Ford, one of the great names of the auto industry, has played a major role in shaping both the horizons of everyday life and the conditions of toil on the job. Founder Henry Ford transformed automobiles from an amusement for the wealthy to a conveyance for the common person, while in his workplaces he introduced mass production on an unprecedented scale. Ford fell behind General Motors in the 1920s and experienced decades of management instability.
Toyota used its professed obsession with quality and efficiency to turn itself into the world’s leading automaker, but a safety scandal that erupted in early 2010 has seriously damaged the company's reputation. Although the Japanese-headquartered company has production and sales operations around the world, its success was based to a great degree in the United States, where it built a series of heavily subsidized plants, and took advantage of the weakened condition of Detroit’s Big Three to capture market share.
Daimler, one of the world’s leading producers of motor vehicles, dates back to operations set up by the two German engineers widely credited with inventing the automobile. The company’s profile diminished sharply in 2007 when it sold off third-ranking U.S. carmaker, Chrysler, which it had joined in a high-profile merger nine years earlier. Daimler is trying to survive the ongoing crisis in the auto industry with a product line that includes both high-end Mercedes-Benz luxury models and the inexpensive micro compact Smart Car.
Peugeot is a major French car brand, part of PSA Peugeot Citroën. It is the second largest automaker in Europe, behind Volkswagen. Peugeot's roots go back to bicycle manufacturing at the end of the 19th century. Its headquarters are in Paris, Avenue de la Grande Armée, close to Porte Maillot and the Concorde Lafayette Hotel.
Founded by Louis Renault and his brothers in 1898, the Renault corporation manufactured cars, buses, taxes, and during the war years the company also manufactured ammunition. After the Renault corporation was privatized in 1996, it created new factories in Brazil, Argentina, and Turkey. This French corporation formed a unique union with the Japanese motor company Nissan in 1999. The result was a forty-three percent rise in income for the corporation by 2004.
After suffering a downturn in fortune that nearly caused it to be absorbed by General Motors, Fiat is riding high again. The company has taken control of struggling U.S. automaker Chrysler, and is seeking additional partners as part of a quest to become a “supergroup” that stands a chance of surviving the brutal competition in the auto industry—a quest that includes taking a hard line with unions at home and abroad.
Bridgestone Corporation is based in Tokyo, Japan. The largest subsidiary of Bridgestone is the Bridgestone Americas Holding Inc., which is based in Nashville, TN and includes Firestone. The company is most well known for the production of tires.
