People in the United States tend not to think about what other countries can manufacture or have accomplished. We invest in new cars, sometimes not even thinking where they were built, unless it might be one of the expensive brand names. There are certainly European automotive companies that produce exceptional cars, but these companies are not who you think they are. When folks think of European cars, they think about the luxurious brands like BMW, Mercedes, Jaguar, Lamborghini or Rolls Royce. But there is certainly three companies that make great economical cars. This specific article will center on Volvo, Volkswagen and Audi.

Volvo

For a land containing only nine million people, it is astonishing that it is able to sustain two automakers. Sweden is that special country containing both Volvo and Saab. Of the two, Volvo, which is owned by Ford Motor Company, has had a great influence on the automobile industry. Their most significant effect on the industry has been in the area of safety attributes. Examples of their high safety standards would be reinforced roofs, and front end crumple zones. Due to their high standards for safety, Volvo built a global recognition for building great solid cars. It was through their vision of extremely safe cars that other automakers throughout the world were forced to follow suit.

Volkswagen

You can find a car that everyone knows about, even if they don’t know its history, and that is the Volkswagen Beetle. The Beetle primarily arrived on the scene through the 1930’s in Germany as the “people’s car.” Right after World War II, it had become the most popular and one of the foremost selling cars of all time. It had become a vehicle that anyone from just about any background in life could afford. Anyone, whether they were college students, farmers or business people, could drive a Beetle. The Beetle remained trendy in the United States until finally Volkswagen stopped importing them in the 1970’s however they continued to be produced in Mexico until the the first half of the 2000’s.

Audi

When Audi first announced the all wheel drive Quattro, it was the first of its kind. Audi threw down the gauntlet, and let the automotive world know that Quattro was now the standard to judge all luxury sedans from then on. For years, their company had a large advantage over the competition, because of the Quattro technology. Their traction went beyond where other road handling schematics had achieved their peak, and was so superior, they were even banned from some types of racing.

That’s your basic history of three outstanding European car manufacturers. But when you really consider about what they did for the auto industry, the more accurate word is extraordinary.