The history of the Porsche brand. Porsche: the history of the legendary brand In which city are Porsches produced?

Ferdinand Porsche founded a company called "Dr. Ing. HC F. Porsche AG" in Austria in 1931. Initially, the company offered technical development of cars, but did not produce them independently. However, at the direction of the German government, she had to take part in the development of a "car for the people", which led to the creation of the Volkswagen Beetle, one of the best-selling automobiles of all time. The first-born of the company - Porsche 64 - was released in 1939, and in many ways resembled the "Beetle"

The first post-war car, the 356, also initially shared many components with the Volkswagen Beetle. This was due to a lack of components in post-war Germany. However, gradually, as production was established, Porsche replaced borrowed components with parts of its own production. By 1954, the car began to be equipped with completely original components.

Ten years later, after several race wins and the need to replace the outdated Porsche Roadster 356 model, the company released the Porsche 911, a sports car with a rear-mounted air-cooled six-cylinder engine.

The 911 has become Porsche's most popular and iconic car - successful on the race track and on the highway. Much more than any other car, the 911 has determined the fate of the Porsche brand. The 911 is still in production, but after several generations of modifications, only the basic configuration of a coupe car with a rear-mounted six-cylinder engine and a similar silhouette to the 1964 car remained from the previous car.

Ferdinand Piech, responsible for the development of Porsche powertrains (including the very successful 911, 908 and 917), set up his own design office. This division developed the five-cylinder in-line diesel engine that later appeared in Audi cars.

The CEO of Porsche AG, Dr. Ernst Fuhrmann, planned to discontinue the 911 during the 1970s and replace it with the 928 sports wagon. However, the popularity of the 911 helped it live much longer than planned. In 1990, Porsche entered into a partnership with Toyota to learn and apply the Japanese method of production management. In addition, Toyota assisted Porsche in the development of hybrid technology.

The firms joined forces in 1969 to produce the 914 and 914-6 models. In 1976, the 912E and 924 cars contained a number of components from Audi. The Cayenne shares its entire chassis with the 2015 Volkswagen Touareg and the Audi Q7.

Corporate restructuring

In August 2009, Porsche and Volkswagen reached an agreement whereby the two companies' automotive technology businesses would merge to form the "Integrated Automotive Group".

Production and sales

The company is at the pinnacle of success and claims to have the highest profit per piece of any car company in the world.

Enterprise Dr. ing. h. c. F. Porsche GmbH, originally engaged in the creation of components and assemblies for automotive companies, was founded in 1931. In those years, its founder Ferdinand Porsche had not yet thought about mass production of his own car. But he successfully began to do it for others. Before the start of World War II, he worked on many third-party orders, creating, for example, such a legend as the KdF-Wagen (or, more simply, the Beetle, the legendary car that formed the basis of Volkswagen). Porsche's very successful developments include the so-called Type 22, a racing car commissioned by Auto Union AG. All the developments of that time and formed, in the future, the basis of the legendary Porsche cars.

In the same years, the Type 64 racing car (also known as the Volkswagen Aerocoupe) was commissioned by the Nazi government for the Berlin-Rome race in 1939. In total, three Type 64s were created, of which only one survived - the first was killed at the very beginning of the war, and the second was "stopped" by American soldiers, intoxicated with victory and looking for entertainment. The surviving copy even managed to participate in the post-war races, and successfully. Now it is in a private collection, so the company museum in Stuttgart has only a recreated copy of the body. When creating the Type 64, the designer actively used the same solutions as in the "Beetle" - the appearance is recognizable. All this gives reason to believe that the Type 64 was the first prototype for future Porsches.

During World War II, the brilliant designer was involved in the creation of military equipment. He participated in the development of tanks "Tiger", "Panther" and other types of military equipment. One of the most successful self-propelled artillery mounts (ACS) of that time, the Ferdinand, was developed by none other than Ferdinand Porsche, it is believed that it was named after him. There were not so many of them, but our soldiers called any German self-propelled guns "Ferdinands", as a result of which many had the opinion that this "self-propelled gun" was one of the most massive.

After the end of the war, Porsche was accused of conspiring with the Nazis and sent to prison, where he spent 22 months. Freed, the designer was virtually out of work. At the Volkswagen factories, where he turned in the first place, other specialists were already working and did not need his services. And they didn’t really want to hire a person branded with the labels “unreliable” and “collaborated with the Nazis.” It is not known how everything would have ended if it were not for the son of an engineer - Ferdinand Porsche Jr. (in the family circle, just Ferry). It was he who undertook the revival of the company, completely building it on the foundation laid by his father.

In 1948, the Model 356 appears, many elements of which were borrowed from previous developments, and especially from the Type 64 and the Beetle. Many components of the Porsche 356 were made by Volkswagen, specifically to save and simplify production. The exceptionally successful design has won the respect of many fans of active driving.

In 1950, the company moves again. In German Stuttgart, where it is located to this day. Porsche 356s were produced for quite a long time, until 1965. During this time, many modifications have been introduced. Many of those models are still on the road today. In general, Porsche cars are not accidentally recognized as the most reliable - it is believed that more than 75% of the entire fleet produced over the years is still on the move.

And in 1951, Ferdinand Porsche dies. Death was due to a heart attack. It is believed that the reason was the years spent by the inventor in prison. He lived to be 75 years old.

One of the most important events in the history of Porsche took place in 1963 - the Porsche 911 was presented at the Frankfurt Motor Show. The design of the car, which was destined to become legendary, was developed by Ferry Porsche's eldest son, Ferdinand Alexander Porsche. The story has been preserved that the model was originally supposed to be called 901, but this was opposed by the French Peugeot, which owned the right to names of three numbers with a zero in the middle. The novelty was created in such a way as to have an updated design, but at the same time not deviate too much from the usual canons of the company. The result was recognizable forms that are successfully used to this day.

Interestingly, the creators themselves hoped to keep the 911 model on the market for at least 15 years. But more than 50 years have passed since the appearance of the model, and it still enjoys exceptional popularity. Moreover, according to Forbes magazine, the Porsche 911 is one of the cars that managed to change the world. Subsequently, the company created many more successful and very successful models, but not one of them has yet been able to repeat the success of the 911. But in general, it should be noted that over the years of its existence, the company has presented many very interesting models, a detailed description of which requires a separate book.

The beginning of the 21st century was marked by the start of work in new directions. The company began to produce not only classic sports cars, the principle of which was laid back in 1948, after the appearance of the 356 model, but also fundamentally new solutions. Such as the Porsche Cayenne sports crossover and the Porsche Panamera five-door sports car.

Since 2012, the Porsche brand has been wholly owned by the German automaker Volkswagen, whose appearance once also became possible thanks to the genius of Ferdinand Porsche. The deal was valued at just under 4.5 billion euros. Interestingly, initially it was Porsche who wanted to absorb Volkswagen. But it was not possible to do this, the company simply did not calculate its strength, as a result of which its financial position suffered.

On Porsche vehicles, the ignition key is on the left. This was originally done for the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Thus, the rider could start the car even before he was fully seated in the seat and buckled up. Thanks to this, it was possible to win a few precious seconds.

Porsche has historically been engaged not only in the creation of cars, but also offered the services of its constructors and designers to other manufacturers. Quite famous is the fact that they took part in the creation of the VAZ 2108.

History of Porsche

Porsche is that rare case when the history of a well-known brand could end before it began. The Porsche lineup today is one of the most diverse among sports car manufacturers from companies such as Lamborghini, Ferrari, Maserati. Despite all the problems that have been in the history of Porsche development, the company was able to take a leadership position ...

Ferdinand Porsche was born on September 3, 1875 in Maffersdorf near Bohemia. The father of young Ferdinand was a plumber, and therefore his son followed in his footsteps, later continuing his undertaking - he gets a job as an assistant to his father, a plumber.

Porsche was initially purposeful, so he did not stay in companies for a long time in various positions. Thanks to this quality and a fortunate combination of circumstances in Stuttgart (Germany), the first small design firm of the young "creator" Dr. Ing. h.c. F. Porsche AG.

The well-known name of Porsche in the circle of automotive industrialists contributed to the imminent appearance of the first order for the newly minted company. In 1931, NSU placed an order for the construction of a car as part of a program to create a "people's car" for the people of Germany.And after two years of hard work, a car is born under the index 32, which will later become the predecessor of the famous Volkswagen Beetle. The features of the mass "Beetle" will also appear in the first sports model of Porsche itself - the Porsche Type 60 car.

Designed by Franz Reimspiess, the air-cooled four-cylinder boxer engine had to increase in volume from 985 to 1500 cc. The body of the "athlete" was designed by the author of the appearance of the "Beetle" Erwin Komenda (Erwin Komenda). Mathematician Josef Mickl, taking into account the high aerodynamic parameters of the body, the estimated weight and engine power, calculated the maximum speed - 145-150 km / h. Contrary to the plans of Ferdinand Porsche, the automobile plant in Wolfsburg did not want to produce a sports model: the board of the German Labor Front, the founder of Volkswagen-Kdf, was preparing the enterprise for war - there was no time for sports. Then Ferdinand decided to conclude a contract with the German Labor Front to receive the necessary automotive components from Wolfsburg. But this initiative was also rejected. It seemed that the Type 64 project was doomed to be buried. An unexpected continuation of the story occurred in 1938. The German National Sports Committee is funding the development of a sports car for the 1,300-kilometer Berlin-Rome auto marathon. The car race along the German autobahns and the Italian highways was a kind of demonstration of solidarity between the two countries. Naturally, Ferdinand Porsche jumped at this chance, and the bureau received a budget for the construction of three prototypes. An engine from the "Beetle" was installed on the marathon car - this was a double benefit. Firstly, the time and costs associated with the construction of a new power unit were reduced. Secondly, there was a great opportunity to shine at the race, showing the extraordinary abilities of the people's car. The engine displacement remained the same - 985 cc, but thanks to the installation of a new carburetor, an increase in the compression ratio and an increase in the diameter of the valves, the power increased from the original 23.5 to 50 hp. After wind-tunneling a mock-up of the original body, Komenda and Mikl made several improvements to its configuration. Then the drawings were transferred to the Stuttgart company Reutter, which produced 3 aluminum bodies.

So in the summer of 1939, the first Porsche car brands of the 60K10 model appeared. They did not have to participate in the race - the outbreak of war crossed out the plans for the marathon. The sports prototypes left without "work" passed into private hands: Ferdinand Porsche, his son Ferdinand Porsche (yes, the son was named after his father, however, in order to avoid confusion, the younger Ferdinand was called Ferry in the family and among the people), and the third went to Bodo Lafferenz, director of Volkswagen. In the first months of the war, the third prototype ceased to exist - Laffers fell asleep at the wheel and smashed the car to smithereens.

During the war, a couple more unpleasant events occurred: the building of the Porsche company was destroyed by bombs of the allies, where all the archives of the work carried out over the past twelve years burned down, and the house of the Porsche family. To save themselves from bombs regularly falling from the sky, the Porsche family, having captured the surviving equipment of the company of the same name, moved to Austria. At the beginning of May 1945, units of the 42nd Rainbow Division of the 7th US Army entered the Austrian city of Zell am See, which consisted mainly of prisoners from the Sing-Sing maximum security prison (amnesty was promised for service at the front). And they had to find one of the Porsche 60K10 sports prototypes in the premises of the flight school. The convicts, armed with metal shears, turned the racing coupe into a roadster, cutting off the roof, and then rushing around the airfield in a car. But, since they didn’t bother to check the oil level, the engine soon rattled, and the convicts were left without a toy, and the world lost one more of the first Porsches. The surviving last copy is now in a private collection.

The release of the 356th model, whose production scale was initially limited to only 500 cars, lasted until 1965; By this time, over 78,000 units of this model had been assembled.

The design of a new sports car, designated type 356, began in 1948 in the Austrian village of Gmund. The work was led by Ferry Porsche: his father, Professor Ferdinand Porsche, was imprisoned and could not leave the French occupation zone to help his son. During the construction of the car, many elements of the design of the people's car were used: the brake system, steering mechanism, non-synchronized four-speed gearbox, front suspension and, of course, the engine. By the way, the standard motor of the post-war "Beetle" had a volume of 1131 cc. After increasing the diameter of the valves and increasing the compression ratio from 5.8 to 7.0, the engine power was 40 hp. at 4000 rpm instead of the previous 25 hp The body was designed, as it was ten years ago, by Erwin Komenda, and Friedrich Weber, an excellent bodybuilder and longtime friend of the Porsche family, took up the implementation of his ideas in metal.

To organize a full-fledged production, Porsche moves back to its native Stuttgart, where it was sheltered in its premises by the bodywork studio Reutter, thus providing itself with a guaranteed customer. Porsche 356 began to be equipped with a 1300 cc engine, which could be found on the "Beetle". Only Volkswagen engines were thoroughly fine-tuned and balanced at Porsche, as a result of which the assembly of the engine by one master took 25 hours. Reutter treated the production of bodies with all responsibility: manual assembly, surface grinding with wet sand (special attention was paid to welds), coating only with high-quality paint and varnish. As a result, the body shone like a Christmas tree toy. An interesting detail: any Porsche car produced before 1952 is easily recognizable by ... the absence of an emblem! There was only a chrome-plated Porsche inscription, and that's it - in Europe this was quite enough. The year 1952 came, and Porsche cars began to be delivered overseas. Maximilian Hoffman, an American of Austrian origin, having received the rights of a Porsche dealer, once, having lunch with Ferry Porsche in one of the restaurants in New York, said: “Herr Porsche, your cars are excellent, but in order for them to sell really well, they need to get their original emblem." Ferry Porsche himself was well aware that the emblem is a necessary thing for a car. Therefore, in the evening in his hotel room, Ferry Porsche sat down at his desk and sketched out a sketch of the future emblem, which, upon arrival in Germany, was transferred to the design department. The emblem was the emblem of the city of Stuttgart with a rearing bay stallion, placed in the center of the Varangian four-part shield of the Württemberg house, in the first and fourth parts of which there are black stylized images of deer horns on a gold background, in the second and third - alternating stripes of scarlet and black colors. The upper part of the emblem is adorned with the word Porsche.

There are companies such as the Brazilian Chamonix, the French Boschetti and many others that offer buyers copies of the Porsche 550 Spyder.

If so, then we would not talk about it, but ... The fact is that there are such companies as the Brazilian Chamonix, the French Boschetti and many others that offer buyers copies of the Porsche 550 Spyder. Well, if there is a demand, we will have to tell you how this machine arose. The owner of the Porsche showroom in Frankfurt am Main, Walther Glekler, decided to create an extreme racing projectile from a sports Porsche 356. And since one Gleckler to master such work, due to lack of experience, is too tough, he invited one of the Porsche engineers as a partner. Partners, having conjured with the engine, were able to extract 58 "horses" from the bowels of 1131 cc instead of the prescribed 40 (for the Porsche 356, as you remember, the "Beetle" cost 25 forces).

The basis of the car was a space frame made of aluminum tubes, in the rear part of which a forced engine stood across. Soon the duo of enthusiasts turned into a trio - a master tinsmith from the Wiedenhausen body shop joined the business. It was this master who created the shell for the future conqueror of the tracks. The resulting machine with a barquette body (this is a roadster in which the “windshield” is replaced by a low windshield), small in size and goggle-eyed headlights, resembled the original Porsche 356 and at the same time completely different. The car was ready in 1953, and Gleckler, saddling the newcomer, threw himself into the maelstrom of racing. Having won several national championships, Gleckler put a 1.3-liter 90-horsepower engine into his car. So he caught the eye of Porsche employees. One of Porsche's engineers, Wilhelm Hild, redesigned the chassis of the racing car, but the body remained the same. An order for a batch of bodies was placed at the same Wiedenhausen studio, the master of which created the skin of a single racing copy. Car engines were, by those standards, high-tech products. Judge for yourself: the cylinder block and both of its heads (don't forget that the engine is boxer?) were made of aluminum alloy; the camshafts were driven by two short vertical shafts rather than a chain; each cylinder had two spark plugs - therefore, there were a pair of coils and distributors; there were also two carburetors - Solex 40PJJ with a falling stream. As a result of all these "bells and whistles" with a volume of 1498 cc, the engine gave 110-117 hp. at 7800 rpm. The total weight of the car was 594 kg, so the maximum speed was a very significant 235 km / h. The car, called the Porsche 550 Spyder, as already mentioned, is a racing car, and they did not plan to sell it, but there were originals who asked Porsche to make them the same car for their personal use. Well, how can you refuse an influential banker or a famous singer - a favorite of the public? So the American movie star of the first half of the fifties, James Dean, owned such a Porsche. Once, having lost control on a mountain road, the film actor crashed his 550 Spyder to death. Naturally, there were no stiffening elements or a safety cage on the racing Porsche, and the car was torn in half from the impact. By the way, it was this case that attracted the attention of Americans to an exotic German automobile brand.

But with the retirement of the 356th model, the story, of course, does not end. A milestone in it is 1963, when the first 911 was born. The car was created under the guidance of the son of Porsche Jr. - Ferdinand Alexander. The 911 was first presented at the Frankfurt Motor Show and a year later it was already on the conveyor. The first version of the new six-cylinder engine developed the same power as the 356 Carrera 2, namely 130 horsepower.

By the way, initially this model should have been called not the 911th, but the 901st. But the zero in the middle of the three-digit name has already been officially staked out by the French from Peugeot. So the Germans had to attribute one more unit.

For those for whom the “nine hundred and eleventh” turned out to be a little expensive, Porsche in 1965 released the 912 model. became the most popular car in the lineup. About 30 thousand of these cars were produced from 1965 to 1975. What can not be said about the beautiful Porsche Targa with a removable roof, added to the lineup in the autumn of 1966. In the same year, Porsche celebrated its anniversary - the 100,000th car was born. Anniversary was just the model 912, handed over to the German police.

And everything would be fine, but in 1975 the 912th had to be discontinued. The reason is simple: Porsche came up with a new, even cheaper to manufacture, car - the 914, developed jointly with Volkswagen. And for the price at which the 912 was offered, a 110-horsepower 911T began to be sold on the market. At the same time, a sports modification 911R appeared with a 6-cylinder engine with a capacity of 210 “horses” and a lightweight body structure. A total of 20 such machines were produced. A real rarity.

A legend is born - the first Porsche 911 Turbo, codenamed 930, saw the light of day at the 1974 Paris Motor Show. The powerful engine (260 hp) made this 911 one of the fastest cars of its time.

Porsche continued to expand its lineup with the introduction of the 924 in 1975 (later to be replaced by the 944). All with the same 4-cylinder engine, but from a light alloy. The designers created a wonderful car in all respects at a relatively affordable price, which was confirmed by the sales results.

The company needed not only an expensive and powerful 911, but also a more affordable car. The Porsche 914 is already outdated, and therefore the 924 entered the scene. A real Porsche for very adequate money.

In 1977, a front-engined version appeared - the Porsche 928. Its V8 engine boasted American dimensions (4.5 liters, 240 hp). The Porsche 928 was the first (and so far the only) sports car to win the Car of the Year award.

Three years after the appearance of the 944, the Porsche 959 was presented at the Frankfurt Motor Show. This car was the embodiment of the most modern developments. In 1987, the company announced the production of two hundred of these machines. The 3.2-liter engine with two turbines developed 449 hp. It was a real supercar, a specially prepared version of which won the Paris-Dakar marathon in 1986.

Then came the turn of the new generation of the 911 model (body 964). The car received a completely fresh chassis: already without torsion bars, with power steering, anti-lock brakes and “intelligent” all-wheel drive for the Carrera 4. All 911s began to be equipped with an automatic rear spoiler that extended at a certain speed. The engine had six cylinders and a power of 250 horsepower.

The turbo version saw the light in the new decade. The new 911 Turbo hit dealerships in September 1990 with a 3.3-liter engine and 320 horsepower. In 1992, the Porsche family of cars was replenished with another model - the 968th. She replaced the entire range of 944s.

And in 1993, the premiere of a new generation of the 911 model (body 993) took place. The new Porsche differed from its predecessor in a more powerful (272 hp) engine, a fundamentally new rear multi-link suspension and “smooth” body shapes. Also, two types of boxes became available to choose from - a six-speed "mechanics" or a four-band "automatic".Unfortunately for the most loyal fans of the brand, this generation was the last of those whose engine was air-cooled.

Three years later, another premiere took place - this time in the class of inexpensive sports cars. The compact two-seater roadster was named Boxster and had quite impressive characteristics for its class (2.5 liters of volume and 204 hp). The engine is a brand new 6-cylinder boxer, with four valves per cylinder, which was installed in front of the rear axle with water instead of air cooling. This year was also significant in connection with the release of the millionth Porsche, it was - again, like the one hundred thousandth anniversary - the police 911 Carrera.

The Porsche Boxster mid-engined roadster made its debut in 1996 and became the brand's most affordable model. It was equipped with a 2.5-liter boxer "six", and after restyling, a 250-horsepower 3.2-liter Boxster S modification joined it.

In 1997, another premiere. To build on the success of the Boxster, the company is presenting the all-new 911 (postcode 996) in Frankfurt, which closely resembles the Boxster in appearance. A year later, the public was also shown a convertible based on it. The roof of the car was opened and closed hydraulically with a simple push of a button.

And in 2001, a prototype of the Carrera GT was presented in Paris. The concept supercar received a V10 formula-type engine with a capacity of 558 “horses”. Since 2004, the car, already with a 612-horsepower engine, went into series. A total of 1270 cars were produced.

In 2002, an unexpected car for Porsche appeared - the Cayenne SUV. Its production in Leipzig accounted for nearly half of Porsche's annual sales. The top version of the Cayenne Turbo S carried a mighty 4.5-liter V8 with 521 horsepower. He made the Cayenne one of the fastest SUVs in the world.

In 2002, the 996 was restyled and received a “face” in the style of the 911 Turbo model. In addition, the engine capacity has increased to 3.6 liters, and the power of the basic versions has increased to 320 horsepower.

In 2003, in honor of the 40th anniversary of the 911, Porsche released a batch of 40 Fast Years anniversary coupes. They were distinguished by a special Carrera GT Silver color, polished 18-inch wheels, a new exhaust system and increased engine power to 345 “horses”. A total of 1963 cars were made - in honor of the year the first 911 was born.

In 2004, the production of the most-very Porsche started - the masterpiece Carrera GT roadster. The high-tech supercar was equipped with a 5.7-liter V10 with 612 horsepower and carbon-ceramic brakes. It was able to reach 200 km/h from standstill in 9.9 seconds. In total, it was planned to produce 1500 cars, but due to too stringent new passive safety requirements, the assembly was stopped, making 1270 copies.

The last generation of the 911 to date appeared in 2004. The engine of the base Carrera developed 325 hp, while the Carrera S already had 355 hp. Porsche also has grandiose plans for the future. The big flagship Panamera is getting ready for the release, the new generation of the crazy GT2 has just debuted. Fans are running circles on 911 GT3 RS versions…

To a person who is not particularly interested in cars, it may seem that there are a large number of independent automakers in the world. In fact, among car brands, one can single out giant concerns and alliances that include several automakers. So let's see who belongs to whom among car brands.

ConcernVolkswagen

The parent company of the group is VolkswagenAG. Volkswagen AG wholly owns the intermediate holding Porsche Zwischenholding GmbH, which owns the luxury car manufacturer PorscheA.G. Well, 50.73% of the shares of Volkswagen AG itself belong to the Porsche S.E. holding, owned by the Porsche and Piech families, the descendants of the company's founder Ferdinand Porsche and his sister Louise Piech. The Volkswagen Group also includes companies Audi(bought from Daimler-Benz), SEAT, Skoda, Bentley, Bugatti And Lamborghini. Plus truck and bus manufacturers MAN(Volkswagen owns 55.9% of the shares) and Scania (70,94%).

CompanyToyota

President of the Japanese company Toyota Motor Corp. is Akio Toyoda, the grandson of the founder of the company. The Master Trust Bank of Japan owns 6.29%, Japan Trustee Services Bank 6.29%, Toyota Industries Corporation 5.81%, plus 9% treasury shares. Among Japanese manufacturers, Toyota owns the largest number of brands: Lexus(the company was created by Toyota itself as a manufacturer of luxury cars), Subaru, Daihatsu , Scion(cars with youth design for sale in the USA) and hino(produces trucks and buses).

CompanyHonda

Another Japanese automaker Honda owns only one brand, and then created by Honda itself for the production of luxury cars - Acura.

ConcernPeugeot-Citroen

The concern is the second largest automaker in Europe after Volkswagen. The largest shareholders of the concern are the Peugeot family - 14% of the shares, the Chinese automaker DongFeng - 14% and the French government - 14%. With regard to the relationship of companies within the concern, Peugeot SA owns 89.95% of the shares of Citroen.

AllianceRenault-Nissan

The Renault-Nissan Alliance was founded in 1999 and is a strategic partnership between companies in the field of engineering development. In terms of company owners, Renault is 15.01% owned by the French government and 15% by Nissan. The share of Renault in Nissan, in turn, is 43.4%. Renault partially or wholly controls the following brands: Dacia (99,43%), SamsungMotors (80,1%), AvtoVAZ(more than 50% of shares).

Nissan controls only its division Infiniti, engaged in the production of prestigious cars, and the brand Datsun, which currently manufactures budget cars for sale in India, Indonesia, South Africa and Russia.

ConcernGeneralMotors

The American concern General Motors currently owns the following brands: Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, Daewoo, GMC, holden, Opel And Vauxhall. In addition, GM's subsidiary, GM Auslandsprojekte GMBH, owns a 41.6% stake in the GM-AvtoVAZ joint venture, GM-AvtoVAZ, which produces Chevrolet Niva cars.

The concern is currently controlled by the state (61% of shares). The remaining shareholders of the concern are the United Automotive Workers Union of the USA (17.5%), the Government of Canada (12%). The remaining 9.5% of the shares are owned by various large creditors.

CompanyFord

Ford is currently controlled by the Ford family and owns a 40% stake. William Ford Jr., great-grandson of the legendary Henry Ford, serves as chairman of the company's board of directors. Prior to the 2008 crisis, Ford owned brands such as Jaguar, Lincoln, Land Rover, Volvo and Aston Martin, as well as a 33% stake in the Japanese Mazda. In connection with the crisis, all brands, with the exception of Lincoln, were sold, and the share of Mazda shares was reduced to 13% (and in 2010 - to 3% in general). Jaguar and Land Rover were bought by the Indian company Tata Motors, Volvo was bought by the Chinese Geely, Aston Martin was sold to a consortium of investors, in fact, turning into an independent brand. As a result, at the moment, only the brand is owned by Ford Lincoln, which produces luxury cars.

Concernfiat

The Italian concern has collected in its collection such brands as AlphaRomeo, Ferrari, Maserati And Lancia. Plus, in early 2014, Fiat bought the American automaker outright. Chrysler along with brands Jeep, Dodge And Ram. The largest owners of the concern today are the Agnelli family (30.5% of shares) and Capital Research & Management (5.2%).

Concernbmw

In the late 50s of the last century, the Bavarian concern BMW was in big losses. At this time, one of the shareholders of BMW, industrialist Herbert Quandt, bought a large stake in the company and actually saved it from bankruptcy and sale to its eternal competitor, Daimler. The Quant family still owns 46.6% of the concern's shares. The remaining 53.3% of the company's shares are traded on the market. The group owns such brands as Rolls-Royce And MINI.

ConcernDaimler

The main shareholders of the concern are the Arab investment fund Aabar Investments (9.1%), the government of Kuwait (7.2%) and the emirate of Dubai (about 2%). Daimler produces cars under the brands Mercedes-Benz, Maybach And Smart. The concern also owns a 15% stake in the Russian truck manufacturer, the company " Kamaz».

ConcernHyundai

The largest automaker in South Korea, in addition to its own brand, also owns a 38.67% stake in the brand KIA(the company is part of the Hyundai Motor Group).

Independent automakers

Among the popular brands that are not members of any alliances, and do not own other brands, there are three Japanese automakers - Mazda, Mitsubishi And Suzuki.

However, today's realities show that in the future it will be more and more difficult for independent automakers to survive. To sell your cars worldwide, you need to have a solid "foundation", which is provided either by partners or a batch of several brands. Thirty years ago, legendary CEO Lee Iacocca, once president of Ford and chairman of Chrysler Corporation, predicted that by the turn of the 21st century, there would be only a handful of automakers left in the world.