Bugatti Automobiles S.A.S. is an automobile manufacturer located in Molsheim, Alsace, France. Bugatti was founded in 1909 as a manufacturer of high performance automobiles by Ettore Bugatti, an Italian immigrant described as an eccentric genius. The original company is legendary for producing some of the most exclusive cars in the world, as well as some of the fastest. The original Bugatti brand failed with the coming of World War II, like many high-end marques of the time. The death of Ettore's son Jean was also a contributory factor. The company struggled financially, and released one last model in the 1950s, before eventually being purchased for its airplane parts business in the 1960s. Today the name is owned by Volkswagen Group, who have revived it as a builder of limited production exclusive sports cars.