This Week's Classic Car History Highlight – General Motors
Wednesday January 16, 2008
General Motors just rolled out their plans for a year long celebration to mark the company’s 100th birthday. There aren’t many companies that can claim such longevity, especially car companies. If you look back to the automotive industry in its infancy, of the nearly 1,000 companies that tried to build and sell motor vehicles prior to 1927, less than 200 continued in business long enough to even offer a commercially suitable vehicle.
General Motors, founded by William Durant, was initially a holding company for Buick. The latter part of the year saw the company acquiring Oldsmobile, followed by the possession of Cadillac, Oakland and Elmore in the very next year. Chevrolet became part of the corporation in 1918 and by 1920, General Motors had acquired over 30 companies.
Most of the companies that comprised the young General Motors Company were weak, in debt, and their operations were uncoordinated; GM forged a new concept of management by bringing them under one umbrella. But the key to General Motor’s success was not due to how they produced cars, it was how they were sold – they gave consumers an array of brands, models and colors from which to choose.
Innovative sales and management concepts aren’t the only ways General Motors changed the automotive industry. GM introduced important breakthroughs, including automatic transmissions, power steering, power brakes and fuel-injected engines. General Motors was once the largest corporation in the US and the single largest employer in the world.
In recent times, GM has been dealing with financial woes and in November of 2005, they booked a $4 billion loss, laid off about 30,000 employees and closed 12 plants. But that was then, this is now. The automaker said it will host a series of activities up until their week-long global celebration of their official 100th birthday on Sept. 16, 2008. GM intends to leverage the milestone as a way to promote the company, focusing more on future goals rather than the past.
You can find more information about General Motors history and corporate information here.
Check out what our experts at Hybrid Cars and Alternative Fuels have to report about GM’s new motto, "fuel efficiency cars with a choice".
General Motors, founded by William Durant, was initially a holding company for Buick. The latter part of the year saw the company acquiring Oldsmobile, followed by the possession of Cadillac, Oakland and Elmore in the very next year. Chevrolet became part of the corporation in 1918 and by 1920, General Motors had acquired over 30 companies.
Most of the companies that comprised the young General Motors Company were weak, in debt, and their operations were uncoordinated; GM forged a new concept of management by bringing them under one umbrella. But the key to General Motor’s success was not due to how they produced cars, it was how they were sold – they gave consumers an array of brands, models and colors from which to choose.
Innovative sales and management concepts aren’t the only ways General Motors changed the automotive industry. GM introduced important breakthroughs, including automatic transmissions, power steering, power brakes and fuel-injected engines. General Motors was once the largest corporation in the US and the single largest employer in the world.
In recent times, GM has been dealing with financial woes and in November of 2005, they booked a $4 billion loss, laid off about 30,000 employees and closed 12 plants. But that was then, this is now. The automaker said it will host a series of activities up until their week-long global celebration of their official 100th birthday on Sept. 16, 2008. GM intends to leverage the milestone as a way to promote the company, focusing more on future goals rather than the past.
You can find more information about General Motors history and corporate information here.
Check out what our experts at Hybrid Cars and Alternative Fuels have to report about GM’s new motto, "fuel efficiency cars with a choice".
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