and now fall under the umbrella of Stellantis. They have recently combined forces with French car manufacturer P.S.A. Fiat and Chrysler combined in 2014 to form Fiat Chrysler Automobiles or FCA. Maserati and Alfa Romeo fall under Fiat’s umbrella while Chrysler makes Dodge, Jeep, and RAM. General Motors is the parent company for brands like Chevrolet, GMC, Cadillac, and Buick.

To make it slightly more complicated though, there are some makes that fall under the larger umbrella of a parent company. Generally, vehicle make is much easier to keep straight than model since make is usually the “starting point” when describing most vehicles for most people. Toyota, Subaru, and Nissan are Japanese automakers, Ford, Chevrolet, and Tesla are American automakers, and BMW, Audi, and Volkswagen are German automakers. A vehicle’s make will also help determine a vehicle’s country of origin. Kia, Toyota, Jeep, GMC, Mazda, Volvo, Subaru, and Hyundai are all examples of car manufacturers, and thus, makes of vehicles. What Is a Car’s Make?Ī vehicle’s make is the car manufacturer who makes the vehicle or the vehicle’s brand. We are going to dive into vehicle make and model to clear up any misunderstandings you might have. Trim levels and body styles can also be factors when considering different car models within each make. In the case of some manufacturers, a model name helps designate what kind of engine a car has. Sometimes there is more to a model name than just that, a name. Model is usually more complicated than a vehicle’s make. For most people, putting the make and model together, like in the case of the Honda Accord, Ford Focus, or Volvo XC90 paints a clear picture of a specific vehicle. Model is usually the name given to the vehicle by each manufacturer, like CR-V, Corolla, Mustang, Corvette, X1, A4, and Malibu. Makes include car manufacturers like Ford, Chevrolet, Audi, Nissan, Toyota, Lamborghini, Honda, and many others.

Vehicles’ make and model tell buyers who makes a particular car, what type of car it is, what the car is for, and helps keep that car separate from others. You probably see hundreds of cars pass by you on the road each day, and the reason most of those vehicles look, perform, and sound different is that most are different makes and models. 'Model' is a name given to a specific vehicle within a manufacturer’s lineup. 'Make' designates the brand of automaker that builds the car.

Large car model builder