Only a brand like Aston Martin could pull off building an entire 66-floor skyscraper full of luxury apartments and penthouses. That’s exactly what’s happening in Miami. When it’s completed in 2022 it will be one of the few times an automaker transitioned to building real estate.
We asked readers what were some examples of the coolest things automakers make that aren’t cars. These were their answers.
Staff Writer at Jalopnik. Dad. Lover of all things with 4 wheels. Weird interest in buses.
2 / 12
When Walter P. Chrysler wanted an A/C system for the Chrysler building installed, he found that the ones on the market didn’t measure up and were all too expensive. So he had his engineers make one. That’s how the Chrysler Airtemp line of air conditioners was born. Manufactured from 1934 until the late 80s, the Airtemp line comprised of air conditions, and also furnaces powered by oil or gas.
Suggested by: Brandon Edwards (Facebook)
3 / 12
Yamaha. We make lots of stuff.
So, imagine a Yamaha ox99-11, an R1, an electric keyboard, a guitar, a boat motor, an electric underwater seascooter...
Suggested by: JohnnyWasASchoolBoy
4 / 12
An Australian Subaru dealership partnered with a local honey company to produce their own honey. The honey was made on site from a hive on the roof of their dealership. When customers would buy a car, they’d get a free bottle of honey.
Suggested by: @ferio_252 (Twitter)
5 / 12
Apparently, Volkswagen has been making sausage since the early 1970s. A currywurst, the sausage is made in Wolfsburg and sold to restaurants and consumers all around Germany. Too bad we can’t get it here in the states.
Suggested by: Fabrizio Oliveira (Facebook)
6 / 12
For what Mitsubishi has become in the car world, they’re a powerhouse in the world of manufacturing. Airplanes (SpaceJet), Rockets & Launchers, Nuclear Reactors (APWR), Ships (including the now infamous Diamond Princess). Plus they do mundane stuff like appliances, air conditioning, and build sports stadiums.
Suggested by: Theoretics (And a few others)
7 / 12
Born out of a partnership with Renault, the Samsung Renault SM3 has been around since 2002. Currently on its second generation, Samsung’s car is based on a model called the Fluence.
Suggested by: @forsomemasses (Twitter)
8 / 12
Peugeot! They’ve made everything from bicycles to pepper grinders to arms during the build-up to WW2.
Suggested by: TehRuben
9 / 12
General Motors E8 diesel electric locomotive, especially in classic Santa Fe livery.
Suggested by: Mark Gold (Facebook)
10 / 12
The streetcarver was a slick skateboard designed by BMW in its California design studio. Debuting in 2001 and discontinued in 2005, the company actually sold them to the public, but $500 was a bit steep to be asking for a skateboard.
Suggested by: aec007
11 / 12
If you look at this as more of a “family tree” rather than directly produced by the automaker themselves then you can say that in a roundabout way Jaguar Land Rover is related to Eight O’clock Coffee and Starbucks.
Tata Group… owner of Tata Motors, which are the owners of Jaguar Land Rover… have an absurdly huge empire.
Steel? They make it.
Coffee? They make it.
Cars? Those too
Electricity? They provide that.
Catering services, realty, hotels, airlines, IT services, engineering, e-commerce, chemicals, consultancy, buses, construction equipment, salt, tea, ceramics…. They can provide all that too.
Suggested by: JamesRL
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