Automakers spend billions of dollars creating and maintaining their brand identities. You'd think then that all these brands of which we have impressions more or less dictate to us who they are. This isn't the case. Circumstances, failures and successes, and other brands all influence how we view automakers and changes their strategies about both what they make and how they market it.

The 1970s fuel crisis, for example, was the genesis of the rise of the Asian automakers like Toyota and Honda in the U.S. American automakers responded by either rebadging Asian cars or trying to build small, light, fuel-efficient vehicles like the ones made in Japan. This changed how some brands were viewed.

The disappearance of Dodge as a performance brand in the 1980s saw the rise of BMW as the sports car of choice on the west side of the Atlantic. Mercedes-Benz was the luxury barge of choice until the advent of the AMG Hammer, at which point Mercedes began to creep into the sports category. This ecosystem of brands tends to turn on world events, scandals and breakthrough models that change the game for everyone. Which car matches up with your personality? Take this quiz, and we'll tell you.