The auto industry can seem daunting on the surface; dozens of car brands all elbowing each other for market share, with hundreds of models available across every segment. From household names like Ford and Toyota to luxury marques like Ferrari, Lamborghini, and Rolls-Royce, the sheer number of choices can be overwhelming.
But believe it or not, the auto industry is more compact than you think. Behind those familiar badges is a much smaller group of massive companies shaping the direction of the global car market.
Today, roughly two dozen major automakers control the vast majority of the world’s passenger car brands. Some, like BMW and Toyota, 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 by region—and the brands it controls through majority ownership—to make sense of one of the world’s most interconnected industries.
America
If you’ve lived in the US long enough, you’ve probably heard the phrase “The Big Three” in relation to America’s three biggest automakers: Ford, General Motors, and Chrysler. While that may have been true over a decade ago, today, it’s mostly just the big two—Ford and GM—with a few independent players vying for space in the market.
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, we’ve also seen four major EV startups in the US: Lucid, Rivian, Slate, and Tesla (not counting the dozen or so tiny startups that may or may not still exist).
Ford Motor Company
General Motors
- Buick
- Cadillac
- Chevrolet
- GMC
Independents
China
This is where the list gets… dense. So dense, in fact, that there’s an entire Wikipedia entry dedicated to the dozens of brands and multiple ownership groups largely specific to that region. Simply put: There are 12 major automakers in China and roughly 70 active consumer vehicle brands, depending on how you define them (some sources will tell you 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 the country, each with a handful of brands. But over the last few years, the market has grown to a dozen auto giants, and a few independents operating just one brand (for now).
- JAC Motors
- JAC Refine
- JAC Yiwei
- Arcfox
- Beijing
- Beijing Off-road
- Foton
- BYD
- Denza
- Fangchengbao
- Linghui
- Yangwang
- Avatr
- Changan Auto
- Deepal
- Kaicene
- Bestune
- Hongqi
- Jiefang
- Yueyi
- Aeolus
- Dongfeng Nammi
- Forthing
- M-Hero
- Voyah
- Baojun
- IM
- Maxus
- MG
- Nanjing-Iveco
- Rising Auto
- Roewe
- Sunwin
- Wuling
- Yuejin
- Farizon
- Geely
- Ji Yue
- Livan
- Lynk & Co
- LEVC
- Lotus
- Polestar
- Proton
- Smart (50% With Mercedes-Benz)
- Volvo
- Zeekr
- 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—though it’s not without some perplexity. There are 6 major automakers headquartered in Europe, ranging 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 (though that number could be reduced soon). Volkswagen comes in second on the brand front with 9 active brands following a recent restructuring, with smaller players like BMW Group and the relatively newly formed 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 some of the ultra-tiny automakers that aren’t mentioned here.
- Mercedes-Benz
- Smart (50% With Geely)
- Alpine
- Dacia
- Mobilize
- Renault
- Abarth
- Alfa Romeo
- Chrysler
- Citroen
- Dodge
- DS
- Fiat
- Jeep
- Lancia
- Maserati
- Opel
- Ram
- Vauxhall
- Audi
- Bentley
- Cupra
- Lamborghini
- Porsche
- Seat
- Scout
- Skoda
- Volkswagen
- Aston Martin
- Ariel
- Caterham
- Donkervoort
- Ferrari
- Gordon Murray
- Ineos
- Morgan Motor
- Pagani
- Koenigsegg
- Zenvo
India
India often gets forgotten 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.
- 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. Americans are probably most familiar with the latter two, but Daihatsu and Hino are two major players for affordable vehicles in Japan.
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.
- Daihatsu
- Hino
- Lexus
- Toyota
- 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).
But did you know there’s another automaker in Korea? KG Mobility, or KGM (formerly SsangYong Motor), 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.
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.
