Like any company, an automaker that goes out of business isn’t completely out of the ordinary. However, it is more of a shock these days than it was in the past. Before World War I, there were many more carmakers than today, with the US total alone believed to be about 253 automakers in 1908. Many of them built just a handful of complete vehicles before facing financial issues. Then, once the Great Depression hit, the vast majority of these firms folded, and only a few remained by the start of World War II.
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