What was behind the Big 3 building cars in post-war Europe? (Germany, Japanese)

[HappyRider]

Ford, GM and Chrysler all had huge subsidiaries in post-war Europe. Ford Taunus, Opel in Germany, Vauxhall in England and Chrysler with the Simca in France. We have plenty of Japanese companies building cars here today but the nature of the relationship with parent companies are different. It seems to me that Ford of Germany is/was a much more indigenous operation than let’s say Toyota in the US. When people bought an Opel, the GM roots didn’t really show. It was a German car. I am interested in hearing from a European if they considered the Taunus or the Opel as American as much as we think of the Camry as Japanese even if it is built right here.

[jtur88]

As I recall, the cars you named were all terrible makes. The industrial infrastructure in Europe was pretty well bombed out during the war, with no standing factories in which to build cars. The Americans had the money and the expertise to tool them up quickly, and get enough units on the road to meet the demands. Even into the late 60s, there was still a high turnout and immediate deliver for those makes, with waiting lists for buyers who wanted to buy better-made cars. Simcas weren't even as good as Renaults, and by 1954, GM was exporting Simcas to the USA.

They were not duplicates of American cars, they were pretty much in conformity with the style and standards of the predecessors with the same badges. Opel and Vauxhall had been around for ever, not sure about Simca. An Opel was still an Opel, even after the Yanks got into their production.

[MrRational]

Originally Posted by HappyRider

Ford, GM and Chrysler all had huge subsidiaries in post-war Europe.

They had significant operations in PRE war Europe as well.

It seems to me that Ford of Germany is/was a much more indigenous operation
than let’s say Toyota in the US. When people bought an Opel, the GM roots didn’t really show.

European customers generally preferred European cars. Same as today.

[Retriever]

Ford has been a presence in Germany since 1923, and the Taunus (introduced in 1939) was only one of the many models that Ford made in that country. It took GM a few more years before they bought-out the Adam Opel works, but they have been a presence in Deutschland since the '30s, with a very wide variety of models available.

Similarly, Vauxhall has been a GM division since 1926, so all of these entities predate WW II by...many years.

In the case of Simca, that independent company actually bought-out Ford's French assets (and designs) in 1954 (obviously post-war), and a few years after that ('60s, I think) Chrysler bought Simca.

So, with the garbled history that you provided, I'm not completely sure what you are asking, but suffice it to say that the people in those countries consider all of those marques to be a part of their culture, despite their American ownership. Similarly, surveys have shown that most Brits believe Heinz to be a UK-based company--all because of its longevity in that market.

When a company has been established as long as Ford of Germany, Vauxhall in The UK, and Opel in Germany, those companies are a firm part of the national identity. Simca...not so much...given the fact that their designs were derivative of either Fiat and Ford (depending on the model), and of course, that particular company has been gone for a long time.

[modernist1]

Certainly some of the European Ford and GM cars took their styling cue from their American cousins. That may be less noticeable today. As a Brit growing up - I always considered Fords and Vauxhalls domestic but with a touch of Yankee flair.

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