About This Quiz
Let us help you gauge if you truly know your car company facts. This auto manufacturer quiz is not for the faint of heart. You may know a slew of auto lingo, but can you recognize industry names that have been scrambled before scoring big, all in a span of four minutes? We'll be so impressed if you can keep up the pace!
The automotive industry is as exhilarating as it gets when it comes to business. This fast-paced world deals with design, technological advancements, production, maintenance systems, consumer-side practices, and much more. Can you think of any other industry with so many dimensions? The questions in our quiz will inspire you to see how this massive, multi-layered industry got its start.ÂÂ
Some car companies began as weapons manufacturers, shipping companies, sellers of knick-knacks, etc. Others were successful from the very beginning, while still others overcame the pitfalls that come with new business ventures. Existing automakers have done whatever it took to keep up with the demands of a sophisticated consumer base. When people want big-bodied cabs of steel, fuel-efficiency, environmentally-friendly alternatives, speed, luxury, you name it ... there are always several or more car companies poised to supply the demand. ÂÂ
Auto manufacturers have survived because they know their buyers. Let's see how many car makers you can size up. Drive forward if you're fueled up to win this auto words race!
Carl Wilkerson introduced Dodge to the NASCAR Winston Cup Series at the Canfield Motor Speedway in Ohio on May 30, 1950. Dodge's Winston Cup vehicles featured the robust "Hemi" engine.
In December 2018, General Motors was issued U.S. patent 10,160,352 titled "Motor vehicle seat and motor vehicle with such a motor vehicle seat." The seat has a backrest equipped with a transmission device used for sending unconnected power and signals from a vehicle-side device to the electric load.
The Volkswagen Beetle was manufactured in Germany for the United States. However, in 1977, the U.S. halted the importation of the car since it failed to meet emissions and safety standards. Adolf Hitler's administration first debuted the iconic vehicle, dubbed the "bug," for German citizenry.
Advertisement
Toyota rose to become the highest importer of foreign cars in America in 1975. The Japanese carmaker pierced the European market in 1992 when it agreed to construct a manufacturing plant in the United Kingdom and sell Volkswagens in Japan.
The first year that British racers competed at LeMans, the world's oldest sports car racing event, was 1954. Champion racer Stirling Moss set a track record of 172 miles per hour racing Jaguar's D-type model through the 3.5 mile Mulsanne Straight.
Honda was the first Japanese automobile made in the United States. On November 2, 1982, at 8:30 A.M. the first American-manufactured Honda vehicle came off the company's Marysville plant assembly line in Ohio.
Advertisement
To compete with Ford's Ranchero, Chevrolet unveiled the El Camino on October 16, 1958. The El Camino functions as a transport vehicle, utility car and coupe. Production of the car occurred from 1959 to 1960 and between 1964 and 1987.
The Philippines' division of Ford celebrated the company's centennial with "Ford Day 2003: Celebrating 100 Years of Forever Real Drivers" in Makati City on December 6, 2003. The day's events included vehicle-interactive demonstrations and a consumer-focused "Me and My Ford Photo Exhibit."
British luxury car manufacturer Aston Martin unveiled its Vanquish model at the 2012 10th China (Guangzhou) International Automobile Exhibition. The Vanquish was hand-crafted at the company's headquarters at Gaydon in Warwickshire, United Kingdom.
Advertisement
Tesla's Model S owns the distinction of being the first vehicle without an internal combustion engine that was awarded Motor Trend Car of the Year. Motor Trend personnel estimated that the car averaged 74.5 miles per gallon during standard urban travel.
The Detroit Electric car brand was released early on in the 20th century as an electric vehicle. Detroit Electric was formerly known as the Anderson Electric Car Company which was founded more than 100 years ago. Anderson manufactured vehicles between 1907 and 1939.
California-based car company Faraday Future unveiled its first electric car at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, Nevada, in January 2017. Nevada offered the company a $335 million incentive package to build a $1 billion factory in the state in 2015.
Advertisement
Ram unveiled the Ram 1500 truck model in 2008. The 2010 edition featured an increased towing capacity of 10,450 pounds, multi-link coil spring rear suspension and Ram's signature 5.7-liter HEMI(R) V-8 engine.
In 2010, Porsche announced plans for the 911 Speedster that debuted at the Paris Motor Show in October of the same year. The 2011 911 edition is a two-seater that features a standard seven-speed Porsche Doppelkupplungsgetriebe transmission that transfers power to the rear axle via a locking differential.
McLaren Group chairman Ron Dennis unveiled plans for the high-performance car maker's "P11" mid-engine in 2009. American car designer Frank Stephenson, who developed the Fiat 500, created McLaren's "P11" design.
Advertisement
Volvo produces sedans, SUVs and wagons. The automaker also offers car services, such as "Volvo On Call" and "Sensus Connect." Volvo is a subsidiary of Zhejiang Geely Holding Group Co., Ltd, China; operates out of Belgium, China and Sweden and is headquartered in Goteborg, Sweden.
In 2016, Romanian artist Adrian Mitu produced a BMW history-themed cultural event called "Blue Coffee," which was a live painting marathon that lasted for 30 days. Mitu created 101 distinctive artworks for which he implemented a watercolor technique that included the use of coffee.
Founded in 1870 as Tsukomo Shokai Shipping Corporation, Mitsubishi Motors evolved the mass-assemblage of passenger vehicles in Japan. Mitsubishi Heavy Industries began manufacturing the "Mitsubishi Model-A" in 1917.
Advertisement
"The Buick, a Complete History" published by Automotive Quarterly, is the considered the definitive source of the automaker's history. The book was originally published in 1980, and one of the chapters is about the oldest existing Buick model which is a 1905 Model C.
In a strong effort to make progress in the U.S. car market, Kia announced plans to build a $1.2 billion manufacturing plant in Troup County, Georgia, its first assembly plant in the United States. Announced in 2006, Kia's plans included hiring 2,500 local employees.
Louis Renault's company began when he assembled small, four-wheeled vehicles with a direct drive system for his friends in 1898. In 1899, he established the Renault Brothers Company which produced automobiles that won a string of motorcar competitions.
Advertisement
In 2012, Lincoln presented the MKZ luxury car at a ceremonious New York City event that reintroduced the brand into the luxury car market. The event took place at New York City's Lincoln Center Plaza. Lincoln's MKZ sedan was designed for the "progressive luxury consumer."
Nissan Motors began in Yokohama​ City, Japan, when Jidosha Seizo Co. Ltd. was set up in 1933. The company changed its name to Nissan Motor Co. Ltd. in 1934. Then during World War II in 1944, the company was tasked with producing military weapons and was renamed Nissan Heavy Industry Co. Ltd.
The Peugeot brand began in 1810 when the Peugeot brothers manufactured springs for the clock industry. In 1885, they began production of two-, three- and four-wheeled cycles. Citroen SA unified with Peugeot SA in 1976 to form the ​PSA Peugeot Citroen automobile company.
Advertisement
Hyundai Motor America is a founding donor of Smithsonian's National Museum of African American History and Culture, which opened its doors on September 24, 2016, in Washington, D.C. Based in Fountain Valley, California, Hyundai Motor America is a subsidiary of Hyundai Motor Co. of Korea.
In 1909, John North Willys purchased the plant and assets of Pope-Toledo Co. to start the Jeep automotive company. He relocated manufacturing operations of his Overland Automobile Co. to Toledo that same year to form Willys-Overland Motor Co.
The Mercedes-Benz Classic Center, which debuted in Irvine, California, in 2003, was constructed to shadow the company's Fellbach, Germany, center, offering specialized services for classic cars that are 20 years out of production. The Irvine location offers sales and purchasing resources as well.
Advertisement
The Audi Twin Cup Challenge is an annual event that tests the customer service and technical skills of Audi experts. More than 50 teams from 35 countries compete to demonstrate product knowledge and technical vehicle diagnostics practices.
The Walter P. Chrysler Museum opened its doors in Auburn Hill, Michigan on October 5, 1999. Launched as a three-storied building, the automotive history museum first featured Chrysler cars that were released between 1902 and 1998.
While German forces invaded France in June 1940, Louis de Monge and Ettore Bugatti were planning the debut of their Bugatti 100P airplane. The two put their plans on hold, however, dismantling the plane and hiding its parts in a French farmhouse so that the Nazis would not seize the technology.
Advertisement
Started by Hank Royce and Chuck Rolls, BMW rebooted the historic luxury brand with the Phantom model, for which BMW constructed a new factory located in Sussex, England, on the Goodwood property of the Earl of March. BMW took over the brand in 1998 and produced the first Phantom in 2004.
Land Rover automotive company, which a subsidiary of Tata Motors, engineers and crafts high-end all-wheel drive automobiles. Land Rover vehicle product categories include Evoque, Range Rover and Discovery.
Cadillac joined the cutting-edge technology wave that had seized the industry in 2001 with the company's presidential limousine. The jet-black innovative vehicle first rode through the U.S. capital that year during the George W. Bush presidential inauguration.
Advertisement
W.O. Bentley started the British luxury car company of the same last name in 1919. Soon thereafter, British aristocrats known as the "Bentley Boys" dominated the 1920s European racing circuit.
Callaway Cars specializes in the engineering and manufacturing of highly technological vehicles. The company was founded in 1976 and its headquarters are based in Old Lyme, Connecticut. Callaway Cars is known particularly for its motorsport and street automotive novelties.