Race to Test Your Knowledge of American Auto Manufacturers!

What brand has been General Motors' largest volume seller since the 1920s?

Buick

Cadillac

Chevrolet

Chevrolet has long been GM's highest volume brand.

What car can still be bought new, nearly two decades after its manufacturer went out of business?

DeLorean DMC-12

The DeLorean Motor Company opened shop after acquiring the old DeLorean production assets, and sells new DeLoreans from new old stock and reproduced parts.

AMC Eagle

Plymouth Voyager

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What led to Mercury's demise?

Ford was made an offer it couldn't refuse.

Ford wasn't giving the brand good support or fresh products.

Ford neglected Mercury until the brand was selling nothing but thinly disguised versions of Ford vehicles with little marketing support.

The planet was too close to the sun and finally got too hot.

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Which automaker is largely credited with revolutionizing the auto manufacturing process?

Nikola Tesla

John DeLorean

Henry Ford

Henry Ford is widely recognized as one of the industry's biggest innovators, inventing methods that are still in use.

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Who is credited with saying "If I had asked people what they wanted, they would have said faster horses"?

Henry Ford

Though historians are at odds over who actually said it, Henry Ford is largely credited with this quote.

Louis Chevrolet

Henry Martyn Leland

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Which two automotive brands sold a Model A?

Lincoln and Ford

Cadillac and Ford

Thanks to Henry Martyn Leland's involvement at Ford and GM, both Cadillac and Ford offered a vehicle called the Model A.

Chevrolet and Lincoln

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What did David Dunbar Buick make before founding his car company?

Bathtubs

David Dunbar Buick invented a process to coat steel with porcelain, which drastically improved the bathing experience.

Toilets

Kids' Toy Wagons

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In Buick's early days, the brand produced some truck models, but then stopped to focus on more traditional passenger vehicles. What vehicle was considered Buick's first truck in 70 years?

the Enclave

the Rendezvous

Although the Rendezvous was actually an early example of a crossover, it (and its Pontiac sibling, the Aztek) are both considered trucks or SUVs by GM.

the Aztek

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Cadillac recovered during the 1950s and 1960s, and then sales began to decrease again in the 1980s. What was the cause of its decline?

Japanese and German imports took a lot of market share.

Import brands became much more competitive in the luxury car market, and Cadillac couldn't keep up.

There weren't enough Cadillac dealerships.

The unions went on strike and stopped building Cadillacs for a long time.

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Premier Automotive Group was formed in the early 2000s, primarily to handle Ford's acquisition of European brands such as Aston Martin, Land Rover, Jaguar and Volvo. Which two American brands were also rolled into this umbrella?

Mercury and Plymouth

Mercury and Lincoln

As a last-ditch effort to save the Mercury brand, Ford reorganized Mercury and Lincoln under Premier Automotive Group.

Lincoln and Ford

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William C. Durant founded General Motors but was quickly removed from power. What brand did he then form as revenge (of sorts)?

Chrysler

AM General

Chevrolet

Chevrolet was conceived as a way for William C. Durant to elbow his way back into the GM fold. He formed Chevrolet in 1911, and in 1918, Chevrolet came under the GM umbrella, so his plan worked.

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When was the ram introduced as the Dodge brand's mascot of sorts?

1930

1932

Dodge rolled out the iconic ram head in 1932.

1950

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When was General Motors' Saturn brand first conceived?

1982

Though Saturn didn't offer cars until 1990, Saturn was conceived in 1982 to provide a domestic alternative to Japanese compacts.

1990

1995

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General Motors tried really hard to make the Saturn buying and ownership experience different. What was unique about Saturn's actual cars?

They had a revolutionary everlasting new car smell.

They were made of plastic.

Saturn became known for its plastic body panels, which resisted dents.

They were tested in outer space.

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When did the Walter P. Chrysler Museum open?

1985

1999

The Walter P. Chrysler Museum, which is located in Auburn Hills, Michigan, opened in October of 1999.

2014

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What was the purpose of the very first Jeep vehicle, as built by Willys-Overland?

military transport during World War II

Jeeps were first used for military transport during World War II.

military transport during World War I

camping

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Why did GMC and Pontiac merge in 1996?

to make GMC cars and Pontiac trucks

to reduce the dealership network

General Motors brought Pontiac and GMC together to reduce the number of low-profit, single-brand dealership franchises, although they remained separate brands.

to reduce the number of factories

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How did Cadillac survive the Great Depression?

Cadillacs during the Depression were actually rebadged Chevrolets

Cadillac gave away free maintenance with all its cars

General Motors kept Cadillac open despite the brand's losses

General Motors kept Cadillac afloat through the Great Depression thanks to its profits from more affordable brands.

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Before Tesla Motors introduced its luxurious electric Model S, there was the Tesla Roadster, which consisted of Tesla's electric drivetrain in car bodies supplied by another manufacturer. Who did this fledgling American manufacturer partner with?

Lotus

Tesla originally worked with Lotus to build the Tesla Roadster.

Daewoo

Shelby

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AM General was the auto company chosen by the U.S. Army to produce the military vehicle that became the Humvee. Which other companies submitted bids for the project?

International Harvester and Willys-Overland

Jeep and Navistar Defense

Chrysler Defense and Teledyne Continental

Chrysler Defense and Teledyne Continental also submitted proposals for the Army's vehicle project in 1979.

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Panoz Auto Development Company is a small American exotic car manufacturer that was founded in 1988. Where did Daniel Panoz's startup capital come from?

the security industry

the pharmaceutical industry

The Panoz family earned their wealth in the pharmaceutical industry.

car racing

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Which American car company's founder had previously started a car company in Europe?

Panoz

Mosler

Austin

Sir Herbert Austin's cars were already well-known in England when he decided to start another company building cars in Pennsylvania.

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What was Plymouth named after?

the English university

the town in Indiana

Plymouth Rock and a brand of twine

Plymouth was named after Plymouth Rock, the Pilgrims' landing spot, and Plymouth Binder Twine, a farm supply product.

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What brand held the third top-selling spot in America from the early 1930s into the 1950s?

Plymouth

Plymouth established itself as a solid rival to Ford and Chevrolet, holding the third spot in sales for more than two decades.

Ford

Chevrolet

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What was America's leading car producer for a brief time before Chevrolet and Ford took the top spots?

Studebaker

Oldsmobile

Oldsmobile made the most cars in America from 1903 until 1905.

DeSoto

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What American luxury electric car company went defunct in 2013?

Tesla

Fisker

Fisker Automotive was founded in 2007 to make high-end plug-in hybrid cars, but did not achieve the same success as some rivals and went bankrupt six years later.

Rimac

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