These Are The Car Companies You’d Build With $1 Trillion

The world’s most normal automotive CEO, Elon Musk, has a trillion dollars now. He’s used it for some truly terrible ends, but I have faith that you’d use such money for better ends. Specifically, I think that you could use those 13 figures in cold hard cash to come up with a pretty kickass car company, so earlier this week I asked you to pitch me the automakers you’d build with such financing. Today, we’re looking through your results. 

You all had some interesting responses, from resurrecting the tried-and-true to putting some truly wild vehicles out there on the roads, whether they’d be U.S.-centric or global. Most of your car companies would be passion projects that would sell about three cars, but that’s fine. You’ll be a trillionaire, what do you care what anyone else thinks of your cars? With that, let’s dive into your pitches, and see which of you deserves a shiny trillion dollar bill most. 

I’m with Amber, revive Saab. The world needs a car company that’s safe, quirky, and sometimes performance minded again.

Submitted by: Frosteeman

This is going to sound weird, but it’s worth mentioning.

With $1T in funding, I don’t think the company could burn through the money at a rate that it could be earned back with proper investment strategies.

Build a small, affordable, EREV vehicle. And just like Bombas, I would donate one for every one sold. There would be a limited production run each year, but yes, for every vehicle sold, I would donate one additional vehicle to organizations that need transportation. The organization would have to have long term funding in place to support the operation, insurance and maintenance of the donated vehicle.

It’s far fetched, but I would give back far more than I took in. I’m not on a quest to be the most powerful or richest person with the most toys. I’d rather be known as the person who did the most for others, and if I did that, nothing else would matter. 

Submitted by: ColoradoOnTheFly

Pontiac resurrection.

Break the trend of increasingly complex and larger cars: target those who want an affordable to purchase, simple to repair, back to basics car. In the face of constantly increasing prices for everything I’d be willing to bet there’s a fair share of the population which would be interested (see: the entire entry level car market that has been abandoned by OEMs).

General focus would be: Only have the safety tech required by law, fuel economy and emissions controls required by law, focus on robust proven technologies, keep the design as simple as possible for manufacture, utilize continental supply chains where possible, and parts sharing at all available opportunities between models. No screens or tech gimmicks beyond CarPlay and a backup cam.

A car can just be a car; we don’t need voice assistants, auto parking, driver assistance, massaging 17 way seats, or 70″ TVs across the dashboard. We’ve lost the plot on basic cars, Pont(ii)ac will bring it back.

Submitted by: Subaru Headgasket

A car company that makes everything that the all others gave up on.

We’ll sell: Sedans, Hatchbacks, Wagons, Roadsters, Shooting Brakes, 2-door pickups with 8 ft beds, etc.

We’ll never sell: Crossovers, SUVs, 4-Door Trucks with tiny beds, etc. 

Submitted by: Dr.Xyster

Hear me out on this, but it would still be Tesla, just the Tesla that existed from 2012-2019. Before Musk made the brand his own personal vanity project, when the brand was still focused on changing the auto industry for the better, listening to consumer feedback, making quality of life improvements on the fly, that Tesla. If we kept on that trajectory for the past 7 years, not only would the auto industry be in a better place, but the world in general. 

Submitted by: Atomic

Saturn 2: Electric Boogaloo. All mandated safety systems, no more no less. I-4 with between 130hp – 330hp. FWD, sedan, coupe, and wagon. Radio consists of aux jack, usb, cd, am/fm, carplay, and android auto. Simple, fun to drive cars.

Submitted by: BlueSoap

I’d build the cars I (and perhaps a small number of like minded gearheads) want to drive. Perhaps not commercially viable on a large scale, but if I had a Trillion dollars I probably wouldn’t care.

The cars would all weigh sub 3,000 lbs regardless of configuration. We’d have roadsters, coupes, sedans, and wagons. Manual and automatic options, but all with 4-cylinder or smaller engines. Fwd or Rwd, sorry Michiganders I don’t think we could swing AWD.

Prioritization would be on handling and efficiency, with just enough power to keep things fun. We’d use engines like the ridiculously fuel efficient Toyota 1KR engine…nearly 60 mpg in a petrol engine. Not fast by any definition, but more than enough to scoot a lightweight car around. More powerful options would be available, but nothing would get under 30 mpg

Enough safety features to keep you…ya know…safe. But nothing extraneous that’s just going to add weight.

Submitted by: SantaCruzin

Singer, but cheaper. I hate that restomods are so expensive. With enough money, you could use economies of scale and some proper industrial engineering to update cars that don’t have screens, but could use other advancements/hindsight to make them more fun.

Submitted by: Clay Horste

I would build a true American luxury brand on the level of a Rolls Royce. All V8’s with a clean sheet V8 built in house. Real wood, leather, etc.. We have so many rich people in the US and what do they drive? Foreign cars. 

Submitted by: RC350F

I’d bring back the most original and somehow quirky car company I’ve always had a thing for: AMC

Apply the same resourceful thinking and engineering minus the obvious too far left-field ideas, or at least restrain these a bit. Mix ICE and EV, high power in small packages, stick and auto… And the name brands (AMX, Rebel, Javelin, Gremlin, etc), though copyright might be an issue here! 

Submitted by: DarkHorse