The maker of Peugot and Citroen cars has announced a deal which means it will now own Vauxhall and Opel too.
It all sounds like the start of an over-powerful automobile empire doesn’t it? Before you start worrying about monopolies and the apocalypse though – you should probably take a look at the rest of the market first.
Here we take a closer look at six of the world’s largest car manufacturers – who between them own 23 brands you’re sure to recognise…
Volkswagen
Today’s deal makes PSA the second-largest automotive company in Europe, with a 17% market share – but it’s this German car giant which holds top spot, both in Europe and the world.
That’s unsurprising too when you hear the big-name brands they sell too. This is a big one, so to fully illustrate what they’ve got, we made a list…
Audi
That’s right, the two biggest German car names are owned by one company.
Porsche
Volkswagen owns this more expensive German favourite too.
SEAT
It’s not just the fancy cars the German giant controls either.
Skoda
Another more simple set of vehicles, Skoda used to be the car of the Football League don’t you know.
Bentley
Another favourite of richer customers.
Lamborghini
And you probably thought it would be Italian owned. This one is a favourite of footballers of course.
Bugatti
Makers of one of the fastest cars in the world too – Volkswagen really are the big fish of car-making.
Toyota
This Japanese manufacturer is one of the largest car-makers in the world.
Famed for their hybrid electric vehicles such as the Toyota Prius, the Japanese giant also sells under a variety of other big names – including Lexus, Daihatsu and Hino worldwide.
The Japanese company also sells Scion in the United States and Canada.
Fiat
You probably know Fiat for the 500 but it’s actually the largest car-maker in Italy and the larger group which controls it – called Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) – has much more influence than just the Fiat and Chrysler brands.
FCA’s huge portfolio also includes big names such as Alfa Romeo, Dodge, Jeep and Maserati.
That’s certainly not a Panda.
BMW
This German manufacturer – full name in English Bavarian Motor Works – is a premium brand in itself, but has ownership of two other big names of the industry.
BMW has owned Mini since it bought British car-maker the Rover Group in 1994 and kept the iconic small cars after they broke up the group in 2000. They also own British luxury car-maker Rolls-Royce.
Before you go thinking the British car industry has been sold abroad – just wait until you hear the next one.
Tata Motors
Tata motors is an Indian outfit which makes an array of vehicles including trucks, buses and military vehicles.
Strangely enough they also own Jaguar Land Rover, which makes – you guessed it – Jaguars and Land Rovers.
Tata also owns Daewoo too – a South Korean vehicle manufacturer.
General Motors
The PSA group today bought the European part of this American multinational group – but it’s still got its fingers in a lot of pies.
The American brand sells under the Cadillac and Chevrolet brands internationally, as well as many more localised areas such as Holden in Australia and New Zealand.
Having said that, the sale today only adds to the trend of a shrinking portfolio for the American manufacturer – having used to own other big names such as Saab and Hummer.
