Discover the most unknown car brands that have flown below the radar! They are true gems nobody has heard about.
The auto industry is highly competitive, and this is why there are only a few top brands that managed to avoid bankruptcy, and now everybody knows them and talks about them. This is why we want to talk about the lesser-known car manufacturers, the unknown car brands.
When the cards are played right, it can be incredibly rewarding, and average entrepreneurs turn into millionaires overnight. Look at Elon Musk. Two decades ago, no one knew what Tesla was, and now he is in the top 10 richest men in the world, and everybody has heard about Tesla.
This is why every year new car companies are born and dream to take on the popular brands and start to receive recognition and appreciation. Most of them are not as lucky as Tesla was, and we want to tell you about the ones that grabbed our attention and also the attention of the industry with their influential concepts because they don’t deserve to be left out in the shadows.
1. Polestar (Date founded: 2017; Founder: Volvo Cars; Headquarters: Gothenburg, Sweden)
If you are an enthusiast gearhead, you probably know what a Polestar is, and this makes it a not-so-unknown car brand for you. But there are still a lot of people who don’t know about it, so it is still one of the unknown car brands, and that’s why we want to tell you more about it.
Polestar was part of Volvo and was actually the tuning division that engineered everyday cars that delivered top-notch performance, such as the Volvo V60 Polestar Engineered. What makes this car so special is its ability to outshine sports cars despite being a station wagon.
A few years ago, Volvo realized that Tesla was taking over the EV market, and because of this, Polestar became a separate division that had the mission to build the most awesome EVs. This happened in 2017, and now they are working toward this dream.
Polestar 1 was their first car, and it was a success, with 1,500 units produced. This is why Polestar 2 was born, and it took the United States by storm. It was such a huge hit that 20,000 units were sold in the US, and people still want more of this car.
2. De Tomaso (Date Founded: 1959; Founder: Alejandro de Tomaso; Headquarters: Modena, Italy)
When this brand first emerged in 1959, its founder, the Argentinian entrepreneur and race driver Alejandro de Tomaso, had only one thing in mind: to create the best Italian sports car.
His strategy was simple: he wanted the performance of an American car and the design of an Italian one. This is why he relied on Ford engines. The strategy worked, and this is how sports cars like the Pantera and Mangusta were born.
Unfortunately, stability is not one of the traits of this company, and they are known to have gone out of business a few times in the past.
But in 2014, something happened. The rights to use the name De Tomaso were bought by a Hong Kong company. Once they got the name, they started looking for a car, and that car was the P72. This is one of the most beautifully designed sports cars and reminds us of the Apollo Intensa Emozione. It is also the car that made this company stop being one of the unknown car brands Since there are going to be just 100 or fewer units, this car will become a rare collectible.
3. W Motors (Date Founded: July 11, 2012; Founder: Ralph R. Debbas; Headquarters: Dubai, UAE)
When talking about car manufacturers, nobody says enough about the companies from the Middle East. W Motors is one of these companies, and it is actually the first to develop luxury sports cars that are also ultra-performant.
They specialize in vehicle engineering and manufacturing, research, automotive design, and automotive consultancy.
This is one of the most unknown car brands for most people, but if you are a fan of the “Fast and Furious” franchise, you might recognize one of their vehicles, the Lykan Hypersport. The Hypersport appeared in one of the franchise’s most memorable sequences, and because it is incredibly uncommon, with less than ten units built, it is worth millions.
But W Motors also produced other independent models, such as the Fenyr SuperSport and Ghiath. There are also the Model 7 and the MUSE, but they were manufactured in collaboration with CONIQ Motors.
Will we ever hear again about W Motors? For sure! They plan to build the Fenyr SuperSport HSF, an electric supercar, a luxury sedan, and an SUV.
4. Automobili Pininfarina (Date Founded: 2018; Founder: Mahindra Group; Headquarters: Munich, Germany)
We can’t make a list of the most unknown car brands without including Automobili Pininfarina. The truth is that if you love Ferrari, you have probably heard about them, as they have produced some of the most stunning Ferraris ever created.
This is a design and coachbuilding company, and in 2015, Mahindra Group managed to buy the rights to the name, and this is how Automobili Pininfarina appeared. Now the goal of this company is to build the most powerful supercars.
In 2019, the first car was built, the Battista, and everyone’s jaw dropped. The Battista has a technical basis similar to the Rimac Nevera but has a distinct design that embodies Pininfarina’s elegance.
The Battista began production in 2022, with 150 models distributed equally among buyers from Europe, Asia, North America, and the Middle East.
5. VinFast (Date Founded: June 2017; Founder: Pham Nhat Vuong; Headquarters: Haiphong, Vietnam)
Maybe you were not expecting this, but one of these unknown car brands comes from Vietnam and works with Pininfarina and BMW to make some really good cars. This is the first Vietnamese car brand that has achieved this level and is now found on the global market. They are specialized in producing battery-electric vehicles and various ICEs.
Right now, VinFast is trying to break into the US market. Conceding that people are more and more interested in purchasing EVs, this is totally achievable. Until now, they have sold about 2,000 EVs in the US and predict they will sell even more. Their first dealership in the United States opened in December 2023 in North Carolina.
6. Ultima Sports (Date Founded: 1983; Founder: Lee Noble; Headquarters: Hinckley, Leicestershire, England, United Kingdom)
We will close this list of the most unknown car brands with Ultima Sports. This company, based in England, is known worldwide because of the manufacturing of the Ultima Evolution supercar. The company successfully blends Porsche transaxles with Chevrolet engines purchased from American Speed to create a completely unique sports car line.
These are some of the most well-known cars produced by Ultima Sports: the Ultima Can-Am, Ultima Evolution, Ultima Sport, Ultima Mk, Ultima Spyder, and Ultima GTR.
But what is so special about the Ultima Evolution, and why do people love this car? Take the Chevrolet-sourced engines and combine them with the efficient European design, and you get one of the most powerful cars ever created. 60 mph in 2.3 seconds? What do you think about this?
Are there any other unknown car brands you would like to add? Tell us in the comments!
If you want to know more about the world of cars this is an amazing book: 100 Cars That Changed the World: The Designs, Engines, and Technologies That Drive Our Imaginations
You should also read: 12 Unexpected AAA Benefits You MUST Know About NOW
