If you ask anyone around you to name the car brands that start with the letter V, they will tell you Volkswagen and Volvo. I was surprised to find out that most people think that these two are the only automakers with V-initials.
There are many unique and innovative car manufacturers across the globe who have made significant contributions to the automotive industry. But as most of them are not globally recognized, people assume they do not exist. So, I thought, why not write about the top car brands across the globe that start with the letter V and share it with all of you?
Let us not waste any time and get started.
1. Volkswagen
Volkswagen is the flagship brand of the German car manufacturing company Volkswagen Group. This brand is globally known for producing passenger vehicles, commercial vehicles, motorcycles, engines, and turbo-machinery.
Volkswagen was founded in 1937 in Berlin by the German Labor Front to make people’s cars. Since its launch, the company has produced a wide range of vehicles, from military automobiles to plug-in hybrid rides for the global market.
2. Volvo
Volvo is one of the best luxury car brands that start with V. This Swedish multinational maker of extravagant rides was founded in 1927, is headquartered in Gothenburg, Sweden, and is largely owned by Chinese automotive company Geely.
Volvo currently manufactures and sells station wagons, sedans like Nissan Versa, sport utility vehicles, and compact executive sedans like the widely popular Toyota Camry. After decades of successful construction of gasoline-powered rides, the company announced in 2019 its decision to produce fully electric and hybrid electric vehicles.
3. Vauxhall
Vauxhall Motors is a British car company founded in 1857 by Alexander Wilson. It is headquartered in Chalton, Bedfordshire, England. In 2021, this V-letter brand became a subsidiary of Stellantis. Vauxhall is one of the oldest vehicle manufacturers and distribution companies in the United Kingdom. It currently makes and markets light commercial vehicles and passenger cars. Another interesting fact about Vauxhall is that it has been the second-largest selling car brand in the UK for over two decades.
4. Vortex
Vortex Automotive Limited is a British car company created by Phantom Automotive Limited in 2008. It is headquartered in Kenilworth in Warwickshire and has been making cars under the Vortex name since 2010. Vortex V2 and Vortex GTR are the most popular models of this car brand.
5. Vanden Plas
Vanden Plas is a coachbuilder that produces bodies for specialist and up-market auto manufacturers. This brand was founded in 1870 in Brussels, Belgium, and initially used to build axles and horse-drawn carriages. By 1900, they had started building special bodies for top brands like Rolls Royce, Bentley, Daimler, and more.
6. Vespa
Vespa is an Italy-based luxury brand of mopeds and scooters manufactured by Piaggio. It was founded in 1946 by Enrico Piaggio. Vespa evolved from being just a single-model motor scooter made in 1946 to a full line of scooters. It is one of the seven companies Piaggio owns today.
Since their inception, the Vespa automotive models have been known for their painted, pressed steel unibody, offering an attractive and practical ride.
7. Venturi
Venturi, or Venturi Automobiles, is a Moncao-based car manufacturer founded in 1984 by French engineers Gérard Godfroy and Claude Poiraud as MVS. The company operated for almost sixteen years and went bankrupt in 2000.
However, Venturi was saved by Monegasque Gildo Pallanca Pastor, who purchased it in 2000 and diverted the brand’s entire focus to building electric cars. This multinational automotive manufacturer is known for designing, manufacturing, and selling luxury electric vehicles.
8. Vandenbrink
Vandenbrink is an automotive design and coachbuilding company based in the Netherlands. It was founded in 2006 in Amsterdam by Michiel van den Brink and Robert Koumans.
This car brand that begins with the letter V is known for designing and building special coach-built Ferraris like the Vandenbrink 599 GTO, based on the Ferrari 599 GTB Fiorano, and a shooting-brake version of the Ferrari 612 Scaglietti.
9. VDS
VDS Cars is a sports car manufacturer based in Belgium that is widely known for its competitive history with the VDS Racing team. This automaker had raced its vehicles in several international racing events across the world in the 1980s. It is currently producing a VDS GT 001 supercar, which made its debut in 2013.
10. Veritas
Veritas was a post-World War II sports and race car company based in West Germany. It was founded by Ernst Loof, Georg Meier and Lorenz Dietrich. In the 1950s, the company initially built road and racing cars under the BMW-Veritas name. However, later, due to BMW’s objection, its vehicles came to be simply known as Veritas.
11. Victress
The Victress Manufacturing Company was a US-based car brand founded in 1952 in California. The company built its first car, the Victress S1A, in 1954. It was designed by Hugh Jorgensen and William Boyce Smith. The S1A was produced on either a Ford or a custom chassis from Mameco Corp.
12. VLF Automotive
VLF Automotive is a small US-based automobile company formed in 2016. It was initially founded as VL Automotive by Bob Lutz and Gilbert Villarreal but changed to VLF after its new partner, Henrik Fisker, joined the firm. VLF comprises the first letters of the last names of all three partners.
In 2013, the company unveiled its first model, Destino, which was based on Fisker Karma. In 2016, VLF debuted a 745 hp sports car, Force 1, and in 2018, it produced Rocket V8, a coach-built Ford Mustang.
13. Van Hool
Van Hool is a family-owned coachbuilder and manufacturer of buses, coaches, trolleybuses, and trailers from Belgium. The company was founded in 1947, and most of its buses and coaches are built entirely by it.
Van Hool manufactures more than 1,700 buses and coaches (including (bodywork and complete vehicles) and 5,000 trailers each year. This brand exports its products to many European and American countries.
14. Vision
Vision Industries is an American automotive engineering, design, and manufacturing company based in Mar Vista, California. Presently, this car brand engineers, designs, and produces the Vision SZR, a mid-engine, high-performance sports car.
15. Valmet Automotive
Valmet Automotive is a Finnish automobile contract manufacturer and supplier of roof, battery, and kinematic systems founded in 1968. It is headquartered in Uusikaupunki, Finland, and has manufactured over 1.8 million cars. Its top customers include Mercedes Benz, Saab, Porsche, Opel, and Fisker.
16. Vale Motor Company
Vale Motor Company was a British manufacturer of sports cars. It produced and marketed vehicles between 1932 and 1936, which were labeled Vale or Vale Special.
17. Vemac
Vemac is a Japanese car designing company that constructs concept cars for top Japanese car makers. This R&D firm also developed a hybrid racing car called Vemac RD320R, which currently competes in the Super GT GT300 class.
18. Vencer
Vencer is a Dutch maker of expensive and potent sports cars. It was established in 2010 by Robert Cobben and is headquartered in Vriezenveen, Netherlands. The company has released only one model, called Vencer Sarthe. Its retail price is €270,882 and is available for sale only in Europe.
19. Vignale
Vignale was an Italian automobile coachbuilder company established in 1948 in Turin. It was a private entity until 1969, when Ford, one of the most popular car brands that start with F, took over. Vignale officially became defunct in 1973, but Ford still owns the name.
Over the years, Ford of Europe, a subsidiary of Ford, has released Vignale versions of many of its cars, including Fiesta, Focus, Mondeo, Edge, and many more.
20. VinFast
VinFast is a Vietnam-based multinational car company founded in 2017 by Vingroup, one of the largest private conglomerates in Vietnam. The company claims to be the first volume manufacturer in Vietnam and the first Vietnamese automaker to expand into global markets and produce electric vehicles, including electric cars and scooters.
21. VeilSide
VeilSide is a Japanese aftermarket automotive company founded in 2015. This car brand initially sold suspension and engine tuning parts, but now it also sells body parts to enhance the vehicle’s aerodynamic and aesthetic appeal. VeilSide is widely popular for its body kits and engine tuning services and for using its cars to compete in drag racing, time attacks, and drifting events like the D1 Grand Prix.
22. VDL Nedcar
VDL Nedcar is a Netherlands-based automobile company founded in 1967. Earlier, this firm was owned by Mitsubishi Motors and Volvo Cars. However, it is now owned by the Dutch industrial conglomerate VDL Groep. It is the largest automotive factory in the Netherlands, with a production capacity of 240,000 vehicles a year. VDL Nedcar is the only production vehicle manufacturer in its country.
This car brand beginning with the V letter, currently produces the Mini Cabrio convertible, Mini Countryman, Mini Countryman-PHEV, and BMW X1 for BMW Group.
23. Venucia
Venucia is an automobile brand owned by Dongfeng Nissan Passenger Vehicle, a subsidiary of Dongfeng Motor Co., Ltd., a Chinese company. The brand was launched in 2010 and literally means “Beginning of a new day.” This Chinese car brand built several models under its name in 2020, including the D60, Star, T60, V-Online, VX6, and more. However, the parent company merged Venucia into Dongfeng Nissan in 2020, ceasing its independent existence.
24. Vector
Vector Motors Corporation is an American V-initial car brand founded in 1978 and based in Wilmington, California. It was built to compete with European performance car makers like Lamborghini and Ferrari. Vector developed and built about 50 sports car models during the 1980s and 1990s.
Despite the good going, the company ceased operations in 1993. Luckily, it was revived later, and it continued to develop supercars. However, with the death of the company’s lead designer and engineer, Jerry Wiegert’s death, in 2021, the company was left stranded and officially became defunct.
25. Virago
Virago Cars Limited is a low-volume supercar manufacturer based in Coventry, England. This brand was founded in 2005 but had built only one model, Virago Coupe, until 2010. In 2011, Virago got defunct.
26. Voisin
Avions Voisin was a French automobile brand of luxury cars. It was established in 1919 by Gabriel Voisin and was in business until 1939. This car company is still remembered for its pre-World War II luxury vehicles, namely Voisin Type C27 Aerosport Coupe, Voisin C25 Aérodyne, and Voisin C23.
27. Vanden Plas
Vanden Plas was a coachbuilder who produced bodies for upmarket automakers for their sports, luxury, and other cars. This British brand became big and functioned from 1917 to 1963. The popularity of Vanden Plas was so huge that its products were used even after the company was dissolved.
28. VAM
Mexican Automotive Vehicles or Vehículos Automotores Mexicanos was a Mexican automaker that operated from 1946 to 1986. This brand used to import and manufacture light passenger cars, SUVs, and small trucks under the license from AMC, Willy, Jeep, Eagle, Renault, and Chrysler. VAM also designed its own vehicles based on AMC platforms.
The collapse of the Mexican economy in the early 1980s caused the Mexican government to sell VAM to Renault, which shut down the company in the late 1980s.
29. Velie
Velie was an American brand from the early period of the automobile industry. It was established by Velie Motors Corporation in Moline, Illinois. Velie was in production from 1908 to 1928 and primarily produced sports and touring cars and airplanes.
30. Vivinus
Vivinus was a Belgian car producer that was active from 1899 to 1912. It was one of the first businesses of its kind and used to build small carriage-like motor cars. The first Vivinus car was assembled in 1895.
31. Vernon-Derby
Vernon-Derby, popularly known as Derby, was a British car maker that came into existence in 1921. The company built many urban cars in its lifetime, along with some motorsport models. However, the company could not keep up the float and was defunct in 1936.
32. Vinaxuki or Xuan Kien
Vinaxuki, or Xuan Kien, was a Vietnamese auto manufacturer founded in 2004 and headquartered in Hanoi, Vietnam. This company manufactured and assembled cars, mini trucks, and some utility vehicles under its own brand name and other Chinese brands.
Vinaxuki’s operations ceased in 2015, and till then, it launched 38 truck models, two touring car models, two semi-truck models, and two coach models.
33. Victoria
Victoria was a German motorcycle manufacturer based in Nuremberg. The brand was founded in 1901 and defunct in 1966. At the beginning of its establishment, Victoria used to fit proprietary engines bought from different manufacturers. However, the company moved forward to build its own products in 1920. The KR 1 was the first Victoria model.
There you have it, the best car brands that start with V, both working and defunct. The global automotive industry has changed drastically over the last century. Several car companies were able to sustain themselves while others faded into oblivion. But this has not stopped people from trying, as time after time, several new firms keep rising and contributing to the industry at national and international levels.
