Automobile market in the U.S., it’s interesting to see that some of the largest auto manufacturers are legacy companies that virtually founded the industry in this country. Others are foreign automobile companies that also have thrived in the U.S. consumer market.
1. General Motors
General Motors was established in 1908, in Detroit, by William C. Durant — and the company has remained headquartered there ever since and has managed to keep its status as the country’s largest automaker. The company currently employs around 94K employees in the U.S. alone and operates factories in eight countries. General Motors has announced plans to end the production and sale of cars with internal combustion engines by 2035, showing, once more, that it keeps up with the times and stays relevant in a competitive market.
2. Toyota Motor Company
The automobile company was founded in Japan in 1937 as a spinoff of Toyota Industries, which preceded it by a couple of decades. The company is headquartered in the city of Toyota, Japan, while its American subsidiary, established in 1957, has its headquarters in Plano, Texas. The company operates 15 manufacturing facilities across the U.S. and employs around 176K people in manufacturing, supporting operations and dealerships. The company’s top-selling models include the Tacoma, Corolla, Highlander, Camry and RAV4.
3. Ford Motor Company
Ford Motor Company is even older than General Motors, by five years, being founded by Henry Ford in 1903 and headquartered in Dearborn, Michigan. Interestingly, the company gained an international presence shortly after its inception, opening its first international sales branch in Paris in 1908. Today, Ford Motor Company operates 20 plants in the U.S. and employs around 90K people across the country. Some of its best-selling models are the Bronco, E-Series and EcoSport.
4. Stellantis North America
You might not know who Stellantis is, and there’s a good reason for that: the group was established only in 2021, and it represents a 50/50 merger between Fiat Chrysler Automobiles and Peugeot’s parent company, PSA Group. This merger managed to create one of the largest carmakers in the U.S. and worldwide, bringing popular car brands including Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep, Alfa Romeo, Citroen, Fiat, Peugeot, and others together under one company. Stellantis has big plans for the fast-growing electric vehicle market, with new models and a network of charging stations being developed.
5. Hyundai Motor Group
The South Korean group formed in 1998 through the purchase of 51% of Kia by Hyundai. The Hyundai Motor Company was founded in 1967, while Kia preceded it by more than two decades. The resulting group, however, is more than successful and one of the major players in the worldwide automotive industry. The group employs over 30K people in the U.S. and almost 280K worldwide. Some of the most successful Hyundai models in the U.S. are the Tucson, Elantra and Accent. Kia, a subsidiary of the Hyundai Motor Group, sells the popular Forte, Optima and Soul models in the U.S. Hyundai’s innovative streak shines when it comes to its plans for the future: the group is pursuing hydrogen fuel technology and new vehicles based on hydrogen fuel cells.
6. Honda Motor Company
Japanese carmaker Honda manages to capture a significant market share in the U.S. as well. Honda was founded in 1948, and the company established its U.S. subsidiary in 1959. The American Honda Motor Company started manufacturing motorcycles at first, then forayed into automobile production in 1982. Today, Honda employs around 30K people in the U.S., and some of its most popular models are the Civic, Accord and CR-V.
7. Nissan Motor Co
The second Japanese company with a consistent presence in the American automobile market is Nissan, which debuted with its current name in 1933 and officially came to the U.S. as Datsun in 1958. Currently, Nissan USA has around 21K employees in the U.S., of which 16K are manufacturing employees. Some of the company’s recent bestsellers include the Sentra, Altima and Versa.
8. Subaru Corporation
Subaru’s origins are rooted not in automaking but in aviation: the company started out in 1917 as Nakajima Aircraft Company. By 1953, the automotive division became the main business, and the company rebranded as Fuji Heavy Industries — which was changed to Subaru Corporation in 2017. The automaker has had a presence in the U.S. since 1968 and has a manufacturing plant in Lafayette, Indiana. Some of its most popular models include the Forester, Impreza and Ascent.
8. Tesla
Tesla is the first major automaker to focus exclusively on electric vehicles. The company was founded in 2003 by Martin Eberhard and Marc Tarpenning under the moniker Tesla Motors, an homage to famed inventor Nikola Tesla. Just a few months later, Elon Musk bought a majority of the shares for $6.5M and became the company’s CEO. The company is currently headquartered in Austin, Texas, and employs around 100K people worldwide, with a consistent portion of them right here in the U.S. The Model Y, Model 3 and Model S are the company’s best-selling vehicles.
10. Volkswagen Group
Originating in Wolfsburg, Germany, Volkswagen started selling cars in the United States in 1949. Its American subsidiary was founded in 1955 in Englewood Hills, New Jersey, and is currently headquartered in Herndon, Virginia. The Tiguan Crossover, Atlas and Jetta sedan are some of the carmaker’s bestsellers in the U.S.