The motor industry can seem daunting on the surface; dozens of car brands competing for buyers, with hundreds of models available across every segment. From household names like Toyota and Ford to luxury marques like Ferrari, Lamborghini, and Rolls-Royce, the sheer number of choices can be overwhelming.
But behind those familiar badges is a much smaller group of massive companies shaping the direction of the global car market.
Roughly two dozen major automakers control the vast majority of the world's car brands. Some, like Toyota and BMW, oversee just a few nameplates, while others, like Stellantis, Volkswagen Group, and Geely, manage sprawling portfolios that stretch from affordable daily drivers to six-figure supercars.
So who owns who? We've broken down every major automotive group – and the brands it controls through majority ownership – to make sense of one of the world's most interconnected industries.
America
For a number of years in the US there is “The Big Three”: Ford, General Motors, and Chrysler. Today, it’s mostly just the big two – Ford and GM – with a few independent players vying for market share.
Ford Motor Company owns the Ford brand and its luxurious Lincoln offshoot, while GM has Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, and GMC under its belt. In the last few years, there’s also been four major EV startups in the US: Lucid, Rivian, Slate, and Tesla.
Ford Motor Company
Ford
Lincoln
General Motors
Buick
Cadillac
Chevrolet
GMC
Independents
Lucid
Rivian
Slate
Tesla
China
This is where the list gets more complicated. In fact, there’s an entire Wikipedia entry to help you parse the dozens of brands and multiple ownership groups largely specific to that region. Simply put: There are 12 major automakers in China and around 70 active consumer vehicle brands, depending on how you define them (some sources put that number at over 100).
Similar to the US, before 2010, there was a “Big Four” in China made up of SAIC, FAW, Dongfeng, and Changan. And those remain some of the largest automakers in China, each with a handful of brands. But over the last few years, the market has grown to a dozen, and a few independents operating just one brand.
Anhui Jianghuai Automobile Group Corporation (JAC)
JAC Motors
JAC Refine
JAC Yiwei
Beijing Automotive Group Company (BAIC)
Arcfox
Beijing
Beijing Off-road
Foton
BYD Auto
BYD
Denza
Fangchengbao
Linghui
Yangwang
Chery Automobile
Chery
Exeed
iCar
Jetour
China Changan Automobile Group
Avatr
Changan Auto
Deepal
Kaicene
China First Automobile Works Group Corporation (FAW)
Bestune
Hongqi
Jiefang
Yueyi
Dongfeng Motor Corporation
Aeolus
Dongfeng Nammi
Forthing
M-Hero
Voyah
Great Wall Motor (GWM)
Haval
Ora
Tank
Wey
Guangzhou Automobile Corporation (GAC)
Aion
Hyptec
Trumpchi
Seres Group
AITO
DFSK
Fengon
Seres
Shanghai Automotive Industry Corporation (SAIC)
Baojun
IM
Maxus
MG
Nanjing-Iveco
Rising Auto
Roewe
Sunwin
Wuling
Yuejin
Zhejiang Geely Holding Group (Geely)
Farizon
Geely
Ji Yue
Livan
Lynk & Co
LEVC
Lotus
Polestar
Proton
Smart (50% With Mercedes-Benz)
Volvo
Zeekr
Independents
Beijing Car And Home Information Technology (Li Auto)
Guangzhou Xiaopeng Motors Technology (Xpeng)
Huawei
Rox Motor
Shanghai Nio Automobile (Nio)
Xiaomi Automobile
Zhejiang Leapmotor Technology (Leapmotor)
Europe
For the European market, there’s a much easier path to understanding who owns who but it’s not without some perplexity. There are six major automakers headquartered in Europe, ranging in region from Munich and the UK to France and Croatia.
Based solely on the sheer number of brands it owns, Stellantis is the largest automaker with 13 active brands. Volkswagen comes in second on the brand front with nine active brands following a recent restructuring, with smaller players like BMW Group and Bugatti Rimac owning just a handful of brands.
It should also be noted that Europe has the largest number of independent automakers, with at least 11 major players in the space ranging from Ferrari to Ineos. There’s probably a much longer list if you include many of the tiny automakers that aren’t mentioned here.
BMW Group
BMW
Mini
Rolls-Royce
Bugatti Rimac
Bugatti
Rimac
Mercedes-Benz
Mercedes-Benz
Smart (50% With Geely)
Renault Group
Alpine
Dacia
Mobilize
Renault
Stellantis
Abarth
Alfa Romeo
Chrysler
Citroen
Dodge
DS
Fiat
Jeep
Lancia
Maserati
Opel
Peugeot
Ram
Vauxhall
Volkswagen Group
Audi
Bentley
Cupra
Lamborghini
Porsche
Seat
Scout
Skoda
Volkswagen
Independents
Aston Martin
Ariel
Caterham
Donkervoort
Ferrari
Gordon Murray
Ineos
Morgan Motor
Pagani
Koenigsegg
Zenvo
India
India often gets left out of the conversation when talking about major auto conglomerates, but Tata Motors and Mahindra Group remain two of the largest globally. Mahindra Group operates one of the biggest auto brands in the region, Mahindra, and also purchased Pininfarina in 2015.
Tata Motors owns the larger JLR group, which includes Jaguar and Land Rover. But it also operates Tata Daewoo and Tata Hitachi, two companies known for their affordable commuter cars.
Mahindra Group
Mahindra
Pininfarina
Tata Motors
Jaguar
Land Rover
Tata Daewoo
Tata Hitachi
Japan
The largest automaker in the world is headquartered in Japan, with the Toyota Motor Corporation having four brands under its belt: Daihatsu, Hino, Lexus, and Toyota.
The larger Honda Motor Company owns Acura and Honda, while the Nissan Motor Company owns Nissan and Infiniti. There are also a few independents in the region that you may know: Mazda, Mitsubishi, Subaru, and Suzuki.
Toyota Motor Corporation
Daihatsu
Hino
Lexus
Toyota
Honda Motor Company
Acura
Honda
Nissan Motor Company
Infiniti
Nissan
Independents
Mazda
Mitsubishi
Subaru
Suzuki
Korea
There’s one major player in Korea: Hyundai Motor Group. The nation’s largest automaker owns the Genesis, Hyundai, and Kia brands, and regularly ranks in the top three largest automakers worldwide (just behind Toyota and Volkswagen in 2025).
There is also KG Mobility, or KGM (formerly SsangYong Motor), that makes pickup trucks, SUVs, and a few small cars for the region. KGM is independently owned and operates its own brand, as it has since 1954.
Hyundai Motor Group
Genesis
Hyundai
Kia
Independent
KG Mobility (KGM)
Vietnam
This list wouldn’t be complete without Vietnam’s first and only large-scale auto manufacturer: VinFast. Founded in 2017, the EV maker put down roots in Europe in 2018 and in the US in 2022.
Independent
Vinfast
With thanks to our friends at Motor1.com
