Many of us in the United States do not know a lot regarding other countries. Except if they are luxury models, a lot of us do not think about where the cars we buy come from. There are numerous excellent cars that are made in Europe, and they aren’t the ones everybody thinks of. When we think of European cars, they consider the expensive brands like BMW, Mercedes, Jaguar, Lamborghini or Rolls Royce. But there is certainly three companies that make great reasonably priced cars. This story will focus on Volvo, Volkswagen and Audi.

For a country that has only nine million people, it is extraordinary that it is able to sustain two automakers. This place is actually Sweden and possesses both Volvo and Saab. Of the two, Volvo, and this is owned by Ford Motor Company, has had a great influence on the automobile industry. When safety standards were poor just about everywhere, it was Volvo and their own desire for higher standards that changed the industry. Some of the things that had their origins with Volvo, are reinforced roofs, front end crumple zones, and specifically designed interiors. They became well known for putting together high quality and ultra safe vehicles. It was through their leadership that prompted car manufacturers around the world to raise their standards, also.

The Volkswagen Beetle is a car that just about everyone knows about although not so much about the history behind the car. The Beetle primarily arrived on the scene in the 1930′s in Germany as the “people’s car.” It lived through World War II to become not simply just about the most treasured cars, but was also the most mass-produced. Almost anyone could certainly pay for a Volkswagen Beetle. Anyone, whether they were college students, farmers or business people, could drive a Beetle. The Beetle ended its run in the United States during the 1970′s but continued to be made in Mexico up until the early 2000′s.

Nowadays it is common on vehicles, but back when Audi first introduced its Quattro all wheel drive and its superior handling, it was a leap in technology. 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 a long time, their firm had a large advantage over the competition, because of the Quattro technology. Their traction expertise was so sophisticated and superior to others that the cars were banished in some types of racing competition.

That’s your fundamental history of three exceptional European car manufacturers. With all they did for the automotive sector as a whole, maybe extraordinary is the proper word..