Over the past 25 years, the automotive industry has seen the emergence of several new carmakers—such as Tesla, Lucid, and Rivian—while more than a dozen established brands have disappeared.
Pontiac and Plymouth, once prominent American car brands, succumbed to corporate restructuring, whereas Oldsmobile and Mercury struggled to maintain consumer interest.
Saturn and Scion were innovative ventures launched by their parent companies to attract new customers, but both ultimately ran their course.
Despite their respective downfalls, each of these brands contributed to shaping the modern automotive industry with the vehicles they produced.
Here’s a deeper dive into 12 car brands that vanished over the last 25 years.
1. Eagle
Eagle was introduced by Chrysler Corporation in 1988 following its acquisition of American Motors Corporation (AMC) the previous year.
The brand took its name from AMC’s own crossover line. Initially, Eagle served as a platform for Chrysler to market AMC-developed models like the Eagle Premier and the still AMC-branded Eagle Wagon.
Additionally, Eagle offered rebadged Mitsubishi vehicles, including the Eagle Talon and Eagle Summit, which were rebranded versions of the Mitsubishi Eclipse and Mirage. However, due to declining sales, Chrysler discontinued the Eagle brand in 1999.
2. Plymouth
Plymouth was first introduced by Chrysler in 1928 as an affordable, entry-level brand. Over the years, it became home to numerous iconic models, such as the Barracuda muscle car and the Prowler roadster, along with popular family-oriented vehicles like the Neon sedan and Voyager minivan.
However, following Chrysler’s merger with Daimler, the Plymouth brand was discontinued in 2001.
3. Oldsmobile
Ransom E. Olds introduced the original Oldsmobile to the market in 1897. General Motors acquired the brand in 1908, and for nearly a century, it remained one of GM’s premier luxury divisions. However, declining sales led to its discontinuation in 2004.
Oldsmobile was an American automobile brand founded by Ransom E. Olds in 1897, making it one of the oldest car manufacturers in the world. It became part of General Motors (GM) in 1908 and remained a significant part of the company for nearly a century before being discontinued in 2004 due to declining sales.
Oldsmobile was one of the first companies to mass-produce cars using an assembly line, even before Henry Ford perfected the technique.
One of its most notable early models, the Curved Dash Oldsmobile (1901–1907), became one of the first mass-produced automobiles and gained immense popularity.
Under GM’s ownership, Oldsmobile became known for innovation and performance, often serving as a testing ground for new technologies before they were implemented in other GM brands.
In 1940, it introduced the Hydra-Matic, the first mass-produced fully automatic transmission. Another major milestone came in the late 1940s with the development of the “Rocket” V8 engine, which made Oldsmobile’s cars some of the fastest and most powerful of their time.
By the 1950s and 1960s, Oldsmobile had established itself as one of GM’s premium brands, known for producing stylish, high-performance vehicles.
Models such as the Oldsmobile 88 and Oldsmobile Cutlass became highly popular, cementing the brand’s reputation for reliability and innovation. However, despite its historical significance and groundbreaking developments, Oldsmobile struggled to maintain sales in later decades, leading to its discontinuation in 2004.
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4. Rover
For over a hundred years, Rover played a significant role in the British automotive industry. However, in the two decades leading up to its demise in 2005, the brand struggled to remain competitive.
While Land Rover continues to operate under India’s Tata Group, the Rover name has not been revived.
5. Pontiac
Pontiac, one of America’s most iconic car brands, was originally established in 1926. The brand was responsible for producing some of the most memorable cars in American automotive history, including the Firebird and the GTO.
Unfortunately, Pontiac was among three brands that General Motors discontinued in 2010 as part of its financial crisis restructuring.
6. Mercury
Ford introduced Mercury in 1938 as a mid-tier brand, positioned between its budget-friendly Ford lineup and the luxury-oriented Lincoln division. However, declining market share ultimately led to Ford discontinuing the Mercury brand in 2010.
7. Hummer
General Motors established the Hummer division in 1999 to market the AM General-manufactured H1, a civilian version of the U.S. military’s High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle (HMMWV). In the years that followed, GM introduced the H2 and H3 models before shutting down the Hummer brand in 2010.
Although GM resurrected the Hummer name in 2021, it was not as a standalone brand. Instead, it now exists as an electric truck under the GMC lineup.
8. Saturn
Established in 1982 and marketed in the 1990s as “a different kind of car company,” Saturn was created to compete with compact models from Japanese automakers.
By the early 2000s, General Motors had ceased developing unique models for the brand, instead rebranding existing GM vehicles under the Saturn name. Following years of declining sales, production officially ended in October 2009.
Also Read: 10 Car Models That Their Own Brands Abandoned
9. Scion
Toyota launched Scion as an experimental brand aimed at younger consumers by offering compact, unconventional economy cars. However, its lineup never achieved the widespread success Toyota had envisioned. Sales took a major hit after the 2008 recession, and as a result, the brand was discontinued in 2016.
10. Daewoo Motors
Once among South Korea’s largest automobile manufacturers, Daewoo Motors faced a severe financial crisis due to a scandal involving its parent company, which led to bankruptcy in 1999.
General Motors acquired Daewoo Motors in 2002, rebranding it as GM Daewoo before eventually transitioning to GM Korea in 2011. Though Daewoo-branded vehicles continued to be sold for several years after GM’s takeover, the nameplate has remained dormant for more than a decade.
11. Fisker Automotive
Before the emergence of Fisker Inc., there was Fisker Automotive. Established in 2007, the company introduced its first vehicle, the stylish range-extended EV known as the Karma, in 2011.
However, sluggish sales strained its financial standing, a situation that worsened when a large portion of its inventory was destroyed during Hurricane Sandy. Fisker Automotive ultimately filed for bankruptcy in 2013 and was acquired by China’s Wanxiang Group in 2014.
12. Saab
Founded in 1945, the Swedish automaker Saab became partially owned by General Motors in 1989 when GM acquired a $600 million stake, eventually taking full ownership in 2000.
Years of financial struggles, coupled with a global recession, led GM to sell Saab in 2009. After passing through the hands of various European automotive companies, the brand was ultimately dissolved in 2016.