Question

Kinja'd!!! by "Shoop" (shoopdawoop993)
Published 12/28/2017 at 23:04

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What was the last mass market manufacturer to successfully begin producing and marketing cars in the US, or for that matter anywhere, independently of any existing brands, besides Tesla?

Im writing a paper, may post here after i turn it in


Replies (7)

Kinja'd!!! "Highlander-Datsuns are Forever" (jamesbowland)
12/28/2017 at 23:10, STARS: 2

Jeep?

Kinja'd!!! "Shoop" (shoopdawoop993)
12/28/2017 at 23:16, STARS: 0

oooh good one

Kinja'd!!! "TheTurbochargedSquirrel" (thatsquirrel)
12/28/2017 at 23:17, STARS: 1

Saturn? They were successful for a while.

Kinja'd!!! "TheTurbochargedSquirrel" (thatsquirrel)
12/28/2017 at 23:21, STARS: 0

Wait, you said independent. Don’t mind me.

Kinja'd!!! "Textured Soy Protein" (texturedsoyprotein)
12/28/2017 at 23:23, STARS: 2

VW - 1978
Honda - 1982 (or 1979 if you count motorcycles)
Nissan - 1983
Toyota - 1986
Subaru - 1987 (but it was a joint venture with Isuzu)
BMW - 1994
Mercedes-Benz - 1997
Hyundai - 2005
Kia - 2009

As far as manufacturers who did not already exist outside the US who opened their first US plant in the years listed above, outside of Tesla, they’re all specialty cars like Saleen, Panoz, Fisker, or Hennessey.

Kinja'd!!! "Eric @ opposite-lock.com" (theyrerolling)
12/29/2017 at 00:30, STARS: 1

Totally independent and mass market? Couldn’t have been after the 1940s or so. Companies with existing sales have opened production facilities since then in the US, but that seems to be a different question.

Kinja'd!!! "SmugAardvark" (SmugAardvark)
12/29/2017 at 02:39, STARS: 0

Do subsidiaries count? If so, I’d venture to say Saturn.