Over the past few years, GM has reasserted itself with a rebranding effort and ambitious technology development strategy, including new autonomous tech and a major push into the EV segment. In the wake of all this change, The General has introduced several brands and initiatives, some of which were absorbed by other brands, and others which were dropped entirely. Now, GM Authority is taking a closer look at several of these now-defunct General Motors brands.
Maven
Announced in 2016, Maven was framed as General Motors’ car-sharing service and aimed at providing urban mobility solutions by allowing users to rent General Motors vehicles on-demand. However, due to shifting market dynamics and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, General Motors discontinued Maven in 2020.
Ultium
Initially, Ultium was the brand name for General Motors’ next-generation electric vehicle (EV) batteries and propulsion systems. In October of 2024, General Motors decided to drop the Ultium brand for its EV batteries and motors, though the Ultium LLC brand continues to exist for the General Motors / LG Energy Solutions joint venture.
Ultifi
Introduced as an in-vehicle software platform designed to deliver over-the-air updates and new features to General Motors vehicles, the Ultifi brand was discontinued in June of 2024 as part of General Motors’ strategy to streamline its software offerings.
Periscope
Periscope was General Motors’ safety brand announced in January of 2021, focusing on enhancing vehicle safety through advanced technologies and driver assistance systems. Despite its initial promotion, the Periscope brand was phased out as General Motors integrated its safety initiatives into broader vehicle development programs.
Cruise LLC
Acquired by General Motors in 2016, Cruise LLC served as The General’s autonomous vehicle (AV) tech division. Following a high-profile crash involving a pedestrian in 2023, General Motors restructured its AV operations, eventually leading to the discontinuation of the Cruise brand as a standalone entity, with its technologies and teams reintegrated into General Motors’ core engineering and development departments.
Super Cruise pictured
Ultra Cruise
Announced as an advanced driver-assistance system intended to enable hands-free driving in 95 percent of driving scenarios, the Ultra Cruise brand was shelved as General Motors opted to consolidate its driver-assistance technologies under the Super Cruise umbrella for brand consistency and customer clarity.
BrightDrop
Launched in early 2021 as a subsidiary focusing on electric delivery solutions, BrightDrop introduced products like the EV600 electric van. In August of 2024, General Motors announced that BrightDrop would transition into a Chevrolet nameplate (as GM Authority initially predicted), integrating its electric commercial vehicles into the existing Chevy lineup.
Future Roads
Future Roads was a data platform project announced in October of 2021, aiming to utilize vehicle data to improve road safety and infrastructure planning. The project was eventually discontinued as General Motors shifted focus to other data-driven initiatives.
GM Financial Bank
In February of 2021, General Motors filed to trademark GM Financial Bank, indicating plans for an expansion of its captive finance arm, GM Financial (GMF), into more traditional banking services. However, by August of 2024, General Motors withdrew its application to create GM Financial Bank.
Are we missing any? If you’re aware of any other General Motors brands that were discontinued recently, make sure to post them in the comments!
Comments
Lots of fussing for naught. A problem over at Ford too.
Book by Cadillac, where you could reserve cadillac models at your leisure including the V series. I think it was something like $1800 a month. Discontinued because it really didn’t make GM any money.
Most obvious to me is HUMMER. Now a sub-brand of GMC.
Lots of swings and misses. Not supporting CarPlay is another one thinking GM is some kind of consumer software subscription service.
Ariv electric bicycles!
Billions lost a gm continues to shrink.
GM senior management went to the ready, fire, aim school of strategic planning. Plenty of misses on the vehicle product planning side of the business too.
They’ve managed keep their jobs because of very good financial results via ruthless cost cutting and aggressive price increases. Nearly all their profit is in the US alone.
And you think the government is full of waste, fraud, and abuse!