Kaiser Motor Corporation
1945-1955
After World War Two, shipbuilder and manufacturing icon Henry J. Kaiser decided to turn his attention to automobiles.
He and automotive insider Joseph Frazer announced a partnership in 1945.
The early designs of the car were very innovative, and explored front wheel drive, as well as the unit-body construction as pioneered by Nash with its 600 series.
They began production on the 1947 models late in 1946, leasing the Willow Run bomber plant owned by Ford.
By the time the partners had reached production, harsh realities had to be faced, and both the Kaiser and the Frazer were essentially identical except for trim differences.
The Kaiser would fill the volume mid-price slot, while the Frazer would be marketed to an upscale demand. Initial production was brisk, and for a few years the cars were very popular.
Sales began to fall off as the Big 3 and the large independents came back into the post-war picture, and by 1953, insufficient funding was in place to produce a new body design.
In 1955, the company went to Willys Overland in a buyout to produce Kaiser-Willys Jeep.
At this time the company ceased passenger-car production in the United States, and from 1955 to the purchase by American Motors Corporation in 1970, concentrated solely on truck-based models, with the Jeep line.