American Automobile Industry

The motor vehicle industry began with hundreds of manufacturers, but by the end of the 1920s it became dominated by three large companies - General Motors, Ford and Chrysler. After the Great Depression and World War II, these companies continued to prosper. However, beginning in the 1970s, a combination of high oil prices, increased competition from foreign auto manufacturers, and increasing government regulation severely affected the companies. In the ensuing years, the companies periodically bounced back, but by 2008 the industry was in turmoil. As a result General Motors and Chrysler filed bankruptcy reorganization and were bailed out with loans and investments from the federal government.
Prior to the 1980s, most of the plants were owned by domestic manufacturers of the Big Three (GM, Ford, Chrysler) and AMC. However that has dropped steadily since with auto transplants, factories established in the US by foreign-owned car companies.