Acadian (1962-1971). In the early 1960s, GM's Canadian dealers faced a demand for mid-priced, small-sized cars. the only suitable model GM had a Pontiac Tempest in its asset, but it was unprofitable to supply it to Canada for a number of reasons. Therefore, on the basis of the Chevrolet Corvair, a separate model range was developed for Canada, and the Canadian branch of GM - Acadian was formed. If you've read Ford's Vanished Brands Review, you'll notice that the practice of individual Canadian brands was widespread during those years. All Acadian used technical filling Chevrolet, and in 1971 the brands were merged - it became more profitable and easier. Pictured is a 1964 Acadian Beaumont Sport Coupe.
Oakland (1907-1931). The Oakland Company was founded as an independent company in 1907, but only two years later it was bought by a corporation. General Motors. Prior to this, the company managed to produce 278 cars. Inside GM, the company took the second most valuable niche: Chevrolet was the cheapest, then Oakland, Oldsmobile, Buick and chic Cadillac. In 1926, GM founded a new division - Pontiac - to "refresh" the line. The Oakland and Pontiac brands turned out to be competitors within the parent corporation, and the latter sold clearly several times better. In 1931, it was decided to leave only one brand in this price segment, and Oakland was liquidated. Pictured is an Oakland Model 212 Landaulette Sedan (1929).
Geo (1989-1997). Created as a division of Chevrolet, a sub-brand of ultra-compact cars by American standards. Several models were released and at some point it even seemed that the brand would survive, but in the mid-1990s it was nevertheless liquidated, returning the lineup under the auspices of Chevrolet. Pictured is Geo Tracker LSi Convertible. The Tracker was a "clone" of the Suzuki Vitara and lasted on the assembly line (already under the Chevrolet brand) until 2004.
Statesman (1971-1984). In the 1920s, GM bought the independent Australian manufacturer Holden, making it its base in Australia (in fact, the situation continues to this day). In the early 1970s, it was decided to spin off Holden as a separate luxury car brand specifically for Australia, as Holden was primarily a budget car brand, and competitors like Ford launched successful model top class Ford Fairlane. The brand was liquidated in the mid-1980s due to low sales. Pictured is Statesman Caprice WB (1980).
Envoy (1959−1970). The brand was created in order to sell GM's British assets, Vauxhall and Bedford, in Canada. It was a pure rebranding, badge replacement, Envoy had no technical differences from the “donors”. The story was curtailed for economic reasons. Pictured is a 1959 Envoy F Special based on the Vauxhall Victor F.
Ranger (1968-1978). General Motors' attempt to conquer the South African market. The production of the Ranger, designed specifically for this purpose, was organized in Port Elizabeth (South Africa), and the car itself was positioned as "the first own South African model" (which was generally not true). In 1970, they decided to sell Ranger models on the European market, and for this they opened two more factories - in Antwerp, Belgium and in Switzerland. In 1973, they stopped production in Africa - the car did not sell very well, plus the quality suffered greatly due to the mentality of the assemblers. In Europe, Ranger lasted a little longer, but keeping the whole brand for the sake of average European sales did not make sense. Pictured is a Ranger SS South African modification.
LaSalle (1927−1940). A brand that was spun off from Cadillac in 1927 as a slightly less prestigious, but still belonging to the luxury segment. The brand was named after Rene-Robert Cavelier de La Salle, a French explorer. In principle, LaSalle sold well and enjoyed success, but in the late 1930s, Cadillacs appeared in the Cadillac line compact models, directly competing with LaSalle, and it was decided to liquidate the sub-brand. Pictured is a LaSalle Series 340 (1930).
General Motors, for short GM- the largest American automobile corporation, largest manufacturer cars in the world. General Motors Corporation (GMC) is a world-famous American concern. It is engaged in the production of various types trucks, including passenger trucks– utility vans and pickups.
General Motors currently owns car brands: Alpheon, Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, GMC, Holden, Opel and Vauxhall. Previously also produced: Oldsmobile, Pontiac, Hummer, Saturn, Asüna, Acadian, Geo.
According to the results of 2014, the concern ranks third in the world (after Toyota and Volkswagen) in terms of the number of cars sold (9.92 million units). Production is established in 35 countries, sales in 192 countries. The company's headquarters is located in Detroit.
History of General Motors
The history of General Motors began with two brothers. Brothers Maurice and Max Grabowski started their business in 1900. They made a truck for sale, which was equipped with a horizontal single-cylinder engine. For the first time, trucks with a single-cylinder engine were produced by the Rapid Motor Vehicle company, which was organized in 1902.
In 1908, William S. Duran in the USA on September 16, 1908 organizes the General Motors company, by that time William S. Duran already has Buick. The company was originally headquartered in Flint, Michigan and then moved to Detroit. Subsequently, this company absorbed not only the Rapid Motor Vehicle company, but also all the other small car manufacturing companies that were available at that time in Michigan. The first trucks were produced by General Motors in 1909.
1916 was the year the General Motors Corporation was founded. In 1916, the company's trucks took part in the first trans-American rally. They were able to cross the whole country, from New York to Seattle.
During the First World War, General Motors delivered about 100,000 trucks and their modifications to the army. After the war ended, the company came to grips with modifications and improvements. assembly line at the plant located in the city of Pontiac. In addition, the re-equipment of the cars themselves began. They were converted into motor cars and railcars for various purposes.
1925 marked a very important event. Chicago-based The Yellow Cab Manufacturing became part of General Motors. The company had the opportunity to produce trucks with small and medium payloads, and put a company emblem on them.
In 1925, the T-series cars were born. By 1931, one of the first "8" class cars had been developed. It was heavy truck T-95. The carrying capacity of this car reached 15 tons. It was equipped with a four-speed transmission and pneumatic brakes.
In 1929, the company was commissioned to develop a special truck designed to transport circus animals, including elephants.
Since the early 1930s - the largest automaker in the United States and in the world. Entered the "big three" automakers: GM, Ford, Chrysler.
In 1934, the company developed the first truck model, in which the cab was located above the engine. This car was sent to Bekins Van and Storage. By about 1937, the trucks the company produced were becoming more and more streamlined. Their coloration has become much more diverse. By the beginning of 1939, the A-series models began to be actively used. These were the AC, ADC, AF, ADF modifications. They were numbered from 100 to 850 inclusive.
Since 1935, the company has been closely engaged in the production of engines for diesel fuel. In truck designs, such engines are quickly becoming extremely popular.
The first pickup truck - a semi-ton T-34 model was created in 1938.
During the Second World War, the company came to grips with the orders of the military. It is engaged in the production of equipment for submarines, tanks and special trucks. Many of these trucks ended up in Russia as part of Lend-Lease. One such vehicle is the famous DUKW amphibian. She could move both on land and on water. During the war, equipment and soldiers were transported on it. There were three versions of this famous car- 2-ton, 4-ton and 8-ton.
By the end of the 1940s, the company's products were very popular all over the world. Car sales were very successful, even though the design of cars has not changed much.
But by around 1949, the A-series models were becoming very obsolete. They were replaced by Class 8 trucks with a fundamentally new design. By the end of the year, the "H" series model was born. For the next decade, it was the only Class 8 truck produced by the company. Also, the release of the "Bubblenose" variant began at that time. It was equipped with a special cabin, in which, in accordance with the order, a berth was provided. The cabin was located above the engine. Series numbers over 900 were reserved for heavy duty vehicles. Smaller numbers belonged to machines with a small carrying capacity.
In the 1950s, the production of Jimmy trucks began.
In 1956, 4WD was released - the first car with all-wheel drive.
In 1959, the last "Bubblenose" type cars were produced with a cab that was located above the engine. They were replaced by a series model that is known worldwide as the "Crackerbox". This name was given because the cabin had an angular shape and a bit like a box in shape. There were modifications of the car, both with a berth and without it. In 1968, the production of these trucks was suspended.
In 1968, a new car appeared "Astro-95", the cabin of which was located above the engine. Almost immediately, he received the widest recognition. The cab design has been completely redesigned. In addition, the vehicle was fitted with a new windshield, which provided a much greater overview, and a new dashboard semicircular shape. Cars were produced as without bed as well as sleeping quarters.
The Astro cars were discontinued in 1987. It should be noted that on the basis of the massive H models characteristic of the 50s, the 9500 series cars were developed. They began to be produced in 1966. These were trucks whose hoods were made of fiberglass. The hood could be folded forward. The space under the hood was such that almost any diesel engine could be placed there.
In the early 1980s, the company faced various problems and for the first time in 60 years showed a loss at the end of the year.
January 1988 was marked by the fact that General Motors became part of the Volvo-White group, which was engaged in the production of trucks. And today the company has not lost its significance. She produces trucks "New Family" (in translation - "New Family"). It is a joint product of Autocar and Volvo-White-General Motors.
A lot of trucks of the latest developments of General Motors are now in operation. But outdated models have not lost their significance. Nowadays, several models of the company are most famous.
First of all, this is a Sonoma pickup truck. There are three modifications of this car - Crew Cab, Extended Cab and Regular Cab.
Next comes the full-size Sierra ACE pickup. It was introduced in January 1999 in Detroit. It is distinguished by the presence of a large number of decorative chrome parts, powerful 18-inch wheels and a combination of round and rectangular headlights. Its double cabin can accommodate six people. The rear seat can be accessed through the third door located on the starboard side.
The next car is a minivan Safari with rear or all-wheel drive. It's very compact family car. Oe is perfect for the countryside.
In the Van Cargo configuration, this car is very often used for commercial transportation. This model is practically a twin of the Chevrolet Astro. They differ only in the design of the front panel.
Next - minibus Savana SLT. It can accommodate seven passengers. This car has three modifications - 1500, 2500 and 3500. They can accommodate from 12 to 15 passengers.
Next comes the Yukon SUV. It is produced not only with all-wheel drive. There are options in which only the rear wheels are leading. Such chassis are both cheaper and lighter. On models Yukon with a wheelbase of 2946 mm and Yukon XL with a base of 3302 mm, bodies of the same universal type are installed. Their capacity is respectively 5-9 and 7-9 people. In terms of comfort, these cars practically do not differ from passenger sedans. At the beginning of this century, the second generation of the Yukon/Yukon XL models was born. These cars can be considered direct relatives Chevrolet Tahoe/Suburban.
In 2001, the generation of General Motors Envoy SUVs changed, whose ancestors were chevrolet jeeps Blazer. These SUVs are very different from the models of past years. First of all, the car has become much larger. It's practically a brand new car. All internal and external parameters of the machine have changed. The equipment of the car has become much richer. The car is offered in variants with rear wheel drive and all-wheel drive.
It is safe to say that both in Europe and throughout the world, Russia is one of the most important markets for General Motors. Today in Russia such brands as Chevrolet, HUMMER, Opel, Saab, Cadillac are known. Moscow office Russian company now has more than 270 employees. Products are sold in Russia through a dealer network. It operates in 55 cities of the country and has 154 companies.
In 2008, 337,810 General Motors vehicles were sold in Russia. This is 30% higher than 2007 sales. The market share in Russia at the end of 2007 was 9.6%, in 2008 it increased to 11.2%. Despite the fiercest competition, the company's products hold the first place in Russia in the sale of foreign brands.
The company entered the Russian market in 1992. Already 10 years later, General Motors, together with the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) and the Russian company AvtoVAZ, organized the first joint venture in Russia in the automotive industry.
Today, one of the leaders in sales in the Russian automotive market is the Chevrolet NIVA, which is produced by a joint venture plant in the city of Togliatti.
In 2004, Avtotor and General Motors entered into an agreement for the implementation of the HUMMER H2 SKD assembly in Kaliningrad. Today, this plant assembles two Chevrolet models - Lacetti and Epica, as well as Cadillac SRX, STS and HUMMER H2 and H3.
In mid-2006, construction of a new automobile plant began in Shushary near St. Petersburg. This plant was opened on November 7, 2008. Today, this plant produces an SUV. Chevrolet Captiva. For production chevrolet cruze separate production line. In the summer of 2009, the production of this car began.
In 2005, the scientific office of General Motors was organized in Russia. Scientists in this office different countries conduct research in the field of science and technology.
General Motors history of the beginning of the XXI century: bankruptcy and revival
At the end of the first decade of the 21st century, GM's financial condition deteriorated greatly. On June 1, 2009, the company began bankruptcy proceedings (Article 11 of the US federal bankruptcy law) - in the court of the Southern federal district New York filed a lawsuit. Under the terms of bankruptcy, the US government provided the company with about $30 billion, and in return received a 60% stake in the concern, the government of Canada - 12% of the shares for $ 9.5 billion, the United Automotive Workers Union of the United States of America (OPRAP) - 17.5% of the shares. The remaining 10.5% of the shares were divided between the largest creditors of the concern. US President Barack Obama said that the state does not plan to control GM forever and will get rid of a controlling stake as soon as it improves financial position concern.
Creation of General Motors Corporation
On July 10, 2009, a new independent company, General Motors Company, was created. The old GM (General Motors Corporation) was renamed Motors Liquidation Company. It was assumed that after bankruptcy the concern would be divided into two companies, the first of which would include the most unprofitable divisions, and the second - the most profitable Chevrolet and Cadillac. In particular, in 2009 GM planned to sell unprofitable Opel, and one of the contenders for the purchase was a consortium of Magna International and Russian Sberbank. However, in early November, GM decided to keep Opel, citing the industry emerging from the crisis and unwillingness to leave the small car market.
In late 2010, GM held one of the largest public offerings in history. During the placement, the governments of the United States and Canada, which became the main shareholders in bankruptcy in 2009, sold their shares for a total of $23.1 billion.
Owners and management of General Motors
The main shareholders of the company for May, 2011 are the US Department of the Treasury (35.5%), the United States Auto Workers Union (OPRAP) (10.3%), Canada Gen Investments (9%).
Chairman of the Board of Directors - Tim Solso. The CEO is Mary Barra.
Activities of General Motors
General Motors currently owns car brands: Alpheon, Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, GMC, Holden, Opel and Vauxhall. Previously produced also: Oldsmobile, Pontiac, Hummer, Saturn, Asüna, Acadian, Geo.
General Motors works closely with a number of companies, sharing markets and jointly developing vehicles and engines. Among such companies are Fiat Auto SpA of Italy (brands Fiat, Alfa Romeo, Lancia, Ferrari, Maserati), Fuji Heavy Industries Ltd. (Subaru), Isuzu Motors Ltd. (development for GM commercial vehicles and diesel engines, Isuzu brand), Suzuki Motor Corp. of Japan (Suzuki).
In addition, GM held the largest stake in GM Daewoo Auto & Technology Co. of South Korea (trading Brand Daewoo), which was abolished in early 2011.
Performance indicators of General Motors
The company's factories employ 216,000 people (2015). The company's revenue under US GAAP for 2010 amounted to $135.6 billion, operating profit - $5.7 billion, net profit - $4.7 billion. Revenue for 2008 amounted to $148.98 billion (in 2007 - $181 billion), net loss - $30.86 billion (in 2007 - a net loss of $38.7 billion).
General Motors in Russia
Russian President Dmitry Medvedev together with the Managing Director for the construction of new plants General Motors John Burton at the opening ceremony of the company's car plant near St. Petersburg (November 7, 2008). The interests of GM in Russia are represented by the authorized organization OOO General Motors Daewoo Auto and Technology CIS legal address: 123317, Moscow, st. Testovaya, 10.
As of May 2011, the company had 154 car dealers in Russia brand Chevrolet, most of them also sold Opel cars, and 28 sold Cadillacs. In Russia in 2010, GM ranked second in car sales, selling 159,376 cars of all its brands.
Production of General Motors in Russia
General Motors owns a car assembly plant in St. Petersburg, in Shushary, opened in November 2008. GM's total investment in the manufacturing complex is estimated at $300 million. Plant construction began on June 13, 2006; at the first stage (assembly of 70,000 vehicles per year), the investment in the project amounted to $115 million. official opening enterprises - November 7, 2008. President of Russia Dmitry Medvedev attended the grand opening ceremony of GM Shushary. Plant output to full power planned for the end of 2009. According to CEO Richard Swando plant, negotiations have already been held with 80 potential suppliers of components, and the level of localization of production in St. Petersburg will be increased to 30% by about 2010.
Since September 2006, two years before the start of operation of the main GM assembly plant in Shushary, the company began assembling the Chevrolet Captiva car from SKD kits in the rented workshop of the Arsenal plant located near the Finlyandsky railway station in St. Petersburg. Since September 2007, the SKD-assembly of an SUV has been deployed here. Opel Antara, and from February 2008, assembly began at the second production site in Shushary - Opel Astra. In 2006, Arsenal collected 273 units. Chevrolet Captiva, in 2007 - 5631 units. Captiva and 48 units. Antara. During 9 months of 2008, 30,575 Captiva, Antara and Astra models were assembled. As of February 2009, assembly at the Arsenal plant will cease, and workers will be transferred to the plant in Shushary, where, from the end of 2009, it is also planned to assemble the Chevrolet Cruze passenger car model on the global Global Compact platform.
In addition, General Motors is a partner (owns 50% of the company's ordinary shares) of OJSC AvtoVAZ in a joint venture, JV GM-AvtoVAZ, which produces Chevrolet Niva SUVs. General Motors Corporation cooperates with Avtotor JSC in Kaliningrad, where the company's cars are manufactured under the Chevrolet and Cadillac brands.
In November 2008, General Motors launched the production of a complete CKD-cycle of the model at the Avtotor plant. Chevrolet Lacetti. The construction and equipping of additional welding and painting workshops cost the parties about 80 million euros. The transition to the full assembly cycle of Lacetti in Kaliningrad required an additional 1,450 employees to be hired. The total amount of GM investments in Avtotor exceeded $350 million.
On March 18, 2015, General Motors decided to close the production of cars in St. Petersburg in the middle of the year, and also completely abandoned sales Opel cars in Russia, starting from December 2015. SKD continued until June 30; since July 1, the plant has been mothballed, only a small part of the employees remained who will maintain the state of the plant.
Premium class cars Cadillac Escalade and Chevrolet Tahoe) for the Russian market, General Motors intends to assemble in Belarus, at the Unison plant.
Do you know who they belong to? In principle, at first glance, the answer to this question is quite easy. But it's not so simple. Especially with regards to the various departments famous brands, in which you can even get confused. Plus, over the past decades, many car brands have become the property of other car companies. So today only an expert and connoisseur of the modern car market can easily name who owns car brands.
For example, for decades the British brand Vauxhall and the German brand Opel were owned by the American company General Motors. But in March 2017, the deal of the year (maybe even the deal of the decade) took place, in which the PSA group of companies acquired the Vauxhall and Opel car brands for $2.3 billion. This means that now the Vauxhall and Opel brands are owned by a joint company of Peugeot and Citroën brands, which created the PSA auto alliance. That is, now the Vauxhall and Opel brands belong to French car brands.
So, as you can see, not everything is so simple in the modern car market. But thanks to our material, you can find out who owns which car brands these days. This will help you not only expand your knowledge in the automotive world, but also become a real connoisseur in the world of automotive corporations.
BMW Group
The aircraft engine manufacturer Rapp Motorenwerke founded Bayerische Motoren Werke in 1917. Bayerische Motoren Werke further merged with the aviation company ayerische Flugzeug-Werke in 1922. In 1923, the combined corporation began to produce engines for motorcycles, and also launched the production of motorbikes. In 1928, the production of automobiles began. Today it has a rather simple structure.
Here are the brands currently owned by the BMW Group:
bmw
Mini
Rolls Royce
BMW Motorrad (motorcycle brand)
Daimler
Daimler-Motoren-Gesellschaft (DMG) was founded in 1899. It merged with Benz & Cie in 1926. From that moment on, Daimler-Benz AG appeared in the world.
The headquarters is located in Stuttgart, Germany.
The company has a fairly complex corporate structure that includes brands ranging from microcar maker Smart to school bus maker.
Here are the brands Daimler owns today:
mercedes benz
Smart
Mercedes-Benz Truck (Manufacturer of trucks)
Freightliner (U.S. tractor and truck manufacturer)
Fuso (Manufacture of commercial trucks)
Western Star (Manufacture of semi-trailers)
Bharatbenz (Indian car company which manufactures buses and trucks)
Mercedes-Benz Vans (Manufacturer of minibuses and minivans)
Mercedes-Benz Buses (Bus manufacturer)
Setra (Manufacture of buses)
Thomas Built (Manufacturer of school buses)
(Mercedes-AMG (production of powerful and sports cars based on serial Mercedes models) is a division that is part of Daimler AG).
General Motors
In 1908, Buick owner William K. Durant, together with the Olds Motor Vehicle Company (Oldsmobile), founded a holding company that was supposed to help automobile brands compete in the car market. In 1909, Cadillac and Oakland joined the holding, which later received the new name Pontiac. Later, General Motors began to take over many small car companies. So, in 1918, the brand entered the holding.
General Motors is headquartered in Detroit, Michigan, USA.
In 2008, following the global financial crisis, General Motors shut down brands such as Oldsmobile, Pontiac, Saturn and Hummer.
The corporation currently controls the following companies:
Autobaojun (Car manufacturer in China)
Buick
Cadillac
Chevrolet
GMC
Holden (Australian car manufacturer)
Jiefang (Chinese company that manufactures commercial vehicles)
Wuling (Car manufacturer in China)
Fiat Chrysler
Italian company and American Chrysler brand officially completed their merger in October 2014, creating the Fiat Chrysler Automobiles alliance. This process started in 2011.
Recall Fiat company began its history back in 1899 (Società Anonima Fabbrica Italiana di Automobili Torino).
Fiat Chrysler Automobiles is technically headquartered in London, England. However, most of the actual work is done at Chrysler's headquarters in Auburn Hills, Michigan, USA, and Fiat's headquarters in Turin, Italy.
The FCA Alliance manages:
Chrysler
Dodge
Jeep
Ram
fiat
Alfa Romeo
Fiat Professional
Lancia
Maserati
Tata Motors is headquartered in Mumbai, India.
Tata operates the following companies:
Tata
Land Rover
Jaguar
Tata Daewoo (Production of commercial vehicles)
Toyota Group
The automotive division of Toyoy Automatic Loom Works entered the automotive market in 1935 with the launch of the G1 pickup truck. Then in 1937 the automobile division was spun off into a separate company motor company. Toyota's first car was the GA truck, which replaced the old Toyota model G1.
Toyota is headquartered in Toyota City, Japan.
Toyota Group owns:
Toyota
Lexus
Hino (Production of commercial vehicles)
Daihatsu
Volkswagen Group
The roots go back to the days of Nazi Germany, when the country sought to create a "people's machine" to mobilize the population. Incidentally, before World War II Volkswagen was able to produce the first batch of such cars. But then the plant switched to the production of military vehicles. After the war, the production of the "people's car" continued. It was the legendary "Beetle" ( Volkswagen Beetle). As a result, 21 million cars were produced.
Volkswagen headquarters is located in Wolfsburg, Germany.
At present Volkswagen Group controls:
Volkswagen
Audi
Bentley
Bugatti
Lamborghini
Porsche
SEAT
Skoda
MAN (Production of heavy trucks)
Scania (Another company that produces heavy trucks and trucks)
Volkswagen Commercial (Manufacture of commercial vehicles: minivans, minibuses, vans)
Ducati (Motorcycle manufacturing)
Zhejiang Geely
Li Shufu founded Zhejiang Geely Holding Group in 1986. In 1997, he created Geely Automobile. Despite the fact that this is a fairly young car company, the concern owns several large car holdings through smart acquisitions.
Zhejiang Geely is headquartered in Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, China.
The company controls the following brands:
Geely Auto
Volvo
lotus
Proton (Malaysia)
London EV Company (Production of taxi cars for London)
Polestar (Manufacture of electric vehicles)
Lynk & Co. premium brand, focused on the production of expensive electric cars)
Yuan Cheng Auto (Manufacture of commercial vehicles)
Terrafugia (Flying car manufacturing)
Recent investments make Geely largest shareholder of Volvo AB, which manufactures commercial vehicles and is responsible for brands and Renault Trucks(production Volvo trucks and Renault).
At the beginning of the 20th century in the United States automotive firms appeared like mushrooms after the rain: many then this business seemed very promising and attractive. True, not everyone managed to survive in the competition - a common misfortune was the lack of funds. That is why companies from time to time went bankrupt, resold, changing not only owners, but also names. To feel more confident, firms were corporatized and united in corporations.
The founder of General Motors - entrepreneur William Crapo Durant made his fortune in the water company of the city of Flint, and then engaged in the production of horse-drawn carriages, organizing his own company. In 1904, he purchased the Buick Motor Car Company and began to reorganize it. Four years later, the businessman decided that the time had come to create a large automobile corporation, and bought another brand - Oldsmobile. Buick at that time produced about 9,000 cars a year, Oldsmobile - just over 1,000. Durant called his new brainchild General Motors Company.
The business developed successfully, and the next year there were already four brands in the corporation: Cadillac and Oakland were added to the first two. Then, in a short time, GM bought up about three dozen companies, one way or another connected with the auto industry. However, not all shareholders liked Durant's risky operations and adventurous management style, and when in 1910 the financial situation of General Motors worsened once again, he was forced to abandon not only the management of the company, but also to leave it.
However, the entrepreneur did not despair and, together with the famous racer Louis Chevrolet, in 1911 organized a new enterprise - Chevrolet Motors Co (which later became part of GM). The undertaking turned out to be so successful that already in 1915 Durant had enough funds to regain GM by buying a controlling stake. Returning in triumph, the entrepreneur changed the name of the company to General Motors Corporation and headed it until 1920, when, after another disagreement with the leading shareholders, he again had to leave. Forever this time. True, by that time GM was already fighting on an equal footing with Ford for the right to be called the largest automobile manufacturer not only in America, but in the whole world: the total production of all brands of the corporation exceeded 367 thousand cars a year.
First in the world
The 20s were the time for the corporation to enter foreign markets. In 1918, its branch in Canada was launched, in 1925 the British company Vauxhall was acquired, and in 1929 the German company Opel was officially announced as part of General Motors. By the end of the decade, the corporation firmly established itself on the first line of the rankings of the world's largest automakers. In 1929, its enterprises produced a little less than 2 million cars. And in the early 30s, the company entered the market of another continent - Australia, creating co-production with the local brand Holden. In 1936, GM's output exceeded 2 million cars.
Unlike its main competitor Ford, GM management was able to feel the new mood of customers in time, who wanted to have more than just a vehicle. Americans aspired to comfort, and even to luxury. And GM reacted quickly, starting to produce cars for every taste and budget.
A wise marketing policy also contributed to the growth of popularity. Having collected several famous brands under its auspices, the corporation continued to produce cars under the brands beloved by the buyer. So, having acquired Vauxhall and Opel in Europe, the management decided to update the technologies and lineups of both brands, but retained their names.
Started in 1939, the Second World War negatively affected the volume of car production in the world, which also affected GM: factories had to significantly reduce the production of cars due to the transition to military products. In addition, the corporation practically lost Opel, which was nationalized by the German authorities. Production fell to a minimum level in 1943, when GM enterprises together were able to produce about 307 thousand cars. But in 1946, immediately after the war, production volumes again exceeded 1 million, and three years later they were almost doubled. The company again took first place among the world's automakers and continued to grow.
However, it is difficult to call GM's cloudless history. One of the biggest scandals in the 60s provoked Chevrolet car Corvair, which suddenly lost control at high speeds. After investigating a series of accidents, lawyer Ralph Nyder published the book "Unsafe at Any Speed", where he outlined his opinion on the causes of the accidents. The publication sold 237 thousand copies, and the company received a whole series of lawsuits more than 40 million dollars.
No less noise was made by the book of one of the former top managers of the corporation, John Zacharias DeLorean, which he called "General Motors" in the true light. The author accused the company's management of conservative management practices, waste of funds and that it "cares least about customers, showing much more concern for shareholders' profits." This was partly true, but ... the same could be said about any other large corporation, moreover, about any company in general! However, the company is once again mired in litigation. True, she managed to learn from her mistakes and did not repeat them in the future.
Business was running its course. By the beginning of the 80s, GM had branches almost all over the world - in Brazil, Mexico, South Africa, then they opened in China and Russia. Today, General Motors is present in 120 countries, and the total number of its employees reaches 209 thousand people. The divisions of the company and its partners work with a whole group of brands: Baojun, Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, Daewoo, GMC, Holden, Isuzu, Jiefang, Opel, Vauxhall and Wuling.
GM in Russia
General Motors has long-standing business relations with our country. Oldsmobile and Chevrolet cars, for example, were already known in Tsarist Russia. After the October Revolution, relations were interrupted, but at the end of the 20s, when the USSR was going to create its own car factories, the company participated in a competition announced for this purpose. True, then the Soviet government chose Ford as a partner.
GM LeSabre (1951). Concept car of the future, drawn by designer Harley Earl. First of all, Earl sought to show the trends in the development of the automotive industry in the next 10-15 years. The 3.5-liter engine could run on both methanol (like most cars of that time) and gasoline, and the car also had, for example, electric seat heating and a rain sensor that worked from the first drops and raised the roof. The LeSabre name subsequently became a GM sub-brand.
GM Firebird I (1953). In 1953, 1956 and 1959, GM built three futuristic rocket-like concept cars under common name firebird. The first of them had a 370-horsepower gas turbine engine and, thanks to its lightness and calculated aerodynamics, could theoretically accelerate to crazy speeds. But design engineer Emmett Conklin, who designed the car and himself was its tester, discovered on the first run that after 160 km / h it completely loses stability and becomes uncontrollable, after which the concept was no longer tested and sent to eternal parking. But beautiful. 
GM PD-4501 Scenic Cruiser (1954). A bus designed by General Motors exclusively for Greyhound. It was produced in 1954-1955 and was released in the amount of 1001 copies. Development began in 1947 and went through two stages of prototypes - the GM GX-1 and GM GX-2 models. The bus, despite its huge size, had only 43 seats - 10 on the lower floor and 33 on the top. This was due to the need to make the car comfortable. 
GMC L'Universelle (1955). A concept delivery van unveiled at the Motorama show in New York in 1955. Today it looks ordinary, but in those days a car of this class of wagon layout was a revolution, especially when combined with side doors of the “gull wing” type. 
GM XP-500 (1956). The world's first car with an engine that had a free piston - GM 4-4 Hyprex. Actually, the test of this system (recognized as economically inefficient and withdrawn from development three years later) was the main reason for the construction of the concept. The design of the car was clearly based on the earlier GM Firebird II. 
GM Bison (1964). Gas turbine aerodynamic truck tractor of the future, created for the GM Futurama show. The tractor itself ends just behind the second axle, and the hitch is hidden inside the car - this allows you to create the feeling that the trailer is an integral part of the truck, although in fact it is separated. 
GM Firebird IV (1964). The fourth "firebird" was extraordinary - it was originally assumed that the third Firebird would be the last. Five years later, exactly the same car with almost no modifications was shown as the Buick Century Cruiser - a rather unexpected approach to concept cars, isn't it? 
GM XP-511 Commuter Car (1969). Conceptual design of a car for short city trips, say, to the post office or for groceries. Before that, in 1964, there was already a similar concept GM Runabout. Both cars were characterized by the ability to turn the front wheel 180 degrees and turn around on the spot. 
GM Sunraycer (1987). A solar car built specifically for the first-ever World Solar Challenge and winning it by a huge margin. The crew of the Australian Aurora Solar Car, who came to the finish line second, showed at the distance average speed 22 km/h less than the winner. 
G.M.C. Centaur (1988). A prototype pickup truck of the future. The name hinted that the car is a hybrid of a minivan and a classic pickup truck. 
