Title: 14 Defunct Car Brands and Why they Failed
Headings: Defunct Car Brands
Defunct Car Brands
Studebaker (1852-1966)
Oldsmobile (1897-2004)
Packard (1899-1958)
Pontiac (1926-2010)
DeSoto (1928-1961)
Plymouth (1928-2001)
Mercury (1938-2011)
Tucker (1944-1950)
Kaiser-Frazer (1945-1951)
American Motors Corporation (AMC) (1954-1988)
Edsel (1957-1959)
DeLorean (1975-1982)
Saturn (1985-2010)
Hummer (1992-2010)
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Content: The faithful Marquis and Grand Marquis models were exceptionally popular from the 1960s to the 2000s, but Mercury’s aging and narrowing demographic eventually lead to its demise. Tucker (1944-1950)
After WWII, American consumers were clamoring for new car designs – but the Big Three had yet to introduce any. Preston Tucker believed he could fill the void with his Tucker 48 Sedan – a new car packed full of futuristic safety innovations. A prototype made a disastrous premier in 1947 – it was loud, boiled coolant, required external power to start, and couldn’t back up. Much more successful debuts were made with later prototypes. To fund the car, Tucker sold accessories and spots on a waiting list to eager consumers. This later resulted in an SEC investigation and trial. All charges were dropped and Tucker was found innocent – but the damage was done, and under a heavy burden of debt the Tucker Corporation folded. Kaiser-Frazer (1945-1951)
Automotive executive Joseph Frazer and industrialist Henry Kaiser came together as partners for this short-lived but influential automobile manufacturer. While the Big Three were selling pre-war models after WWII, Kaiser-Frazer was the first group to introduce a totally new car.