Only some countries can pride themselves in having such a rich automotive history as the US can. But passion aside, car companies are for-profit businesses. When things don't go right and positive cash flow is nonexistent, these complicated endeavors can't be kept afloat for long. As a result, they become history, and people who saw them roaming the streets or resting in their driveways start experiencing nostalgia. So, here's which car manufacturers North America misses the most.
The fantastic thing about internal combustion engine-powered vehicles is that they can kickstart the formation of brand-new communities. Just surf the web for a few minutes, and you'll quickly find numerous forums focused on particular models. For those willing to take on the risks associated with these iconic cars, these platforms are literal goldmines because they contain specific pieces of information that might come in handy exactly when enthusiasts need them the most.
That's just one proof showcasing how vehicles like the '71 Plymouth Hemi 'Cuda, the many Ford Mustang generations, or the space-age inspired Cadillacs can lead to the creation of new ventures. These cars also help families find new opportunities to bond, and friends can spend quality time together working on something integral to the American fabric.
Will today's all-electric vehicles be able to fascinate the next generations of Americans as these oldies do now? That's certainly up for debate. But considering there's not much you can fix or upkeep by yourself… Zero-emission vehicles might not escape their fate of being mere commuting appliances. Time will certainly tell.
But the data we have available now certainly does not lie. Google searches, for example, can reveal a lot about trends or what people desire or think about nowadays. Hippo crunched the available details and discovered that Canadians and Americans miss Pontiac, Saab, and Oldsmobile.
Photo: MattsRadShow/YouTube
Nearly 110,000 unique searches were recorded over a month for Saab alone. That's impressive for the Swedish manufacturer founded in 1945, just as the Second World War ended. The brand came to America in 1956 and made its debut at that year's New York Auto Show. GM bought it in 2000. Its story officially ended in 2012 after the 2008 financial crisis. But the Saab name continues to live on as one of Sweden's most important companies. It employs around 16,000 people and creates air, land, naval, security, and civil aerospace products.
Pontiac comes in a close second with 98,900 searches for the verified month. Loved for its innovative style and affordable sporty vehicles (GTO and Trans Am ring a bell for almost anybody), the GM-owned company had a final shining moment in 2010. Its story stopped because it was the unfortunate victim of restructuring.
For Oldsmobile, only 46,480 searches were recorded. General Motors decided to end its existence in 2004 when the last-ever Alero GLS left the Lansing Car Assembly plant.
The study also analyzed what gearheads from Japan, Germany, the UK, India, France, Italy, South Korea, and Brazil are nostalgic about. That verification revealed Trabant, Holden, Studebaker, DeSoto, Saturn, Talbot, and Edsel are in the top ten of the most missed carmakers.
Will today's youth discuss the Teslas, Rivians, and Lucids of today with the same passion gearheads talk about Saab, Pontiac, and Oldsmobile? Maybe we'll be lucky enough to see what the world of cars will come to. Let's just hope the roads won't be filled with robotaxis until then.
Car shows on TV and his father's Fiat Tempra may have been Florin's early influences, but nowadays he favors different things, like the power of an F-150 Raptor. He'll never be able to ignore the shape of a Ferrari though, especially a yellow one. Full profile
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