Hudson Motor Car Company
The Hudson Motor Car Company was an American automobile manufacturer, founded in Detroit, Michigan in 1909. They were well known for producing low-priced cars of good quality. They also pioneered safety features in their cars, like dashboard warning lights for oil pressure and generator power. Hudson's production peak was in 1929, with 300,000 cars built in their factories in America, Belgium and England.
In 1954, Hudson merged with the Nash-Kelvinator Company, to form American Motors Corporation. American Motors (also known as AMC) became famous for their line of Jeep vehicles (a civilian version of military Jeeps), and later Ramblers, Gremlins, and Pacer cars. AMC was finally bought out by the Chrysler Corporation, which still makes Jeep brand vehicles.
In popular culture
Jack Kerouac's novel On the Road describes road trips made by Kerouac and his friend Neal Cassady, driving a 1949 Hudson automobile. (Cassady ruined his car, driving cross-country at speeds over 100 miles per hour, without giving the car the maintenance it needed.)