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Hundreds of years of heritage
© PeugeotSome car companies have been around for much longer than you may think. While the popularity of the motor car really started to accelerate in the early 1900s, encouraging dozens of startup automobile companies, a few iconic brands go back way further, to before the dawn of the car. Here, we rank the oldest car brands in the world… and look at some newer, modern-day startup firms, too.
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Peugeot – 1810
© PeugeotAlthough Peugeot didn’t build its first motor car until 1891, the company dates back to 1810. Two Peugeot brothers, Jean-Pierre and Jean-Frederic, established the company having converted their father’s corn mill into a steel mill. The company became associated with saws, tools, coffee grinders, bicycles and, famously, salt and pepper mills.
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Holden – 1856
© NewspressGeneral Motors has wielded the axe on Holden, with the brand disappearing in 2021. It’s a sorry end for a proud Australian company, which can trace its roots back to 1856 when James Alexander Holden opened a saddlery in Adelaide. Car production started in 1908, before Holden was bought by GM in 1931.
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Vauxhall – 1857
© VauxhallThe Vauxhall Iron Works was founded in 1857 by the engineer Alexander Wilson. It’s the UK’s oldest surviving car brand, with the first models rolling off the production line in 1903. Today, the company is owned by the French PSA Group, with many of its cars sharing platforms with Peugeot and Citroen models.
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Opel – 1862
© OpelOpel was founded by Adam Opel in Russelsheim, Germany, in 1862. The company started by building sewing machines, with the first employee arriving in 1863. Having entered the booming bicycle business in 1886, the company built its first car in 1899. Today, like Vauxhall, Opel is part of the PSA Group.
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Mercedes-Benz – 1883
© Mercedes-BenzBenz and Co. Rheinische Gasmotoren-Fabrik (renamed Benz and Cie. in 1899) was founded in Mannheim by Carl Benz in 1883. Six years later, Benz submitted a patent application for a ‘vehicle with gas engine operation’ to the Imperial Patent Office. This was the birth of the modern automobile.
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Skoda – 1895
© SkodaThe Skoda story began in 1895, when cycling fanatics Vaclav Laurin and Vaclav Klement started designing and building bicycles under the name Laurin and Klement. The cycles sold well, so the pair began making motorcycles in 1899, producing nearly 4,000 motorbikes of all types. The first car was the Voiturette A, although the first vehicle to wear the Skoda badge was the Laurin and Klement – Skoda 110 of the late 1920s.
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Renault – 1898
© RenaultRenault was established in 1898 by the brothers Louis, Marcel and Fernand Renault. The story began on Christmas Eve 1898, when Louis Renault climbed rue Lepic in Paris in his ‘Voiturette’. He received 12 orders that night, which encouraged the brothers to form the company Renault Freres.
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Fiat – 1899
© FiatOn 11 July 1899, in Palazzo Bricherasio in Turin, the Societa Anonima Fabbrica Italiana di Automobili – Torino was founded. This was subsequently simplified to Fabbrica Italiana Automobili Torino (FIAT). With a workforce of around 30 people, the first Fiat was the 3.5HP.
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Buick – 1899
© BuickOfficially, Buick is the oldest active North American car company. It can trace its roots back to 1899, when the Scottish born David Dunbar Buick established the Buick Auto-Vim and Power Company. Three years later, the Buick Motor Company was established in Detroit. It quickly established itself as the largest car manufacturer in America.
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Dodge – 1900
© DodgeAlthough Dodge didn’t start building its own vehicles until 1914, the company can trace its roots back to 1900. Brothers John and Horace Dodge established a machine shop in Detroit and developed a reputation for quality. The company could count Ransom E. Olds and Henry Ford as customers.
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Cadillac – 1902
© CadillacCadillac was named after the French army officer Antoine de la Mothe Cadillac, the man who built the ‘Ville d’Etroit’ on the western shore of Lake Erie. This was to become Detroit. The Model A was the first Cadillac to leave the factory gates. Well over 11 million cars had been sold by the time Cadillac celebrated its 100th anniversary in 2002.
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Ford – 1903
© FordHenry Ford built a 4hp quadricycle in 1896. Seven years later, the Ford Motor Company was incorporated with 12 investors and 1,000 shares. The first Model A was sold on 23 July 1903, with the famous Model T arriving five years later.
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Lancia – 1906
© LanciaLancia was founded in 1906 by Vincenzo Lancia in partnership with Claudio Fogolin. Although the early cars were simple and straightforward designs, Lancia would go on to build some of the most innovative and beautiful vehicles in the world. Today, Lancia is a shadow of its former self, with just one car and one market left to its name.
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Rolls-Royce – 1906
© Rolls-RoyceThe birth of Rolls-Royce was a meeting of minds. Henry Royce had established a successful electric and mechanical business in 1884 and built his first car in 1904. In July of that year, he met Charles Rolls, who sold cars in London. This led to the creation of Rolls-Royce in March 1906.
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Daihatsu – 1907
© DaihatsuDaihatsu can trace its roots back to the industrial revolution in Japan, when Seizo Co. Ltd was founded in Osaka. The company established itself in the field of engine production, before Japan was hit by an earthquake and the Great Depression of 1929. Having diversified, the company was renamed Daihatsu Motor Company in 1951, although the name dates back to 1930.
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General Motors – 1908
© General MotorsGeneral Motors (GM) was founded in 1908 by William C ‘Billy’ Durant. The company would go on to create a formidable portfolio of automotive brands, including Buick, Oldsmobile, Oakland (later Pontiac), Cadillac, Chevrolet, Opel and Vauxhall. This picture shows a statue of Durant (left) and Josiah Dallas Dort, co-founder of GM and the Dort Motor Car Company.
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Bugatti – 1909
© BugattiIn 1907, Ettore Bugatti developed a 50hp car and offered it to the Deutz engine factory in Cologne. The car was manufactured under licence and Bugatti became head of production. Two years later, Bugatti left Deutz, and with his severance pay he leased an old dyeworks building in Molsheim, Alsace. The company was called Automobiles Ettore Bugatti. The rest is history.
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Suzuki – 1909
© SuzukiThe story of Suzuki begins in 1909 when the company started producing looms in Hamamatsu, Japan. Michio Suzuki, the company’s founder, harboured dreams of converting the business to car manufacturing. In 1937, the first prototype vehicle was created, but plans were halted by the outbreak of the Second World War. The first production car was the Suzulight of 1955.
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Morgan – 1909
© MorganThe Morgan Motor Company was founded in 1909 when Henry Frederick Stanley Morgan created the Morgan Three-Wheeler. The first production Morgans were single-seat ‘Runabouts’ powered by either a single cylinder 4hp engine or a 8hp V-twin unit. The Runabouts were unveiled at the Olympia motorcycle show in 1910.
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Audi – 1910
© AudiPinpointing a date for the creation of Audi is a little difficult. In 1932, Audi, DKW, Horch and Wanderer merged to create Auto Union. You could argue that Audi can trace its roots back to 1885 and the founding of Wanderer, or indeed 1899 and the founding of Horch. However, the creation of Audi Automobilwerke GmbH Zwickau in 1910 is arguably the most accurate date.
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Alfa Romeo – 1910
© Alfa RomeoAnonima Lombarda Fabbrica Automobili (ALFA) was established on 24 June 1910. Five years later, the company changed its name to Alfa Romeo when Nicola Romeo took charge of operations. Alfa can trace its roots back to the creation of Societa Anonima Italiana Darracq (SAID), but things changed when the business relocated to Milan.
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Chevrolet – 1911
© ChevroletChevrolet was founded by Louis Chevrolet and William C. Durant in 1911. Durant was a former racing driver and founder of General Motors in 1908 who transformed the fortunes of Buick. Having left GM in 1910, he was keen to re-establish his credibility in Detroit, hence the alliance with Louis Chevrolet. The famous ‘bow tie’ badge followed two years later.
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Nissan – 1911
© NissanNissan can trace its roots back to 1911 and the creation of the Kaishinsha Motor Car Works. The first car was the DAT, an acronym of the surnames of the company’s investors. The Nihon Sangyo holding company was established in 1928, with the Nissan name derived from an abbreviation used on the stock exchange.
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Aston Martin – 1913
© Aston MartinAston Martin was founded by Lionel Martin and Robert Bamford in 1913. Back then, the company operated in a small London workshop. The company was named after the Aston Clinton hillclimb in Buckinghamshire, specifically after Lionel Martin raced to victory in a car built by the pair.
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Maserati – 1914
© MaseratiOn 1 December 1914, Alfieri, Ettore and Ernesto Maserati opened the Societa Anonima Officine Alfieri Maserati workshop in Bologna. Twelve years later, the brothers worked on the Tipo 26 – the first car to be named Maserati and to wear the famous Trident badge.
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BMW – 1916
© BMWBMW can trace its roots back to 1916 when the Flugmaschinenfabrik Gustav Otto company merged with Bayerische Flugzeug-Werke AG (BFW) under government orders. Elsewhere, in 1917, the Rapp Motorenwerke company became Bayerische Motoren Werke GmbH, which was converted into a limited company in 1918.
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Isuzu – 1916
© IsuzuIn 1916, the Tokyo Ishikawajima Shipbuilding and Engineering Company partnered with Tokyo Gas and Electric with the aim of producing vehicles. Two years later, the Tokyo Ishikawajima Shipbuilding and Engineering Company signed an agreement to produce the Wolseley A-9 for the domestic market, with the first Isuzu truck appearing in 1934. Tokyo Automobile Industries, the predecessor of Isuzu Motors, was established in 1937.
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Mitsubishi – 1917
© MitsubishiLike Isuzu, Mitsubishi is another Japanese company with its roots in the shipbuilding industry. The story began in 1917 when the Mitsubishi Shipbuilding Company produced its first car: the Mitsubishi Model-A. It was the first mass-produced car in Japanese history. One could argue that Mitsubishi can trace its history back to 1870 with the founding of a shipping company founded by Yataro Iwasaki.
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Bentley – 1919
© BentleyIn 1912, W.O. Bentley raised £2,000 and formed a partnership with one of his brothers to form Bentley and Bentley: the British Empire concessionaires for Doirot, Flandrin and Parant (DFP). The company imported cars from the French marque to race at Brooklands. Bentley Motors was established in 1919 underpinned by W.O. Bentley’s philosophy that “we are going to make a fast car, a good car, the best in its class”.
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Citroen – 1919
© CitroenAt the end of the First World War, the industrialist Andre Citroen decided to establish a company of his own. The first car to bear his name was the Type A of 1919 – the first mass-produced European car. A century later, the company can list the likes of the Traction Avant, 2CV, DS, SM and GS to its name.
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Mazda – 1920
© MazdaThe Toyo Cork Kogyo Company was formed in Hiroshima in 1920. Originally established to manufacture tools, the company didn’t create its first vehicle until 1931. The Mazda-Go was a three-wheeled truck, but the first passenger car, the R360 Coupe, didn’t arrive until 1960.
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Jaguar – 1922
© JaguarAlthough the Jaguar name wasn’t used until 1935, the company can trace its roots back to the Swallow Sidecar Company, established by William Lyons and William Walmsley in 1922. Milestones include the XK120 in 1948, the E-Type in 1961 and the I-Pace electric SUV in 2018.
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MG – 1924
© MGMorris Garages (MG) was established in 1924 by Cecil Kimber, the general manager of Morris. He built performance versions of standard Morris vehicles, including the 14-28, which was based on the Morris Oxford. The company moved to Abingdon in 1929 before cementing a reputation as one of the world’s preeminent sports car manufacturers. Today, MG is under Chinese ownership, following the collapse of the business in 2005.
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Chrysler – 1925
© ChryslerChrysler was established as the Chrysler Corporation in 1925. Walter Percy Chrysler created the company after the organisers of the New York Motor Show refused to allow him to display the prototype Chrysler Six at the 1924 show. Undeterred, he drove it into the lobby.
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Pontiac – 1926
© PontiacThe Pontiac story began in 1893, when the Pontiac Buggy Company was established in Michigan. In 1907, founder Edward Murphy began building cars under the name of the Oakland Motor Car Company, before General Motors bought a stake in the business. GM created Pontiac in 1926, naming it after a local Indian chief.
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Volvo – 1927
© VolvoVolvo – which is Latin for ‘I roll’ – was trademarked in 1915, but the company didn’t start producing cars until 1927. That was when Assar Gabrielsson and Gustaf Larsson founded the company and the first car ‘Jakob’ left the factory in Gothenburg.
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Ferrari – 1929
© FerrariScuderia Ferrari was founded in 1929 to “buy Alfa Romeo racing cars and take part in the races on the national sports calendar and in the calendar of the Associazione Nazionale Automobil Clubs”. The first Ferrari, a 125 S, drove out of the Maranello gates in 1947.
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Toyota – 1937
© ToyotaToyota can trace its roots back to the creation of the Toyoda Spinning and Weaving Company in 1918. The company built its first car, the Model AA, in 1936, and in 1937, the Toyota Motor Company was established.
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Volkswagen – 1937
© VolkswagenThe history of Volkswagen begins with the development of a car for the Nazi party in 1934. Three years later, the Company for the Preparation of the German Volkswagen Ltd was formally established, with the name changing to Volkswagen in 1938.
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Saab – 1937
© SaabThe Svenska Aeroplan Aktiebolaget (Swedish Aircraft Company) was founded in April 1937, with a factory in Trollhattan completed a year later. Initially producing aircraft, Saab started building cars in 1947.
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Jeep – 1941
© JeepIn July 1941, Willys-Overland Motor Company of Ohio received an order to build the Willys MB for the American military. There are many theories regarding the origins of the Jeep name, but Willy-Overland filed the original trademark in 1943.
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Kia – 1944
© KiaKyungsung Precision Industry was founded in December 1944, with the company renamed Kia Industries in 1952. Having established itself, first as a bicycle manufacturer, then producing trucks, the first passenger car was unveiled in 1974. The Kia Brisa was based on the Mazda 1000.
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Porsche – 1931
© PorscheFerdinand Porsche founded his engineering office in 1931, so you could argue that this was the birth of the company. The company began by offering development and consultancy work, but the first car to wear a Porsche badge didn’t arrive until 1948. The fact that Porsche celebrated its 70th anniversary in 2018 suggests that it sees 1948 as the company’s genesis.
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Land Rover – 1948
© Land RoverThe original Land Rover was inspired by the Willys Jeep after Rover’s chief designer Maurice Wilks used one at his holiday cottage in Wales. The first Land Rover was unveiled at the 1948 Amsterdam Motor Show and it was outselling traditional Rover cars within a year.
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Lotus – 1948
© LotusColin Chapman built his first car in a garage in 1946 or 1947. He called it an Austin Seven Special and it competed in mud-plugging trials in 1948. The first car to wear the Lotus name arrived in 1949, while the Lotus Engineering Company was founded on 1 January 1952.
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Honda – 1948
© HondaHonda has crammed an awful lot of brilliance into a relatively short space of time. Soichiro Honda established his first company in 1937 to produce piston rings. Although business was good, Honda suffered a double blow in the form of an earthquake and the Second World War. The Honda Technical Research Institute rose from the ashes, with the Honda Motor Company born in 1948.
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Abarth – 1949
© AbarthAfter a career racing motorcycles and cars, Carlo Abarth founded the eponymous company with Guido Scagliarini in 1949. The company’s success was built on producing aftermarket performance products and tuning kits. In 1958, Abarth created its first masterpiece: the Fiat 500 Abarth.
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Seat – 1950
© SeatThe Sociedad Española de Automóviles de Turismo (SEAT) was established to get Spain moving following the Second World War. The first factory opened in Barcelona in 1953, with early success built on the strength of Fiat products. In 1986, Volkswagen took a 75 percent share in the business, before increasing this to 99.99 percent in 1990.
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Subaru – 1953
© SubaruFuji Heavy Industries established the Subaru name in 1953, with the company producing its first car (the 1500) in 1954. The first mass-produced Subaru was the 360, a car known in Japan as the ‘people’s car’. Today, the Subaru brand is synonymous with all-wheel-drive technology.
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SsangYong – 1954
© SsangYongSsangYong’s origins can be traced back to 1954 when the South Korean company was established. The company started by producing trucks and buses for export, before changing its name in 1977. The SsangYong Group acquired the company in 1986, before forming a strategic alliance with Daimler-Benz in 1991.
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Alpine – 1955
© AlpineSociete des Automobiles Alpine was founded by Jean Rédélé on 25 June 1955. He believed that “motorsport is the best way to sell production cars”, reasoning that “victory is the best sales tool”. The first Alpine, the A106, was based on the Renault 4CV platform.
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Mini – 1959
© MiniThe Mini marque was born in 1959, although this mustn’t be confused with the modern Mini company, which is a sub-brand of BMW. The modern version made its production debut in 2000, before going on sale in 2001.
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Lamborghini – 1963
© LamborghiniThe history of Lamborghini Automobili began in 1963, but Ferruccio Lamborghini founded a tractor factory at the end of the Second World War. The great man bought a large plot of land in Sant’Agata Bolognese, where the company is still based today.
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Lada – 1966
© LadaAvtovaz, the first Russian car manufacturer, was founded in 1966. It began by producing popular cars for the domestic market, the first being the Lada 1200. The first four-wheel-drive Lada, the Niva, arrived in 1977.
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Hyundai – 1967
© HyundaiThe Hyundai Motor Company was incorporated in 1967, with mass production of the Ford Cortina commencing in 1968. A decade after the company was founded, Hyundai launched the Pony – one of Korea’s first passenger cars.
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Caterham – 1973
© CaterhamIn 1959, Caterham Cars was established as a Lotus sales outlet, selling Sevens and Elites. In 1973, Caterham Cars took over the production rights for the Lotus Seven.
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Proton – 1983
© ProtonPerusahaan Otomobil Nasional Berhad (Proton) was incorporated in May 1983 to sell motor vehicles and related products, including accessories, spare parts and other components. Proton’s first car, the Saga, launched in 1985.
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McLaren – 1985
© McLarenMcLaren Cars was founded in 1985 by Ron Dennis, before the company created the iconic McLaren F1 in 1992. For many years, the company was listed as ‘dormant’, before a new era began in 2010 with the birth of McLaren Automotive.
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Geely – 1986
© GeelyAlthough Zhejiang Geely Holding Group was founded in 1986, the company didn’t start producing cars until 1998. Today, outside of China, the company is most famous for its ownership of Volvo, Polestar, Proton and Lotus.
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Acura – 1986
© AcuraAcura was established in 1986 as the premium arm of Honda. The company began with the Integra and Legend, but hit the headlines when the NSX was given the Acura badge in North America. Today, the company offers a range of saloons and SUVs, along with the modern version of the NSX.
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Lexus – 1989
© LexusThe Lexus story began in 1983 when the Toyota chairman Eiji Toyoda asked his staff if they could build a world-beating luxury saloon. A car good enough to take on – and beat – the Mercedes-Benz S-Class. The result was the Lexus LS 400 of 1989. Three decades on, it’s clear that Toyoda’s team was more than capable.
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Infiniti – 1989
© InfinitiNissan was another Japanese company with premium aspirations. The project started in 1985 when a team was tasked with building a premium brand capable of taking on the best American and European brands. The Q45 and M30 arrived in 1989, along with 51 dealers in the United States.
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Smart – 1994
© SmartThe Smart story began in 1989 when Nicolas G. Hayek, the inventor of the Swatch watch, announced plans to launch a city car. After negotiations with Mercedes-Benz, the Micro Compact Car AG was founded, with its headquarters in Switzerland. The Smart City Coupe made its debut at the 1997 Frankfurt Motor Show.
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Tesla – 2003
© TeslaTesla arrived in 2003. You may have seen the name on social media…
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Genesis – 2015
© NewspressThe Hyundai Genesis first appeared in 2004, but the long term aim was for Genesis to become a standalone brand. Genesis Motors was founded in 2015. Today, the company offers everything from the G70 saloon to the G90 luxury car.
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DS Automobiles – 2015
© DS AutomobilesAlthough DS Automobiles tries to leverage some brand equity from the legendary Citroen DS of 1955, its story doesn’t start until 2015 when the company split from its mother brand. Previously, DS cars had been sold under the Citroen banner.