Musk also claimed that “there have not been new car [brands] that have been successful for 100 years, apart from Tesla.”
Some automotive brands that were founded in the last 100 years:
Chrysler (1924) Volvo (1927) BMW (1928) Datsun/Nissan (1931/1933) Fiat (1932) Toyota (1936) Volkswagen (1937) Jeep (1943) Land Rover (1948) Honda (1963)
Daihatsu 1930
Kia 1944
Hyundai 1967
Lotus 1948
Lamgorghini 1963
Ferrari 1939
Saab 1945
McLaren 1985
Koenigsegg 1994
BMW 1928
Porsche 1931
Holden 1948
Mazda 1960
Lada 1970 (AvtoVAZ 1966)
Dongfeng 1969
SAIC 2000
FAW Group 1953
Changan 1959
Suzuki 1955
Tata 1954 (commercial) 1991 (passenger)
SsangYong 1954 (Ha Dong-hwan) and 1962 (Dongbang)
GAZ 1932
Geely 1998
Škoda 1930
Isuzu 1933
Subaru 1954
Proton 1983
Daewoo 1937 (as “National Motor”)
Jaguar 1935
I mean, Holden at least is dead so idk if that still counts as successful
Likewise Saab really but also fuckEM and Tesla motors can also fuck all the way off
Don’t forget his direct competition in China: electrical vehicle manufacturers BYD Auto (2003) and XPeng (2014). BYD outsells all of Tesla’s worldwide sales and XPeng is an up-and-comer that will likely exceed Tesla’s domestic sales by the end of 2024.
There’s so many companies in China building cars, I don’t know enough about that market to really speak to that. I tried to hit some big Chinese players with some history, though.
BYD and XPeng, however, are especially relevant because the former is kicking Tesla’s ass in EV space and the latter is about to. (And BYD makes some kick-ass public buses too. Glorious vehicles!)
Chinese manufacturers are doing well in the European market too. It’s a genuine worry for traditional manufacturers who have failed to innovate for too long.
Geely’s another big one. They own Volvo but also produce cars under the Lynk and Co brand. Have good lease deals in the Benelux. Then there’s Nanjing Automobile. Own MG and make a quite good (and very affordable) range of electric cars.
Honestly, I’m also sceptical, but if I buy a new car it’s likely to be an MG 4 based on glowing reviews and affordability.
Oh, don’t worry. European governments will take a page from the American playbook and find a “national security” reason to ban Chinese cars.
Same for me. I’m moving back to France next year and I need to buy a car, there is a good chance it will be a MG4
If nothing else, you’d think he’d know about Volkswagen considering his hero came up with the Beetle.
You just got killed by a Daewoo Lanos