These Are The Auto Companies You Wish Still Built Cars

Oh, absolutely Saturn. Among other things, they were nice and lightweight - people talk about a “light” car at 3,500, and I’m thinking how my SW2 was 2,500. Granted, add in the last twenty years of safety advancements and it gets up there, but that idea is sorely missed. The dealer network in the 90s that was technically not owned by the company but that had strict no-haggle pricing is reminiscent of what people want out of Tesla-owned stores now. And it’s taken thirty years for me to see dealer waiting areas that rivaled the family-friendly, cozy area that my childhood dealer had.

Meanwhile, we are left to imagine how spectacular an EV FiST could have been, or how magnificent driving an EV Coach-door Lincoln Continental might be.

Oh, without a doubt, AMC.

I feel like this company was just a little bit of cash and some quality control away from being an American Subaru. Imagine if Jeep never got sold off to chrysler, and Jeep elevated AMC up to good status. Do we need another Subaru? No, but imagine a modern AMC eagle Wagon, a Pacer EV with seating for 4 and that amazing greenhouse, newer versions of the AMX, etc. As a side note in my alternate-reality headcannon, Jeep could have went all in on SUVs and trucks, without the suits trying to protect the Dodge Truck lines.

Imagine the Commanche still alive as a Tacoma-style truck, and A J-10 and J-30 to go against Rams......But this is about the cars...

So yeah, AMC all day.

Oldsmobile. Not just saying that because of my ‘68 4-4-2, either. Olds did a lot of crazy experimental fun throughout their life-cycle, from early aluminum engines to the Quad-4 speed record car. Gimme an Oldsmobile that has no fear again.

Checker Motors - this company was focused on building taxi cabs that stood the test of time. Not only were their cars iconic, but they were reportedly of very solid build, able to take a beating. There is something to be said for cars that are relatively inexpensive, built tough, easily serviced, and able to stand up to a lifetime of abuse.

We all lament the slow, agonizing death of the affordable car, and there was one company where that’s about all they made: Toyota’s Scion. You could get economical, reliable, and practical transportation for cheap, and those ubiquitous grey xB boxes you saw everywhere in the early aughts could have been the Toyota Hybrid/PHEV/BEV platform the cost-conscious among us deserve.

Gurgel. The only 100% Brazilian car company, which built insanely quirky cars with whatever technology was available here.

João Gurgel’s dream was to build cheap, simple and efficient cars to motorize third world countries. I’d love to see how this could be achieved today.

There’s only one answer for me, and I’ve been bitter about it for years. I don’t want them to come back as some EV brand with another name. I want them to make those oddly awesome and quirky turbocharged sedans / wagons again. If a genie granted me 3 automotive wishes, I’d wish for the innovative SAAB to come back.

Since SAAB has already been mentioned, I’m going with Packard. They produced some gorgeous cars back in the day. If we want to celebrate that old timey Americana, then Packard is the way to go. I would love to see what luxury goodness they could produce today.

I don’t think we need more luxury brands so I’m good without Packard, Franklin, Marmon,Ruxton, Stearns-Knight, Stutz, Duesenberg, and Pierce-Arrow. Now a new subcompact Nash Metropolitan I would be into. Or a Studebaker Lark, Avanti, Champion etc. I’m sure Studebaker would make some very stylish cars if they were still around today.

Duesenberg to compete with Rolls Royce on opulence. GM has placed Cadillac a good couple tiers below Rolls for rolling grandeur.

All of them.

Not a joke or sarcasm, but all of them. I want to see that glorious rainbow spectrum of badges back on the road. I want to see all those design trends, and all those styles again. I’m sick of all the cars on the road looking all the same. The same box badge engineered, developed in a wind tunnel, by guys that all went to the same design school, it is everywhere. Lets have some plurality in the market again. And some real competition. And I don’t mean just the good cars. Lets see the clunker companies like Leyland [and all the pre-Leyland constituent companies too] and Edsel too. Bring them all back, I say.