They may be best known for the vehicles they produce, but many car brands also manufacture items a world away from their core business.
Take Japanese giant Honda. There’s almost nothing this company doesn’t make besides cars: boats, planes, lawnmowers, snow blowers and robots to name but a few.
Many of the older car companies started out making motorbikes, so it’s no surprise to find BMW, Honda and Suzuki still in the mix. But pepper mills?
The Peugeot company was founded in France in 1810 and it initially manufactured everything from salt and pepper mills to coffee grinders, and springs to umbrella frames. Bicycles came along later and then in 1890 the first Peugeot car with an internal combustion engine was produced.
Italian luxury brand Lamborghini is best known for its supercars, but founder Ferruccio Lamborghini (1916-1993) began making tractors in 1948. It wasn’t until 1963 that he started manufacturing sports cars.
Some auto companies have decided to diversify in recent years because they don’t just want customers to drive their creations – they want them to “live the brand” too.
Bentley is one of the most successful car makers when it comes to extending its brand.
The ‘Bentley Collection’ brings together a carefully chosen selection of luxury products, united by Bentley’s “vision, passion and unmistakable DNA, reflected in every item”.
It’s all there – from a hi-tech Signature Touch for Bentley’ smartphone, created in association with British firm Vertu, to Bentley Infinite Eau de Toilette, exquisite silk scarves and hand-crafted leather bags. And the brand just opened its first ever mountain lodge in Kitzbuhel, Austria, available for private bookings at more than $5,200 (£4,000) for seven days, depending on the time of year.
There’s also a sumptuous Bentley Suite at the St Regis Istanbul for around $4,700 (£3,600) per night, following a similar collaboration at the St Regis New York.
Fasten your seat-belts and scroll through the gallery above for 16 more examples of unexpected creations from car manufacturers.