General Motors celebrated its 108th birthday yesterday, September 16.
GM, founded by William C. Durant, began with just one brand: Buick. But Durant quickly expanded the portfolio. In 1909, he had acquired Oldsmobile, Cadillac, Elmore and Oakland. On the truck side of things, Durant also picked up Reliance Motor Truck Company and Rapid Motor Vehicle Company, which would soon become GMC.
1915 saw the birth of Chevrolet, the brand that would become GM’s bread and butter for years to come, while 1926 saw the birth of Pontiac Motor Division.
It’s been a wild ride over 108 years, especially in recent history as GM fell victim to poor quality and mismanagement. But, one of the largest automobile manufacturers remains despite the odds. Here’s to another 108 years, GM.
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In November 1911 in Detroit, Michigan, road racer Louis Chevrolet and General Motors founder Billy Durant created Chevrolet.
Not 1915.
Of the brands under the GM cover, the oldest was Oldsmobile, founded in 1897, 11 years before GM bought it in 1908. Ransom E. Olds also founded REO in 1907, which was famous for the Speedwagon and a rock group adopted that name!
And the oldest car still running and legally registered in the U.S. is a 1901 Oldsmobile Curved Dash.
OK…I found this online. Now I’m really confused. Chevrolet was founded in 1911, but didn’t become part of GM until…1918?
http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/gm-buys-chevrolet