European cars
The car was invented in Britain and commercialized in Germany; it is no surprise that Europe holds more automakers than any part of the world outside of Japan, even though many have been purchased by others. Louis Chevrolet's car was produced in the US, which also bought England's Vauxhall, Germany's Opel, and Sweden's Saab. Ford, which made an early run through Europe, renaming local companies "Ford," more recently grabbed Land Rover, Aston Martin, Volvo, and Jaguar. Chrysler grabbed Hillman, Humber, Singer, Sunbeam, Talbot, and Simca, merging them before selling them to Peugeot. (History of Rootes brands.) Still, there are many survivors: Renault, Citroen, Peugeot, BMW, Mercedes, Volkswagen, and Fiat, to name a few, along with the esoteric makers like Ferrari.
German, Italian, and British cars remain known for luxury and performance, though reliability has suffered in recent years. Volkswagen and BMW, by focusing on sportiness over cost, made a comeback to become serious players. Within Europe, Fiat, Peugeot, and Renault are still strong. Sweden, unfortunately, no longer owns either of its two car companies - the quirky Saab and the once extra-safe Volvo. That may change as Ford prepares to concentrate on its eponymous brand.
Car reviews: European cars
- Jaguar XK convertible
- Mercedes ML500 - German top hat and powertrain with a Jeep chassis
- Saab 9-3 (2006) - safe, smooth, sophisticated, fun sports sedan
- Volkswagen GTI (2007) - corners like a go-kart, zooms nicely; it’s “the next GTI.”
- Volkswagen New Beetle Convertible - mix of old and new
- Volkswagen Phaeton (2005) - understated exterior hides massive power, large size, and great handling
- Volkswagen Touareg (2005) - highly capable (if bug-ridden) SUV that doubles as a sports car
- Volvo S60 (2005) - Edgy but pleasant sports sedan
- Volvo V70 - blazing-fast sports wagon with traditional Volvo safety and generous space
- Volvo S80 (2008) - Zoomy, safe sports sedan
More
- Aston-Martin: a fantasy brand made famous by a secret agent
- Bentley über Alles: the ultimate sports-luxury brand, under Volkswagen
- Rolls-Royce: The Lady Learns to Fly Again
Who owns who?
- Alfa Romeo - part of Fiat
- Aston Martin - owned by Ford
- Audi - part of Volkswagen-Audi Group
- Bentley - owned by Volkswagen-Audi Group
- BMW - independent
- Chrysler - owned by Cerberus (private equity) and Daimler, AG
- Fiat - independent but GM has a stake
- Isuzu - largely owned by Toyota (once GM)
- Jaguar - owned by Ford but now up for sale
- Lambourghini - once owned by Chrysler, now owned by Audi
- Lotus - GM has major stake
- Maserati
- Mercedes - part of Daimler, AG
- MG - part of a Chinese group
- Mini - "borrowed" from Rover by BMW
- Peugeot - independent
- Porsche - still independent despite ties to Volkswagen-Audi Group
- Renault - independent and controls Nissan
- Rover - again independent, but Land Rover is owned by Ford (and is up for sale)
- Rolls-Royce - name owned by BMW, the rest by VW
- Seat - part of Volkswagen-Audi Group
- Smart - part of Daimler, AG
- Volkswagen - part of Volkswagen-Audi Group
- Volvo - cars owned by Ford, trucks independent.
From the past
- Audi TT (2001) - looks fun but falls rather short of the mark
- Saab 9-5 - quirky, fast, and smooth
- Volkswagen Golf and Jetta - think of them as BMWs with front wheel drive
- Volkswagen Golf GLI (2005) - quick front-drive sports car
- Volkswagen Passat - sporty family sedan