The Top Ten Defunct American Car Brands and Why they Failed

The Top Ten Defunct American Car Brands and Why they Failed

The American automotive history is full of hopeful businesses producing cars that went belly up before being completely forgotten by the world. And some of those brands produced truly amazing automobiles that didn't deserve their untimely fates.

For nearly 100 years, the big three automobile manufacturers, General Motors, the Ford Motor Company, and the Fiat-Chrysler Corporation have dominated the American automobile industry. However, all three industry giants needed to shut down some of their brands to better survive.

Here are 10 auto brands that were taken from us way too soon.

10-DeLorean
09-Saturn
08-Packard
07-Pontiac
06-Edsel
05-Oldsmobile
04-Hummer
03-Studebaker
02-Mercury
01-Plymouth

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[King-Ghidora]

This video should be titled "top 15...", because if you included DeLorean, Hummer and Saturn, the you have to include Bricklin, Avanti, AMC, Kaiser (they survived into the late 60s in South America), Stutz and perhaps Rambler, Valiant, Eagle, VAM, King Midget and Crosley. Rambler was how AMC was know before they became AMC, but it remained Rambler in other markets. VAM was how Rambler came to be known in México and was a joint venture between AMC and a Mexican corporation. Valiant was how Plymouth was known in South America. Some of those are a stretch I know, but they existed as separate entities for a while.

[CJColvin]

Packard would've been around to this day competing with Cadillac, Lincoln, and Rolls-Royce had both Studebaker and Packard merged together with Hudson and Nash to create AMC in 1954.

[winston]

What about DeSoto? Imperial? Nash? Hudson? Graham-Paige? Hupp? Willys?

[neildickson]

Left out: AMC, Hudson, Nash. Checker. However, most of these brands are a hell of lot more exciting than what is leftover.

[timothyokane]

In your Top 10 you didn't include AMC which was bought out by Chrysler Corporation, to put Jeep in their lineup, also Eagle which started with Renault and Mitsubishi.

[NEUROSURGEONMEDICNAINTERNALIFE]

I ONLY WATCH RETURN PLYMOUTH AS NIGHTMARE OF BUGATTI WITTH SEDANS GREAT LUXORY AND MORE QUICKLY THAN BUGATTI W16 OR CHIRON

[drybones]

Scion was another car company that went out of business as well.

[jerrygarvin]

No mention of AMC, Nash, Hudson, DeSoto, Kaiser-Frazer, etc. Glaring omissions.

[winston]

4:30 Edsel was not only the wrong car at the wrong time, it was the wrong car for any time.
Ford trotted out four sedan models plus three wagons with prices ranging from the mid-range Ford level to knocking on the door of the entry-model Lincolns.
The wise crack post-mortem was "The aim was right, but the target moved."
The fact was, by aiming at Dodge, DeSoto, Chrysler Windsor, Pontiac, Olds, and Buick, they \were also aiming at the Mercury division that already had the competition covered. Add to that the 1958 recession and the face not even a mother could love, and the Edsel was dead on arrival.