unnamed TT competitor will debut at the Frankfurt Motor Show later this year.
The Hyundai Motor Company was established in 1967, the automotive arm of the Hyundai "chaebol", or conglomerate company.
The Cortina, the company's first vehicle, was co-developed with Ford Motor Co. in 1968. The American automaker sold the mid-sized sedan primarily in European and Asian markets. Hyundai's first fully-developed car, the Pony, debuted in 1975.
The Hyundai Excel, the company's wholly-owned vehicle, debuted in the U.S. market in 1986. Due to its staggeringly low price, buyers snapped it up and the vehicle set a record (over 168,000) as the most imports sold at its debut. Unfortunately, the Excel's questionable quality led to ridicule, and Hyundai discontinued sales in 1989.
The company, though, didn't leave the U.S. market. In 1988, Hyundai introduced the Sonata mid-sized sedan in the U.S. In the late Nineties, Hyundai, to help it offset its damaged reputation, enacted its now famous "10 year or 100,000 powertrain warranty". It also poured resources to improve its vehicles' quality and luxury while investigating ways to keep prices low.
Hyundai acquired Kia Motor Co. in 1986 after it went bankrupt to create the Hyundai Kia Automotive Group.
Other Hyundai vehicles known, besides the Sonata, include the entry level Accent and the Entourage minivan. New vehicles include the Santa Fe SUV and even larger Veracruz. In 2004, J.D. Power and Associates ranked Hyundai in second in initial quality and the automaker continues to score highly in other tests.
The automaker recently debuted a new sedan concept, Genesis, which many reporters believe signal Hyundai's intention to enter the luxury market in competition with Toyota's Lexus brand.
HUMMER is a brand name developed by AM General and sold to General Motors in 1983. Based off the High Mobility Multi-Purpose Wheeled Vehicle (the now famous Humvee), the first HUMMER, designated "H1" by GM, debuted in 1992 to a shocked public. The model was discontinued in 2006 though AM General continues to produce them for fleet sales.
The H2 went on sale in 2003. Though sharing the same platform as GM's Chevrolet Tahoe and the GMC Yukon pickups, the H2 is assembled by AM General. A pickup version, the H2 SUT, is also available.
Unlike the H1 and H2, the H3 is solely built by GM. Manufactured at the automaker's Shreveport, Mississippi plant, the H3 is built on the same truck platform as the Chevrolet Colorado and GMC Canyon. While the standard H3 is an SUV, there is a pickup version: the HUMMER H3T.
Both the H2 and H3 are considerable smaller than the H1. GM continues to market, sell, and support all three vehicles.
It is unknown at this time if GM plans to go ahead with an even smaller HUMMER, named the H4, at this time
The Mercedes-Benz brand was officially formed in 1926 with the merger of Daimler-Motoren-Gesellschaft (DMG) and Benz & Cie. (Daimler-Benz). However, its history goes back further: in 1886, Karl Benz rolled out what he called the "the Benz Patent Motor Car", a three-wheeled vehicle which is, today, considered the world's first automobile. Daimler, though, is accredited with building the world's first modern internal combustion engine. Maybach would later build the first Mercedes, named after the daughter of one of DMG's investors.
In 1998, Daimler-Benz and American automaker Chrysler Corporation merged to form DaimlerChrysler.
The company quickly developed a reputation of technical excellence and innovation. The Mercedes-Benz 170, which debuted in 1931, came with the world's first our-wheel independent suspension. Many of today's safety features, such as "crumple zones", anti-lock brakes, and traction control, were developed by the company.
Besides safety, the brand is also known for its vehicles' luxury and powerful engines. The latter was cemented when Mercedes-Benz entered a partnership with performance company AMG in the 90's. Today, there is virtually an AMG-version of every Mercedes vehicle.
The automaker, with such a long history, has an equally long list of vehicles. Well-known Mercedes-Benz include the E-Class sedan; the flagship S-Class, the M-Class SUV; and SLR McLaren.
The Volvo Group, or AB Volvo, was founded in 1927 in Sweden, a subsidary of Svenska Kullagerfabriken AB (SKF), a roller ball bearing manufacturer. The Volvo OV 4, a convertible, was the company's first car.
Assar Gabrielsson and Gustaf Larson consciously made the decision to develop a car whose brand was safety. Though most safety features found in cars today, such as the 3-point seatbelt, anti-lock brakes, and airbags, were developed by Mercedes-Benz, Volvo develop a reputation as the company with "The" safest cars.
The PV444 established the automaker's foothold in the U.S. automobile market. Other well-known vehicles include the Volvo Amazon, 240, and the C70.
The Volvo Group later expanded into the commercial sector, manufacturing buses, trucks, and other such vehicles. In 1998, Volvo sold its automobile section to Ford Motor Company, which added it to its Premier Automotive Group, or PAG. Currently the group consists of Jaguar, Land Rover, and Volvo. Aston Martin, which had been a member of the group, was recently sold to a consortium owned by Prodrive while Lincoln was pulled out in 2002.
Volvo continues to expand its range of vehicles. It released the C70, a stylish hardtop, last year. In 2007, the youthful C30 went on sale in the U.S. The marque has also unveiled a new crossover concept, the XC60, at the 2007 North American International Auto Show in Detroit. Volvo is reportedly working on a hybrid diesel version of the C30 which it will put on display sometime in 2007.
