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Mini Cooper

The Mini (marque), which includes a number of different models produced by BMW since 2000. A number of different models have cars with the "Mini Cooper" title, including the Mini Hatch, the Mini Convertible, the Mini Clubman, the Mini Countryman, the Mini Coupé, the Mini Roadster, and the Mini Paceman

A Mini model called the "Mini Cooper" was made by the British Motor Corporation from 1961 to 1971, then from 1990 to 2000. John Cooper, owner of the Cooper Car Company and designer and builder of Formula One and rally cars, saw the potential of the original Mini for competition, and worked with Issigonis, the designer of the original Mini.

Spyker

Spyker N.V. For details about the Spyker car and aircraft manufacturer in operation from 1880 to 1926, see Spyker.

This article is about the Spyker sports car marque founded in 1999. For details about the holding company, see Spyker Cars (/ˈspaɪkər/, Dutch pronunciation: [ˈspɛi̯kər]) is a Dutch sports car marque. The modern Spyker Cars holds the legal rights to the brand name. The company's motto is "Nulla tenaci invia est via", which is Latin for "For the tenacious, no road is impassable". The marque's logo displays the rotary engine of an airplane, a reference to the historic Spyker company which manufactured aircraft. In an attempt to save Spyker from bankruptcy, Swedish Automobile in September 2011, announced the immediate sale of Spyker to American private equity and hedge fund North Street Capital for 32€ million (US$41 million). On December 18, 2014, Spyker confirmed that it deliberately had gone bankrupt, hoping to restructure its finances and getting back on its feet. However, the bankruptcy declaration was reverted early 2015 and the company announced to continue with the production of sports cars.

Bmw 

bmw

Bayerische Motoren Werke AG (German pronunciation: [ˈbaɪ̯ʁɪʃə mɔˈtʰɔʁn̩ ˈvɛɐ̯kə] .

 German for Bavarian Motor Works), usually known under its abbreviation BMW (German pronunciation: [ˈbeːˈʔɛmˈveː], is a German luxury vehicle, motorcycle, and engine manufacturing company founded in 1916. Headquartered in Munich, Bavaria, Germany. BMW owns Mini cars and is the parent company of Rolls-Royce Motor Cars. BMW produces motorcars under the BMW Motorsport division and motorcycles under BMW Motorrad, and plug-in electric cars under the BMW i sub-brand and the "iPerformance" model designation within the regular BMW lineup. It is one of the best-selling luxury automakers in the world.
The company is a component of the Euro Stoxx 50 stock market index.

BMW was established as a business entity following a restructuring of the Rapp Motorenwerke aircraft manufacturing firm in 1917. After the end of World War I in 1918, BMW was forced to cease aircraft-engine production by the terms of the Versailles Armistice Treaty.
 The company consequently shifted to motorcycle production as the restrictions of the treaty started to be lifted in 1923, followed by automobiles in 1928–29.

The first car which BMW successfully produced and the car which launched BMW on the road to automobile production was the Dixi, based on the Austin 7 and licensed from the Austin Motor Company in Birmingham, England.

BMW's first significant aircraft engine, and commercial product of any sort, was the BMW IIIa inline-six liquid-cooled engine of 1918, known for good fuel economy and high-altitude performance. With German rearmament in the 1930s, the company again began producing aircraft engines for the Luftwaffe. The factory in Munich made ample use of forced labour: foreign civilians, prisoners of war and inmates of the concentration camp Dachau . Among its successful World War II engine designs were the BMW 132 and BMW 801 air-cooled radial engines, and the pioneering BMW 003 axial-flow turbojet, which powered the tiny, 1944–1945–era jet-powered "emergency fighter", the Heinkel He 162 Spatz. The BMW 003 jet engine was first tested as a prime power plant in the first prototype of the Messerschmitt Me 262, the Me 262 V1, but in 1942 tests the BMW prototype engines failed on takeoff with only the standby Junkers Jumo 210 nose-mounted piston engine powering it to a safe landing. The few Me 262 A-1b test examples built used the more developed version of the 003 jet, recording an official top speed of 800 km/h (497 mph). The first-ever four-engine jet aircraft ever flown were the sixth and eighth prototypes of the Arado Ar 234 jet reconnaissance-bomber, which used BMW 003 jets for power. Through 1944 the 003's reliability improved, making it a suitable power plant for air frame designs competing for the Jägernotprogramm's light fighter production contract. which was won by the Heinkel He 162 Spatz design. The BMW 003 aviation turbojet was also under consideration as the basic starting point for a pioneering turboshaft powerplant for German armored fighting vehicles in 1944–45, as the GT 101. Towards the end of the Third Reich, BMW developed some military aircraft projects for the Luftwaffe, the BMW Strahlbomber, the BMW Schnellbomber and the BMW Strahljäger, but none of them were built.

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By the year 1958, the automotive division of BMW was in financial difficulties and a shareholders meeting was held to decide whether to go into liquidation or find an alternative. It was decided to carry on by trying to cash in on the current economy car boom exploited so successfully by German ex-aircraft manufacturers such as Messerschmitt and Heinkel. BMW bought the rights to manufacture the Italian Iso Isetta. BMW's version of the tiny cars were to be powered by a modified form of BMW's motorcycle engine. This was moderately successful and helped the company get back on its feet.

Since 1959, the controlling majority shareholder of the BMW Aktiengesellschaft has been the Quandt family, which owns about 46% of the stock. The rest is in public float.

BMW acquired the Hans Glas company based in Dingolfing, Germany, in 1966. Glas vehicles were briefly badged as BMW until the company was fully absorbed. It was reputed that the acquisition was mainly to gain access to Glas' development of the timing belt with an overhead camshaft in automotive applications, although some saw Glas' Dingolfing plant as another incentive. However, this factory was outmoded and BMW's biggest immediate gain was, according to themselves, a stock of highly qualified engineers and other personnel. The Glas factories continued to build a limited number of their existing models, while adding the manufacture of BMW front and rear axles until they could be closer incorporated into BMW.

In 1992, BMW acquired a large stake in California-based industrial design studio DesignworksUSA, which they fully acquired in 1995. In 1994, BMW bought the British Rover Group (which at the time consisted of the Rover, Land Rover and MG brands as well as the rights to defunct brands including Austin and Morris), and owned it for six years. By 2000, Rover was incurring huge losses and BMW decided to sell the combine. The MG and Rover brands were sold to the Phoenix Consortium to form MG Rover, while Land Rover was taken over by Ford. BMW, meanwhile, retained the rights to build the new Mini, which was launched in 2001.

Chief designer Chris Bangle announced his departure from BMW in February 2009, after serving on the design team for nearly seventeen years. He was replaced by Adrian van Hooydonk, Bangle's former right-hand man. Bangle was known for his radical designs such as the 2002 7-Series and the 2002 Z4. In July 2007, the production rights for Husqvarna Motorcycles was purchased by BMW for a reported 93 million euros. BMW Motorrad plans to continue operating Husqvarna Motorcycles as a separate enterprise. All development, sales and production activities, as well as the current workforce, have remained in place at its present location at Varese.

In June 2012, BMW was listed as the #1 most reputable company in the world by Forbes.com. Rankings are based upon aspects such as "people's willingness to buy, recommend, work for, and invest in a company is driven 60% by their perceptions of the company and only 40% by their perceptions of their products."

Fiat S.P.A

Fiat Automobiles S.p.A. (FIAT, Italian: Fabbrica Italiana Automobili Torino, lit. 'Italian Automobiles Factory, Turin'), is the largest automobile manufacturer in Italy, a subsidiary of FCA Italy S.p.A. which is part of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles. Fiat Automobiles S.p.A. was formed in January 2007 when Fiat reorganized its automobile business, and traces its history back to 1899 when the first Fiat automobile was produced.

Fiat's main market is Europe, mainly focused in Italy. Historically successful in citycars and supermini sector, currently Fiat has a range of models focused on those two segments (in 2011, those accounted for the 84% of its sales). Fiat does not currently offer any large family car, nor an executive car - these market segments have, to some extent been covered by the Lancia and Alfa Romeo brands, which Fiat also owns.

Fiat's share of the European market shrank from 9.4 per cent in 2000 to 5.8 per cent in the summer of 2004. At this point Sergio Marchionne was appointed as Fiat's chief executive. By March 2009 their market share had expanded to 9.1 per cent.

Fiat's built their five-story Lingotto plant in 1915 through 1918, at the time it was Europe's largest car manufacturing plant. Later the Mirafiori plant was built, also in Turin. To prepare for production of the all-new Fiat 128, Fiat opened their Rivalta plant in October 1968. Until the 128 entered production, the plant was used to build sports versions of the 850 and 124 as well as parts for the Fiat Dino.

Fiat's 2014 range of passenger car engines comprised eleven units, eight petrols and three diesels. Their current range of models is the following:

City car: Fiat 500, Fiat Panda

Supermini: Fiat Punto

Compact car: Fiat Tipo

Mini MPV: Fiat 500L

Large MPV: Fiat Freemont (rebadged Dodge Journey)

Mini SUV: Fiat 500X

Mercedes-Benz

Mercedes-Benz

Mercedes-Benz (German pronunciation: [mɛʁˈtseːdəsˌbɛnts]) is a global automobile manufacturer and a division of the German company Daimler AG. The brand is known for luxury vehicles, buses, coaches, and trucks. The headquarters of Mercedes-Benz are in Stuttgart, Baden-Württemberg, Germany.

The name first appeared in 1926 under Daimler-Benz, but traces its origins to Daimler-Motoren-Gesellschaft's 1901 Mercedes and to Karl Benz's 1886 Benz Patent-Motorwagen, which is widely regarded as the first gasoline-powered automobile. Mercedes-Benz's slogan is "The best or nothing." Mercedes-Benz is one of the most recognized automotive brands worldwide.

History

Mercedes-Benz traces its origins to Karl Benz's creation of the first petrol-powered car, the Benz Patent Motorwagen, financed by Bertha Benz[2] and patented in January 1886,[3] and Gottlieb Daimler and engineer Wilhelm Maybach's conversion of a stagecoach by the addition of a petrol engine later that year. The Mercedes automobile was first marketed in 1901 by Daimler-Motoren-Gesellschaft. (Daimler Motors Corporation). Emil Jellinek, an Austrian automobile entrepreneur who worked with DMG created the trademark in 1902, naming the 1901 Mercedes 35 hp after his daughter Mercedes Jellinek. The first Mercedes-Benz brand name vehicles were produced in 1926, following the merger of Karl Benz's and Gottlieb Daimler's companies into the Daimler-Benz company.[3][4] On 28 June 1926, Mercedes Benz was formed with the merger of Karl Benz and Gottlieb Daimler's two companies.

Throughout the 1930s, Mercedes-Benz produced the 770 model, a car that was popular during Germany's Nazi period. Adolf Hitler was known to have driven these cars during his time in power, with bulletproof windshields.[5] Most of the surviving models have been sold at auctions to private buyers. One of them is currently on display at the War Museum in Ottawa, Ontario. The pontiff's Popemobile has often been sourced from Mercedes-Benz.[6]In 1944, 46,000 forced laborers were used in Daimler-Benz's factories to bolster Nazi war efforts. The company later paid $12 million in reparations to the laborers' families.[7]Mercedes-Benz has introduced many technological and safety innovations that later became common in other vehicles.[8] Mercedes-Benz is one of the best-known and established automotive brands in the world.

For information relating to the famous three-pointed star, see under the title Daimler-Motoren-Gesellschaft including the merger into Daimler-Benz.

Renault

Groupe Renault (French: [ɡʁup ʁəˈno]) is a French multinationalautomobile manufacturer established in 1899. The company produces a range of cars and vans, and in the past has manufactured trucks, tractors, tanks, buses/coaches and autorail vehicles.

According to the Organisation Internationale des Constructeurs d'Automobiles, in 2013 Renault was the eleventh biggest automaker in the world by production volume,  with 50.5% of sales coming outside of Europe. The Renault–Nissan Alliance is the fourth-largest automotive group.

Headquartered in Boulogne-Billancourt, near Paris, the Renault group is made up of the namesake Renault marque and subsidiaries, Automobile Dacia from Romania, and Renault Samsung Motors from South Korea. Renault has a 43.4% controlling stake in Nissan of Japan, a 37% indirectly-owned stake in AvtoVAZ of Russia, and a 1.55% stake in Daimler AG of Germany (since 2012, Renault manufactures engines for the Daimler's Mercedes A Class and B Class cars ). Renault also owns subsidiaries RCI Banque (automotive financing), Renault Retail Group (automotive distribution) and Motrio (automotive parts). Renault has various joint ventures, including Oyak-Renault (Turkey), Renault Pars (Iran). Carlos Ghosn is the current chairman and CEO. The French government owns a 19.73% share of Renault as of April 2015.

Renault Trucks, previously known as Renault Véhicules Industriels, has been part of Volvo Trucks since 2001. Renault Agriculture became 100% owned by German agricultural equipment manufacturer CLAAS in 2008.

Together Renault and Nissan are investing 4€ billion (billion 5.16 US$) in eight electric vehicles over three to four years beginning in 2011. In 2013, new Renault vehicles had the lowest average CO2 emissions among generalist brands in Europe, with 110.1g/km.

Renault is known for its role in motor sport, particularly rallying, Formula 1 and Formula E. Its early work on mathematical curve modeling for car bodies is important in the history of computer graphics.

Daewoo

Daewoo ("Dae" Hangul: ?. Korean for "Great" and "Woo" Hangul: ?. Korean the first name of founder and chairman Kim Woo-jung) or the Daewoo Group was a major South Korean chaebol (conglomerate).

Daewoo ("Dae" Hangul: ?. Korean for "Great" and "Woo" Hangul: ?. Korean the first name of founder and chairman Kim Woo-jung) or the Daewoo Group was a major South Korean chaebol (conglomerate).

It was founded on 22 March 1967 as Daewoo Industrial and was dismantled by the Korean government in 1999. Prior to the Asian financial crisis, Daewoo was the second largest conglomerate in Korea after Hyundai Group, followed by LG Group and Samsung. There were about 20 divisions under the Daewoo Group, some of which survive today as independent companies.

Corporations

There were about 20 divisions in the Daewoo Group.

Daewoo Group had under its umbrella several major corporations:

Daewoo Bus, is a manufacturer of buses. headquartered in Busan, South Korea, established in 2002. These buses are primarily used for public transportation

Daewoo Motors, the motor vehicles division (sub-branch Daewoo Automotive Components Co. Ltd., Daewoo Bus Co., Ltd., Daewoo Commercial Vehicle Co. Ltd.)

Daewoo Motor Sales, an auto sales company sold Daewoo but also GM cars and others in Korea (Sub-branch: Architectural Iaan Div., SAA-Seoul Auto Auction)

Daewoo Electronics, a strong force both internationally and in Korea (sub-branch Daewoo Electronic Components Co. Ltd, Daewoo Electric Motor Industries Ltd. Orion Electric Co. Ltd.)

Daewoo Precision Industries produced small calibre firearms and auto parts. It was spun off in February 2002 and relisted on the Korean stock-market in March 2002. It was renamed S&T Daewoo Co. Ltd in September 2006, and then S&T Motiv Co. LTD in March 2012.

Infiniti

Infiniti is the luxury vehicle division of Japanese automaker Nissan. Infiniti officially started selling vehicles on November 8, 1989 in North America. The marketing network for Infiniti-branded vehicles now includes over 230 dealers in over 15 countries.

The Infiniti marque was formally introduced to its homeland of Japan in 2013, with the first Japanese-market Infiniti vehicle to be a hybrid-powered variant of the Infiniti Q50 to go on sale in 2014, with gasoline-powered versions of the Q50 retaining the historic Nissan Skyline name.[3] However, this does not mark the first introduction of the Infiniti brand to Japan, with the original Q45 being sold as the Nissan Infiniti Q45 in Japan from November 1989 until 1996.[citation needed]

Infiniti models have direct equivalents in the Japanese domestic market Nissan lineup. The Infiniti G as the Nissan Skyline sedan and coupe and previously the Nissan Primera, Infiniti M as the Nissan Fuga and previously the Nissan Leopard, Infiniti EX as the Nissan Skyline crossover, and Infiniti Q45 as the Nissan Cima. The Infiniti FX has no Nissan equivalent and is not sold in Japan. The Skyline and Cima were luxury vehicles in Japan in earlier forms, and were originally exclusive to Japanese Nissan dealership network called Nissan Prince Shop, then later called Nissan Red Stage until the Japanese dealership network was disbanded.

In 2012, Infiniti moved its global headquarters from the Nissan corporate building in Yokohama and incorporated in Hong Kong as Infiniti Global Limited, with Carlos Ghosn intending for Infiniti to have a greater focus on the burgeoning luxury market in mainland China as it forecast the country to become the largest luxury car market. Johan de Nysschen was appointed to head the Infiniti division in 2012.
De Nysschen left the company as of August 2014 to become CEO of Cadillac. Infiniti Chairman Andy Palmer assumed de Nysschen's responsibilities.
 Nissan appointed Roland Krüger as president of Infiniti after the chairman of the marque, Andy Palmer, resigned to join Aston Martin in September 2014.

In mid-2013 Infiniti announced their Q30 Concept car would get its world premiere at the 2013 Frankfurt Motor Show, a move which will see Infiniti start an aggressive strategy to extend the Infiniti brand into new premium segments. In 2013, Infiniti's model designation will change to the coupes and sedans starting with the letter Q (SUVs and crossovers will start with the letters QX) and a number reflecting the model's place in the brand lineup. For instance, the M sedan will become the Q70 while the G sedan will be replaced with the Q50; meanwhile, the QX56 will become the QX80 while the EX will become the QX50.

With its QX60 crossover (formerly known as JX35) Infiniti began to produce vehicle outside Japan. In 2014, it is expected to start producing two models in Xiangyang, China, a plant operated by Nissan's joint venture with Dongfeng Motor. It is also expanding in Sunderland, England, to produce a new compact car named Q30 in 2015.

Infiniti was a minor sponsor for the 'Where Are We Going, Dad?', or '???' in Chinese (Pinyin: Bàbaqùna'er), a popular Chinese television series, in 2013. It was also a major sponsor for the second season of ' Where Are We Going, Dad? ' in 2014.