Some of the world’s greatest car manufacturers aren’t failing because they can’t build good cars. They’re failing because they’ve forgotten why we loved them in the first place

The car industry has always been cyclical. Sales rise and fall. Models flop. Companies merge, split, collapse and occasionally rise from the ashes. Automotive history is littered with famous names that simply disappeared, particularly here in Britain where once-proud marques have become little more than museum exhibits or nostalgic memories. What’s different in 2026 is that we’re witnessing something arguably more alarming.