9 Car Brands That Went Extinct

9 Car Brands That Went Extinct.

As humans, we are used to the ephemeral nature of things. Like many things around us, cars live and die, and in the spirit of evolution, only the fittest survive the test of time.
Many car brands have existed in the recent past and here we count down nine of those popular brands that have gone extinct.

9- The Car Without a Name

This ridiculously named car resulted from a marketing ploy by its manufacturer. "Name it yourself ", was a customization slogan to soothe buyers' ego.

 Sadly, that wasn't enough, The assets of its manufacturing company were auctioned off due to unsustainable production after only 3 years.

           

8- Maybach

The ultra luxurious German brand was, the stuff of dreams. Even the flamboyant rapper, Rick Ross famously named his Music Label after the brand.

 Unfortunately for the brand, only 3000 Maybachs were sold in 10years!

Maybach ultimately failed to rival Rolls Royce in the Luxury car range leading to its cancellation in 2011.

Fun-fact: The Maybach Exelero is priced at a whopping $8million!

Oh well....

7- Crossley( British)

Just like the Toyota of today, Crossleys were originally textile machinery manufacturers. Following these were buses, then military vehicles etc.

 Very much unlike Toyota though, aggressive business growth was not their strength.

For 20years in the Automobile business, expansion was limited. After a corporate takeover, the brand puttered away for good.

                              

6- Aptera Motors

Aptera ( Wingless) was touted as the most fuel efficient car in the world.
Founded in 2005, stumbling from one production delay to another, after a desperate lack of financing, the company was split into two. The company's problems multiplied, leading to its liquidation in 2011.

5- Crosley (American)

Entirely different from the No 7 entry, this brand disappeared on the altar of the ever-changing wants/needs of the consumer.

 In the years leading up to World War II, the Crosley was a darling due to its decent gas efficiency, coupled with the gas rationing prevalent at the time.

The onset of war ended all automobile production in the United States in 1942.

4- The Packard

  Every bit as famous as the cars of today, the Packard turned out to be the dinosaur of the Jet age.

 Looking like something of a bathtub turned upside down, its manufacturing company managed to survive 2 world wars over 57 years!

But what it could not survive was the combined might of capitalist competition in peacetime.

 A series of management mistakes and a distinct lack of innovation finally ended the Packard era. The remnants are on display in the Packard Museums.

           

3- American Mercedes

Trust the Americans did manufacture their own Mercedes.

These Mercedes were actually licensed copies of the German Machine.

Strangely though, The American Version was in direct competition with the imported German Mercedes (but just wasn't up to par)

2- The Hillman Avenger

William Rootes, owner of Rootes Group and the Hillman Avenger brand, infamously turned down an offer to own The Volkswagen Group( free of charge!) after World War II.

He went as far as to call it "foolish".

Ironically, his top prototype, The Hillman Avenger made it just over a decade before it disappeared.

The Group itself barely made into the 21st century.

1- Daewoo

This Korean phenomenon, was once considered among the top 10 motor companies in terms of production. rivaling the likes of Ford and Hyundai.
This was until the Asian Financial Crisis of 1997 occurred.

 Daewoo racked up short-term debts of 19 trillion within just 9 months! It's collapse led directly to the collapse of multiple other banks.

The Founder of the Company simply fled, only returning in 2005 to be jailed for 10years after having his fortune seized.

Daewoo was finally sold off to General Motors of USA in 2005 after sinking into $82billion debt.

What's more? The brand- Daewoo -suffered irreparable damage becoming a toxic name all over the world.