Blog

The letter I opens some of the most layered and fascinating names in automotive history. It gives us Infiniti, Nissan’s luxury arm that launched in 1989 with the ambition of challenging BMW and Mercedes-Benz on their own terms. 

It gives us Isuzu, a Japanese brand whose diesel engines quietly power freight networks and farming operations across six continents. It gives us Isotta Fraschini, an Italian manufacturer whose 1920s grand tourers were considered by many contemporary engineers to be more technically advanced than anything Rolls-Royce was building at the time. 

And in more recent years, the letter introduced us to the Ioniq 5, the electric SUV that won more international Car of the Year awards in a single year than almost any vehicle in history. Some I-brands are global giants. Some are extinct legends. 

Some are one-man workshops producing three cars a year in a converted barn. Each one reflects a different facet of a century-long global conversation about what cars should be and who should build them.

All Car Brands That Start With I: The Definitive Reference

1. Infiniti

Infiniti was born from a very specific frustration. In the mid-1980s, Nissan’s senior engineers watched Toyota launch Lexus with enormous success and decided that Nissan deserved its own luxury brand — one that would challenge not just Toyota’s new flagship, but the established European and American luxury makers who had long dominated the premium segment. In 1985, Nissan formed the “Horizon Task Force,” a confidential internal group tasked with creating a performance-first luxury brand from scratch. By 1987, the brand had a name. By November 1989, Infiniti was on sale at 51 dealers across the United States with two models: the spacious Q45 saloon and the performance-oriented M30 coupe.

The early years were mixed. The Q45’s launch advertising — which pointedly showed fields and rivers rather than the car itself — became one of the most discussed marketing experiments in automotive history, generating enormous buzz while also confusing buyers about what the product actually was. Sales were slow initially, but the brand found its footing through the mid-1990s with the introduction of the QX4 SUV, which made Infiniti one of the first luxury brands to offer a proper SUV at a time when only specialists like Jeep and Land Rover occupied that space. The VQ engine family, introduced across multiple models from the mid-1990s onward, became one of the most celebrated V6 units in the industry — winning Ward’s 10 Best Engines award for ten consecutive years from 1995 to 2004.

By the 2010s, Infiniti had found a confident identity around premium SUVs and sporty sedans with real driving involvement, particularly the Q50 and Q60. The current lineup, following the discontinuation of the Q50 sedan after 2024 and the planned retirement of the QX50 and QX55 after 2025, centres on the redesigned QX80 flagship SUV and the QX60 three-row crossover, with the new QX65 coupe-SUV arriving in 2026. Parent company Nissan’s recent financial difficulties have cast some uncertainty over Infiniti’s long-term independence, particularly amid merger discussions with Honda, but the brand continues to invest in new products.

• Founded: 1989, Japan (Nissan luxury division)
• Headquarters: Yokohama, Japan; North American operations in Nashville, Tennessee
• Current models (2025): QX60, QX80; QX50 and QX55 being discontinued
• Upcoming: QX65 coupe-SUV (2026), first all-electric Infiniti model planned
• Ownership: Nissan Motor Co. (part of Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi Alliance)
• Notable achievement: VQ V6 engine — Ward’s 10 Best Engines ten consecutive years (1995–2004)
• 2024 US sales: Approximately 58,070 units (down 10.2% year-on-year)

2. Isuzu

Isuzu Motors was founded in 1916 in Tokyo through the merger of Tokyo Ishikawajima Shipbuilding and Engineering with Tokyo Gas and Electric Industrial Company. For the first decades of its existence, the company focused on trucks and commercial vehicles, building a reputation for diesel engine engineering that remains the brand’s defining characteristic a century later. Isuzu became a standalone entity in 1949 and established a partnership with General Motors in 1971 — a relationship that lasted decades and produced a number of co-developed products including the Isuzu Trooper (sold in the USA as the Acura SLX and Chevrolet Passport), the Isuzu Rodeo (sold as the Honda Passport in North America), and the Isuzu D-Max (developed on a joint GM platform in its second generation).

Isuzu’s position in the global market today is unique. Unlike most manufacturers, the company makes no serious attempt to compete in the mass-market passenger car segment. Its passenger vehicle lineup globally consists of just two models: the D-Max pickup truck (launched 2002, currently in its third generation with a 2024 facelift) and the MU-X body-on-frame SUV (launched 2013, based on the D-Max platform). What Isuzu does instead is focus its engineering resources on commercial trucks, buses, and the diesel powertrains that have made its name. The brand’s diesel engines power vehicles from manufacturers far beyond its own lineup, including numerous bus and truck platforms across Asia, Africa, and Latin America.

In markets like Australia, Thailand, South Africa, and the Philippines, the D-Max is a perennial best-seller and commands genuine loyalty from buyers who need working vehicles that will not let them down. In the UK, D-Max sales reached 6,574 units in 2024. The third-generation D-Max, with its updated 1.9-litre and 3.0-litre turbodiesel engines, advanced safety systems, and significantly improved interior quality, has closed the gap with segment leaders like the Toyota Hilux and Ford Ranger considerably.

• Founded: 1916, Tokyo, Japan
• Headquarters: Nishi-ku, Yokohama, Japan
• Key segments: Commercial trucks, buses, diesel engines, pickup trucks, SUVs
• Current passenger models: D-Max (pickup), MU-X (SUV)
• Parent: Toyota Motor Corporation (major shareholder since 2006)
• Historical notable models: Trooper, Rodeo, Axiom, Gemini, VehiCROSS, Piazza
• Markets: Sold globally in over 100 countries; particularly dominant in Southeast Asia, Australia, Africa

3. Iveco

Iveco stands for Industrial Vehicles Corporation, and the name accurately describes both what the company does and the philosophy behind it. Founded in Turin in 1975 through the merger of Fiat’s commercial vehicle divisions with German brand Magirus-Deutz, Iveco quickly established itself as one of Europe’s leading manufacturers of trucks, vans, and buses. The company is now a subsidiary of CNH Industrial, itself a spin-off from the original Fiat industrial empire.

Iveco’s product range covers almost every need in commercial transport: the Daily van series (one of Europe’s best-selling light commercial vehicles), medium-duty trucks under the Eurocargo nameplate, heavy-duty long-haul trucks under the Stralis and S-Way brands, and a growing range of alternative-fuel and electric commercial vehicles. The Daily Electric, for example, is now a genuine choice for urban last-mile delivery operators across European cities, with a range suitable for most urban distribution routes and a total cost of ownership argument that strengthens every year as diesel costs rise.

Iveco has also been active in defence and fire service vehicles through its Astra and Iveco Defence Vehicles divisions, supplying military and emergency service operators across Europe, Asia, and Latin America. In 2007, Iveco became the shirt sponsor of the New Zealand All Blacks rugby team — a notably unusual marketing move for a commercial vehicle manufacturer that generated considerable media attention. The company is headquartered in Turin and employs over 25,000 people globally.

• Founded: 1975, Turin, Italy
• Headquarters: Turin, Italy
• Parent: CNH Industrial
• Key segments: Light commercial vans, medium trucks, heavy trucks, buses, electric commercial vehicles
• Notable models: Daily, Eurocargo, Stralis, S-Way, Daily Electric
• Notable fact: All Blacks rugby shirt sponsor from 2007; active in military and fire service vehicle supply

4. IKCO (Iran Khodro)

Iran Khodro Company, universally known as IKCO, is one of the largest and most strategically significant automotive manufacturers in the developing world, yet it barely registers in Western automotive coverage. Founded on 29 August 1962 in Tehran by brothers Ahmad and Mahmoud Khayami as Iran National, IKCO was created with an explicit brief from the Iranian government: build a domestic automotive industry capable of producing vehicles at scale for a rapidly modernising country.

The company’s most historically significant model was the Paykan — a licensed version of the British Hillman Hunter, produced continuously from 1967 to 2005. For nearly four decades, the Paykan was Iran’s national car in the way the Mini was Britain’s or the Beetle was Germany’s. It was inexpensive, mechanically simple, and ubiquitous. When the Paykan was finally retired in 2005, it had been in production for 38 years, longer than almost any model in automotive history, and the announcement generated genuine public mourning in Iran.

Today, IKCO produces around 500,000 to 700,000 vehicles annually, making it the largest car manufacturer in the Middle East, Central Asia, and North Africa. Its current lineup includes the Samand saloon (developed independently), the Runna, Dena, and Tara models, and a range of Peugeot and Renault models produced under licence through joint venture arrangements. IKCO also manufactures commercial vehicles including trucks and buses under Mercedes-Benz licence through its Iran Khodro Diesel subsidiary. International sanctions have complicated foreign partnerships significantly since 2018, pushing the company toward more self-reliant development of its own platforms and powertrains.

• Founded: 29 August 1962, Tehran, Iran
• Headquarters: Tehran, Iran
• Annual production: Approximately 500,000–700,000 vehicles
• Key models: Samand, Runna, Dena, Tara, Peugeot-licensed models
• Notable fact: Produced the Paykan for 38 continuous years (1967–2005); holds approximately 65% of Iran’s domestic vehicle market
• Status: Active; world’s largest automaker in its regional market

5. Innocenti

Innocenti occupies a strange and charming place in automotive history. The company was founded in Milan in 1947 by Ferdinando Innocenti, who had made his fortune manufacturing steel tubes. The brand’s first major success was the Lambretta scooter — a machine that defined a generation of Italian youth in the post-war years and competed fiercely with the Vespa for the soul of Italian motorcycling. Cars followed in the early 1960s, but Innocenti’s approach was pragmatic rather than original: the company took British BMC products and reengineered them for Italian tastes, producing the Austin-Healey Sprite-based Innocenti Spider and, most successfully, a range of Mini-derived hatchbacks built at the company’s factory in Lambrate, Milan.

The Innocenti Mini range, produced from 1965 to 1975, was often regarded as superior to the British original in terms of interior finish, equipment levels, and overall build quality — a remarkable statement about Italian manufacturing pride applied to a British design. After British Leyland acquired the Lambrate factory in 1972, ownership passed to Alejandro de Tomaso in 1976, who relaunched the brand as Nuova Innocenti and pursued an independent identity before the company was eventually absorbed by Fiat in 1989. The Lambrate factory closed in 1993, and the Innocenti name was retired in 1996, ending one of the more improbable success stories in European automotive history.

• Founded: 1947, Milan, Italy
• Defunct: 1996
• Parent progression: Independent → British Leyland → De Tomaso → Fiat
• Notable models: Innocenti Mini (1965–1975), Innocenti Spider, Mini Turbo De Tomaso, 990
• Legacy: Produced arguably the best-built version of the Mini; the 990 of 1986 was among the first small cars to offer standard air conditioning

6. ISO Rivolta

ISO is one of the most underappreciated names in Italian automotive history. Founded by Renzo Rivolta in Bresso, near Milan, in 1953 (evolving from a predecessor company active since 1938), ISO began as a manufacturer of scooters, small three-wheelers, and notably the Isetta micro-car — a tiny bubble car that BMW would later license and sell in enormous numbers under its own name. The Isetta was one of the most unusual vehicles of the post-war era: a single-cylinder egg-shaped machine whose entire front end opened as a door, accessed through a steering wheel that swung outward with it.

By the early 1960s, Renzo Rivolta had more ambitious plans. He hired Giotto Bizzarrini — who had been responsible for engineering the Ferrari 250 GTO before being dismissed by Enzo Ferrari during a management purge — to design a high-performance grand tourer. The result was the ISO Rivolta GT (1962), a sleek 2+2 powered by a Chevrolet Corvette V8 engine. It was a practical and elegant solution to a genuine engineering challenge: Italian coachbuilders could produce beautiful bodies, but Italian V8 engines of the period struggled to match American power and reliability. By marrying Italian design with American muscle, ISO created something genuinely compelling.

The ISO Grifo, launched in 1963, took this approach further: a low, wide sports coupe with Bertone bodywork, Bizzarrini engineering, and a Chevrolet big-block V8 capable of 0–100 km/h in under seven seconds. By 1960s standards, it was extraordinary. The brand collapsed in 1974 when the oil crisis killed demand for American-engined Italian exotica, and Renzo Rivolta’s death left no clear succession plan. The ISO name has since been revived periodically, most recently through the ISO Rivolta Vision Gran Turismo concept, but no new production vehicles have followed.

• Founded: 1953, Bresso, Italy (Renzo Rivolta)
• Defunct: 1974 for original production
• Notable models: ISO Rivolta GT, ISO Grifo, ISO Lele, ISO Fidia, ISO Isetta (forerunner to BMW Isetta)
• Legacy: Defined the Italian-American supercar formula; ISO Grifo remains a prized collector vehicle

7. Isotta Fraschini 

The name Isotta Fraschini carries an almost mythological weight among pre-war car enthusiasts. Founded in Milan in 1900 by Cesare Isotta together with his brothers and the Fraschini family, the company began by importing and servicing French automobiles before transitioning to full manufacture. By the 1920s, Isotta Fraschini had become one of the most technically sophisticated luxury car manufacturers in the world. The Tipo 8, launched in 1919, featured a 5.9-litre straight-eight engine — one of the earliest in production — and offered a level of mechanical refinement that set the standard for the entire industry.

The Tipo 8A, produced from 1924 to 1931, grew to a 7.4-litre capacity producing between 115 and 160 horsepower — figures that were genuinely extraordinary for the era, allowing speeds above 140 km/h at a time when most cars struggled to reach 80 km/h. Isotta Fraschini’s clientele included European royalty, American industrialists, and film industry figures. The brand was particularly popular in the United States, where its cars were considered the ultimate expression of Italian craftsmanship. Hollywood stars and East Coast socialites commissioned bespoke bodies on Isotta chassis from the finest coachbuilders of the day.

The company was severely damaged by the Great Depression, which eliminated much of its wealthy clientele, and never fully recovered. It pivoted to aircraft engines and trucks during World War II before being nationalised. A 1996 attempt to revive the marque with the T8 concept — designed by Tom Tjaarda on an Audi V8 platform — failed to reach production, and the company went bankrupt in 1999. The Isotta Fraschini name is now held by separate entities managing luxury goods and marine engines respectively.

• Founded: 1900, Milan, Italy
• Defunct: For car production in 1949; revival attempt 1996–1999 failed
• Notable models: Tipo 8, Tipo 8A, Tipo 8B, Tipo 8C Monterosa (1947 prototype)
• Legacy: One of the three great pre-war Italian luxury marques alongside Lancia and Alfa Romeo; T8A considered among finest cars of the 1920s

8. Isdera

Isdera is the kind of automotive name that enthusiasts encounter in the pages of niche specialist magazines and immediately want to know more about. Founded in 1982 by Eberhard Schulz in Warmbronn, Germany, Isdera produced an astonishingly small number of genuinely extreme supercars over the following two decades. Schulz had previously worked as a designer at Mercedes-Benz, and his vehicles reflected both that technical background and a personal design sensibility that produced some of the most dramatically styled German cars of the 1980s and 1990s.

The Isdera Imperator 108i, unveiled at the 1984 Geneva Motor Show, was a mid-engined supercar powered by a Mercedes-Benz 5.0-litre V8 producing approximately 300 horsepower. Its design incorporated a periscope-style rear-view mirror mounted in the roof — a solution to rear visibility that was as unusual as it was striking. The Commendatore 112i followed in 1993, using a 6.0-litre V12 from Mercedes-Benz and targeting a claimed 350 km/h top speed. In 2006, Isdera presented the AK116i Autobahn Kurier — a deliberately provocative high-speed grand tourer designed specifically for unrestricted autobahn use. Total production across all models has been counted in single figures. Isdera cars represent the absolute outer edge of low-volume manufacturing: machines built one at a time by a single designer-engineer for a handful of obsessive collectors.

• Founded: 1982, Warmbronn, Germany
• Founder: Eberhard Schulz (former Mercedes-Benz designer)
• Status: Active but extremely low volume
• Notable models: Spyder 033 (1982), Imperator 108i (1984), Commendatore 112i (1993), AK116i (2006)
• Total production: Fewer than 30 vehicles across all models

9. Intermeccanica 

Intermeccanica is one of the most peripatetic manufacturers in automotive history, having been founded in Italy, moved to the United States, relocated again to Canada, and continued building vehicles there for decades. Frank Reisner, an American-born entrepreneur with European sensibilities, founded Construzione Automobili Intermeccanica in Turin in 1959. Early work included tuning kits and a formula junior racing car. By the early 1960s, the company had begun producing complete vehicles, starting with the Apollo GT for International Motor Cars of Oakland, California.

Reisner eventually moved the company first to California, then to Vancouver, Canada, where his son Henry took over operations and the company continues to operate today. Modern Intermeccanica builds carefully constructed replicas and continuation vehicles of classic sports cars — most notably the Porsche 356 Roadster, which the company has been producing for decades to a standard that enthusiasts regard as faithful to the spirit if not the letter of the original. Each car is built to order, and the production rate is measured in single digits annually. Intermeccanica represents the continuity of coachbuilding craft in an era of mass production and corporate consolidation — a one-family workshop that has outlasted most of the major manufacturers it predates.

• Founded: 1959, Turin, Italy; now based in Vancouver, Canada
• Current head: Henry Reisner (son of founder Frank Reisner)
• Status: Active; bespoke low-volume production
• Notable models: Apollo GT, Italia, Murena, Porsche 356 Roadster replica (current production)

10. Invicta

Invicta has one of the longer and more fragmented histories of any British car brand. The original Invicta Car Company was founded in Cobham, Surrey in 1925 by Noel Macklin and Oliver Lyle. The original cars were large, powerful, and thoroughly British in character — high-quality sporting tourers with large six-cylinder engines designed to combine genuine speed with the kind of relaxed long-distance ability that wealthy British buyers of the 1920s required. The 4.5-litre model in particular was considered one of the finest British cars of the early 1930s.

The original company closed in 1950, but the Invicta name was subsequently revived on multiple occasions by different owners with varying degrees of seriousness and success. The most recent significant revival was Invicta Car Company’s S1 sports car, announced in the early 2000s with a supercharged Ford V8 engine and traditional British sports car character. The S1 attracted media attention and genuine interest from collectors, but production difficulties and financial challenges prevented it from reaching the volumes originally planned. The Invicta name persists in British automotive culture as a symbol of a particular kind of gentleman’s sporting car — fast, handsome, and unmistakably English.

• Founded: 1925, Cobham, Surrey, England
• Status: Intermittently active; brand revived multiple times
• Notable models: Invicta 4.5-litre (1930s), Invicta S1 (2000s revival)
• Legacy: Pre-war British performance touring cars with strong collector following

11. Itala

Itala holds a unique position in automotive history as the maker of the car that won one of the most extraordinary competitive events in motoring’s early years. Founded in Turin in 1904 by Matteo Ceirano (one of the remarkable Ceirano brothers, who between them founded or co-founded Itala, STAR, RAPID, Fratelli Ceirano, and several other Italian manufacturers), Itala produced powerful racing and touring cars that competed at the highest levels of Edwardian motor sport.

In 1907, Prince Scipione Borghese entered an Itala 35/40hp in the Peking to Paris motor trial — a 16,000-kilometre overland challenge from Beijing to Paris considered one of the most demanding events in automotive history. Borghese and his mechanic Ettore Guizzardi arrived in Paris on 10 August 1907, more than three weeks ahead of the nearest competitor. The victory made Itala a name known across Europe and cemented the brand’s reputation for mechanical durability and engineering robustness. Production continued through the 1920s and early 1930s before the company was acquired by Fiat’s industrial network in 1935, effectively ending independent production.

• Founded: 1904, Turin, Italy
• Defunct: 1934 for passenger cars
• Notable achievement: Won the 1907 Peking to Paris motor trial
• Notable models: Itala 35/40hp (Peking to Paris car), Tipo 11, Tipo 61

12. Italdesign

Italdesign, or more formally Italdesign Giugiaro, occupies a genuinely unique position in the automotive world. It is not primarily a car manufacturer in the conventional sense, though it has produced vehicles under its own name. It is instead one of the most influential industrial design studios in history — a company whose pen has touched everything from the first-generation Volkswagen Golf to the BMW M1, the Lotus Esprit, the DeLorean DMC-12, the original Audi 80, the Hyundai Pony, the SEAT Ibiza, and the Maserati Bora. The breadth of Giorgetto Giugiaro’s design output is staggering: estimates suggest that cars designed by Italdesign have sold well over 50 million units worldwide.

Founded in Turin in 1968 by designer Giorgetto Giugiaro (previously chief designer at Bertone) and engineer Aldo Mantovani, the studio offered something new to the automotive industry: a full-service industrial design and engineering partner capable of taking a brief from a manufacturer and delivering a complete, production-ready vehicle. Volkswagen AG acquired a majority stake in Italdesign in 2010, with Giugiaro selling his remaining share in 2015. Under Volkswagen ownership, Italdesign has continued to produce concept cars and limited-production vehicles under its own name, including the Italdesign Zerouno supercar (2017, Lamborghini V10, only five produced), the DaVinci concept EV, and the Quintessenza. The company also serves as a low-volume production partner for manufacturers wanting to produce limited-edition variants.

• Founded: 1968, Turin, Italy
• Founders: Giorgetto Giugiaro, Aldo Mantovani
• Current owner: Volkswagen AG (since 2010)
• Status: Active; design consultancy plus limited own-brand vehicles
• Famous designs (partial): VW Golf Mk1, Lotus Esprit, DeLorean DMC-12, BMW M1, Hyundai Pony, Maserati Bora, Alfa Romeo Brera, SEAT Ibiza

13. Iceni 

Iceni is a small British manufacturer that deserves far more attention than it typically receives. Based in Norfolk, England, and founded by Will Joules in 2011, Iceni produces a small range of luxury grand tourers powered by a modified twin-turbocharged Chevrolet 6.6-litre diesel V8 — the same engine platform used in heavy commercial trucks. The result is a vehicle with extraordinary torque figures: the Iceni Toniq produces approximately 430 horsepower and an astonishing 1,100 lb-ft of torque, delivered in a flowing body that prioritises long-distance grand touring.

Iceni’s core proposition is efficiency at speed rather than outright acceleration. The company claims that the Toniq can achieve over 60 mpg at motorway speeds while still reaching 190 mph — a combination that no other sports car can offer. Whether that claim stands up under independent testing in all conditions is a legitimate question, but the concept is genuinely original: a performance car designed for the kind of driver who wants to cover 600 miles between Paris and Prague without stopping at a fuel station. Production numbers are extremely small, with each car hand-built to order at the Norfolk workshop.

• Founded: 2011, Norfolk, England
• Founder: Will Joules
• Status: Active; bespoke low-volume production
• Notable model: Iceni Toniq — 6.6L turbodiesel V8, 430 hp, 1,100 lb-ft torque, claimed 60 mpg at motorway speeds

14. IZh (Izhevsk Automobile Plant)

IZh (pronounced “eezh”) was the automotive arm of the Izhevsk Mechanical Plant in Udmurtia, Russia — the same industrial complex that produced the famous Kalashnikov rifle. Car production began in 1966 with the IZh-408, a modified version of the Moskvitch 408. Throughout the Soviet era and into the post-Soviet period, IZh produced practical, affordable saloons and estates for the domestic Russian market. The brand was closely related to AvtoVAZ (maker of Lada) and operated under its umbrella.

IZh cars were never known for engineering innovation or refinement. They were built to be economical, simple to repair with minimal tools, and capable of operating in Russia’s extreme climate conditions — priorities that shaped every mechanical decision. The IZh 2126 Oda, produced from 1990 to 2005, was the last significant model bearing the brand’s name. Renault-Nissan eventually acquired a controlling stake in the Izhevsk plant in 2009, and the facility was subsequently used for manufacturing Nissan and Lada models rather than IZh-branded vehicles. The IZh name as an automotive brand is now retired.

• Founded: 1966, Izhevsk, Udmurtia, Russia
• Defunct: As a brand, early 2000s; plant continues under Renault-Nissan-AvtoVAZ
• Notable models: IZh-408, IZh-412, IZh-2125 Kombi, IZh 2126 Oda
• Legacy: Soviet-era working car; same facility produced Kalashnikov weapons

15. Imperial

Imperial was Chrysler Corporation’s flagship luxury marque, created to compete directly with Cadillac and Lincoln at the very top of the American luxury market. For most of its history, Imperial was either a separate premium marque with its own dealer network and distinct identity, or a top-trim designation within the Chrysler range — depending on which period of the brand’s complex history is being examined. At its best, in the late 1950s and early 1960s, the Imperial represented a genuinely distinctive American luxury proposition.

The 1960 Imperial, styled under the direction of Virgil Exner and featuring “Free-Standing” headlights mounted in separate pods outside the main body, remains one of the most striking American cars of the post-war era. The 1961–1963 Chrysler Ghia Imperial limousines, built on Imperial chassis by the Italian coachbuilder Ghia and used as presidential and official transport, were among the most prestigious vehicles in American official service. The brand was eventually merged back into the Chrysler range in 1975 and finally retired as a distinct nameplate in 1993, unable to compete with the marketing power and product development resources that General Motors devoted to Cadillac.

• Founded: 1926 as a Chrysler trim; separate marque status 1955–1975
• Defunct: 1993 as a production vehicle
• Parent: Chrysler Corporation
• Notable models: 1960 Imperial Crown, Chrysler Ghia Imperial limousine, Imperial LeBaron

The Global Footprint Of I-Brands: Legacy, Innovation And Market Influence

The car brands beginning with I span virtually every segment, era, and engineering philosophy the automotive industry has ever produced. What ties them together — from Infiniti’s luxury SUVs to Isdera’s hand-built supercars, from IKCO’s mass-market Iranian saloons to Italdesign’s studio sketches that shaped dozens of production cars — is an approach to cars that in each case reflects a genuinely specific ambition.

How Italian I-Brands Shaped Global Automotive Design

Italy’s contribution to the brands on this list is remarkable in its breadth. ISO, Innocenti, Isotta Fraschini, Itala, Invicta’s Italian revivals, Italdesign, and Intermeccanica’s Italian origins all reflect Italy’s extraordinary influence on automotive culture far beyond the products its own manufacturers have sold. This is, in many ways, a story about coachbuilding tradition: Italy developed, through the 20th century, a network of specialist design and engineering houses — carrozzerie — that could produce complete vehicle bodies to a level of craft and aesthetic sophistication that no mass manufacturer could match. Bertone, Pininfarina, Ghia, Zagato, and Italdesign designed vehicles not only for Italian manufacturers but for Volkswagen, BMW, Fiat, Audi, Hyundai, and dozens of others.

ISO Rivolta represents perhaps the most elegant expression of this Italian-global relationship. The company had no competitive Italian V8 available to it, so it used Chevrolet’s. It had no in-house design studio capable of producing world-class coachwork, so it hired Bertone and engaged Bizzarrini. The result was a car that existed nowhere in the original ISO design brief and yet was entirely coherent — a demonstration that the Italian automotive world’s genius has always been synthesising rather than inventing, assembling the right materials from the right sources into something greater than any individual part.

Italdesign’s role is the most far-reaching. Giorgetto Giugiaro has been described, credibly, as the most commercially successful car designer in history. The first-generation Volkswagen Golf — probably the most important European hatchback ever built, the car that definitively established the front-wheel-drive hatchback as the mainstream European family vehicle — was drawn in Giugiaro’s Turin studio. So was the Maserati Bora, the DeLorean DMC-12, and the first Hyundai Pony, which served as the foundation of Hyundai’s entire design trajectory. When examining how the modern automotive world looks the way it does, the lines trace back repeatedly to Italdesign.

The Japanese I-Brands And Their Commercial Dominance

Among currently active car manufacturers, Isuzu and Infiniti represent the Japanese automotive industry’s ability to identify and dominate specific niches with remarkable precision. Isuzu gave up trying to compete in the passenger car market and focused entirely on diesel engine technology and commercial vehicles — sectors where the brand now holds dominant positions in multiple large markets. This strategic retreat, which looked like failure at the time, has proven to be one of the shrewder decisions in Japanese automotive history. By the time global manufacturers were scrambling to develop diesel powertrains for the SUV boom of the 2000s and 2010s, Isuzu had been optimising diesel engines for commercial use for decades.

Infiniti’s story is one of perpetual potential partially realised. The brand has produced genuinely outstanding vehicles — the FX35/37 and FX45 SUVs of the mid-2000s were design-forward, driver-oriented machines that preceded the premium coupe-SUV trend by years. The G35 and G37 sedans offered genuine rear-wheel-drive sports car dynamics at luxury brand prices. The Q50 Red Sport 400, with its 3.0-litre twin-turbo V6 and 405 horsepower, was one of the most capable performance sedans of its era. The challenge has always been volume: Infiniti has never developed the dealership network, the brand awareness, or the model diversity to challenge Lexus or the German premium trio at scale.

All Car Models Starting With I: The Complete Reference

The number of recognisable car model names beginning with I is extensive. Some are among the most famous nameplates in automotive history; others are niche enthusiast models known mainly to specialists. Here is a comprehensive breakdown, organised by model significance.

Ioniq 5 (Hyundai) — The EV That Changed Everything

The Hyundai Ioniq 5 is one of the most significant cars of the 2020s. Launched in March 2021 on Hyundai’s dedicated E-GMP electric platform, it won the World Car of the Year, World Electric Vehicle of the Year, and World Car Design of the Year simultaneously in 2022 — a triple win achieved by only a handful of vehicles in the award’s history. Its design deliberately referenced the 1975 Hyundai Pony — the brand’s first production car — through angular pixel-light graphics, flat surfaces, and boxy proportions that contrasted sharply with the aerodynamic teardrop styling that most other EV designers were pursuing.

• Manufacturer: Hyundai
• Launched: 2021 (2022 model year in North America)
• Platform: Hyundai E-GMP (800V architecture)
• Battery: 58 kWh and 77.4 kWh options; 84 kWh available in specific markets
• Power: Up to 320 hp (AWD configuration); 225 hp (RWD)
• EPA range: 240–315 miles depending on configuration; 303 miles in the 2026 model
• Charging: Up to 233 kW DC fast charging; 10–80% charge in approximately 18 minutes
• Notable feature: V2L (Vehicle to Load) — can power external appliances from the battery
• Awards: 2022 World Car of the Year, World EV of the Year, World Car Design of the Year

Ioniq 6 (Hyundai) — The Streamliner That Broke Efficiency Records

The Ioniq 6 followed the Ioniq 5 in 2022 as Hyundai’s flagship electric sedan, and it took an entirely different visual approach. Where the Ioniq 5 was boxy and angular, the Ioniq 6 was aerodynamically obsessive: a fastback sedan with a drag coefficient of just 0.21 Cd, placing it among the most aerodynamically efficient production cars ever measured. That aerodynamic focus translated directly into an outstanding EPA range of up to 361 miles for the RWD long-range configuration — one of the longest ranges of any non-Tesla electric vehicle at launch.

• Manufacturer: Hyundai
• Launched: 2022 in South Korea; 2023 in North America
• Platform: Hyundai E-GMP (800V)
• Battery: 53 kWh and 77.4 kWh
• EPA range: Up to 361 miles (RWD long range); WLTP range up to 614 km
• Drag coefficient: 0.21 Cd
• Charging: Up to 233 kW DC; 10–80% in approximately 18 minutes
• Awards: 2023 World Car of the Year

Impala (Chevrolet) — America’s Favourite Full-Size

The Chevrolet Impala is one of the defining nameplates in American automotive history. First shown at the 1956 Motorama and named after the impala — an African antelope capable of leaping more than 30 feet — the Impala launched as a production vehicle in 1958 as a special trim level of the Bel Air, distinguished by its symmetrical triple tail-lights. It was so successful that Chevrolet separated it into its own series for 1959. At its commercial peak in 1965, the Impala sold over 1 million units in the United States — one of the highest single-year sales figures ever recorded for any model name in American automotive history.

• Manufacturer: Chevrolet (General Motors)
• Production: 1958–2020 (eleven generations)
• Notable generations: 1958–1960 (tail-fin era), 1961–1963 (full-size muscle era), 1964–1970 (Super Sport era), 2014–2020 (final generation, praised by critics as finest Impala ever built)
• Best-selling year: 1965 — over 1 million units
• Final model: 2020 Impala (discontinued as part of GM’s sedan withdrawal from North America)
• Pop culture legacy: Heavily featured in hip-hop culture; the 1964 Impala hydraulic lowrider is one of the most iconic American car customisation styles

Impreza (Subaru) — Japan’s Rally-Bred Compact

The Subaru Impreza launched in 1992 as a replacement for the Leone and quickly established itself as one of the most capable compact cars in the world, particularly in its WRX and WRX STI performance variants. The car’s symmetrical all-wheel drive system and boxer engine layout gave it a low centre of gravity and neutral handling balance that made it a genuine weapons-grade rally car — Impreza WRX models won the World Rally Championship manufacturers’ title in 1995, 1996, 1997, and 2001.

• Manufacturer: Subaru
• Production: 1992–present (sixth generation from 2023)
• Platform: Subaru Global Platform (SGP) from fifth generation onward
• Notable variants: WRX (high-performance turbocharged), WRX STI (competition-focused), RS Sport
• Rally heritage: WRC Manufacturers’ Championship wins: 1995, 1996, 1997, 2001; Driver’s Championship: Richard Burns (2001), Petter Solberg (2003)
• Current status: Standard Impreza continues as a front-wheel-drive (or optional AWD) hatchback; WRX spun off as a separate model from 2022

I-Pace (Jaguar) — Britain’s Electric Breakthrough

The Jaguar I-Pace was a genuine milestone — the first all-electric vehicle from a traditional British prestige manufacturer, and the first car to beat Tesla in a major international Car of the Year award. Launched at the 2018 Geneva Motor Show, the I-Pace is a mid-size electric SUV with a 90 kWh battery, dual electric motors producing 400 hp and 696 Nm of torque, and a range of approximately 292 miles (WLTP 408 km). It won the 2019 World Car of the Year, World Car Design of the Year, and World Green Car simultaneously.

• Manufacturer: Jaguar Land Rover (Tata Motors)
• Launched: 2018
• Battery: 90 kWh (84.7 kWh useable)
• Power: 400 hp, 696 Nm (dual motor AWD)
• WLTP range: 408 km (approximately 253 miles real-world)
• Charging: 11 kW AC; 104 kW DC (400V architecture, slower than Hyundai/Porsche 800V rivals)
• Awards: 2019 World Car of the Year, World Car Design of the Year, World Green Car
• Note: Production planned to end as Jaguar transitions to fully electric brand with new JEA platform vehicles

Insight (Honda) — The Hybrid That Started It All

The Honda Insight holds a place in automotive history that its modest sales figures never fully reflected. Launched in December 1999 in the United States, it was the first hybrid vehicle sold in North America — beating the Toyota Prius to market by several months. The original Insight was a two-seat aluminium-bodied hatchback with an extraordinarily low drag coefficient of 0.25 Cd, powered by a 1.0-litre three-cylinder petrol engine assisted by Honda’s Integrated Motor Assist (IMA) hybrid system. Its EPA fuel economy rating of 61 mpg city / 70 mpg highway made it the most fuel-efficient petrol-powered production vehicle ever rated by the EPA at the time.

• Manufacturer: Honda
• First generation: 1999–2006 (two-seat hybrid hatchback)
• Second generation: 2010–2014 (five-seat hybrid hatchback, competing with Prius)
• Third generation: 2018–2022 (mid-size hybrid sedan for North American and Chinese markets)
• Historic note: First hybrid sold in North America; 61/70 mpg EPA rating (original model)
• Legacy: Established Honda’s hybrid credentials; paved the way for the CR-V Hybrid and Accord Hybrid

Insignia (Opel/Vauxhall) — Europe’s Executive Workhorse

The Opel Insignia (sold as Vauxhall Insignia in the UK) was launched in 2008 as the direct replacement for the Vectra — itself a long-running mid-size executive family car. The Insignia received the European Car of the Year award in 2009, recognising its genuinely improved dynamics, premium interior quality, and competitive powertrain lineup. Across two generations, the Insignia established itself as a solid, if rarely exciting, choice in a segment increasingly dominated by German premium brands and Chinese market-oriented alternatives.

• Manufacturer: Opel (Germany) / Vauxhall (UK) — both now part of Stellantis
• Production: 2008–present (second generation from 2017)
• Award: 2009 European Car of the Year
• Body styles: Saloon, Sports Tourer (estate), Grand Sport (fastback)
• Key engines: 1.5T, 2.0T petrol; 2.0 CDTi diesel; 2.0 BiTurbo diesel (top variants)
• Note: The Insignia was discontinued in several markets following Stellantis’s restructuring decisions, though it continued in others

Integra (Acura / Honda) — The Sports Compact That Defined A Generation

The Acura Integra launched in 1986 as one of two original models when Honda’s North American luxury brand opened its dealerships. The Integra quickly became one of the most celebrated sports compacts of its era, winning Car and Driver’s 10Best Cars award eight times across its production run. The third-generation GS-R, powered by a 1.8-litre VTEC engine producing 170 hp, remains one of the finest-handling front-wheel-drive cars of the 1990s. The revived 2023 Integra — a five-door fastback with a turbocharged 1.5-litre engine and available six-speed manual — won the 2023 North American Car of the Year.

• Manufacturer: Acura (Honda’s North American luxury division)
• Original production: 1986–2001 (four generations)
• Revival: 2022 (2023 model year) — fifth-generation fastback
• Engines: 1.6L DOHC, 1.8L SOHC, 1.8L DOHC VTEC (historic); 1.5L turbocharged (current)
• Award: Car and Driver 10Best Cars (8 times); 2023 North American Car of the Year
• Top variant: Integra Type S (2023) — 320 hp turbocharged 2.0L, six-speed manual only

Ioniq (Hyundai, original) — Korea’s First Dedicated Eco Car

Before the Ioniq became a full electric sub-brand, it was a single model — a compact hatchback launched in 2016 that offered hybrid, plug-in hybrid, and pure electric variants in a single body. It was the first production car ever offered in all three electrified configurations. The standard hybrid version returned exceptional fuel economy, rivalling the Toyota Prius in real-world fuel consumption while offering a somewhat more conventional interior layout. The electric variant offered a 38.3 kWh battery and a range of approximately 194 miles WLTP — modest by later standards but credible for 2016.

• Manufacturer: Hyundai
• Production: 2016–2022 (now replaced by Ioniq 5/6/9 and dedicated sub-brand)
• Historic note: First production car offered as hybrid, PHEV, and BEV in the same body
• Hybrid fuel economy: Up to 58 mpg combined (US rating)
• Electric range: 194 miles WLTP (38.3 kWh battery, later updated)

IS (Lexus) — The Sport Saloon That Changed Lexus’s Reputation

The Lexus IS launched in 1999 (as the IS200 in most markets) and fundamentally changed the perception of Lexus among younger premium car buyers. Where the original LS400 and ES300 had built the brand’s reputation on silent luxury and impeccable quality for an older audience, the IS was a compact sport saloon with rear-wheel drive, a willingness to oversteer, and an interior that prioritised the relationship between the driver and machine over the traditional Lexus emphasis on isolation and calm. It directly competed with the BMW 3 Series and Audi A4, and in many markets it won converts from both.

• Manufacturer: Lexus (Toyota)
• Production: 1998–present (three generations; IS200, IS250/350, current IS 300/350/500)
• Drive: Rear-wheel drive standard; AWD available from second generation
• Top variant (current): IS 500 F Sport Performance — naturally aspirated 5.0L V8, 472 hp
• Notable generations: First gen (1998–2005) — tuner culture icon; Third gen (2013–present) — F Sport badge, sharp steering, dramatic spindle grille

Quick Reference: All Major I Models At A Glance

Model	Brand	Type	Era	Key Fact
Ioniq 5	Hyundai	Electric SUV	2021–present	2022 World Car of the Year
Ioniq 6	Hyundai	Electric sedan	2022–present	2023 World Car of the Year
I-Pace	Jaguar	Electric SUV	2018–present	2019 World Car of the Year
Impala	Chevrolet	Full-size sedan	1958–2020	1 million units sold in 1965
Impreza	Subaru	Compact	1992–present	4 WRC Manufacturers’ titles
Integra	Acura	Sport compact	1986–2001; 2022–present	2023 North American Car of the Year
Insight	Honda	Hybrid	1999–2022	First hybrid in North America
Insignia	Opel/Vauxhall	Executive	2008–present	2009 European Car of the Year
IS	Lexus	Sport saloon	1998–present	Changed Lexus’s sporting reputation
Ioniq (original)	Hyundai	Multi-powertrain	2016–2022	First car offered as HEV/PHEV/BEV

FAQs