History of General Motors

The history of General Motors (GM), one of the world's largest car and truck manufacturers, dates back more than a century and involves a vast scope of industrial activity around the world, mostly focused on motorized transportation and the engineering and manufacturing that make it possible. Founded in 1908 as a holding company in Flint, Michigan, as of 2012 it employed approximately 209,000 people around the world.^[1] With global headquarters at the Renaissance Center in Detroit, Michigan, United States, General Motors manufactures cars and trucks in 35 countries. In 2008, 8.35 million^[2] GM cars and trucks were sold globally under various brands. Current auto brands are Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, GMC, Baojun, and Wuling. Former GM automotive brands include LaSalle, McLaughlin, Oakland, Oldsmobile, Opel, Pontiac, Hummer, Saab, Saturn, Vauxhall, Daewoo, and Holden.

In addition to brands selling assembled vehicles, GM also has had various automotive-component and non-automotive brands, many of which it divested in the 1980s through 2000s. These have included Euclid and Terex (earthmoving/construction/mining equipment and vehicles), Electro-Motive Diesel (locomotive, marine, and industrial diesel engines), Detroit Diesel (automotive and industrial diesel engines), Allison (aircraft engines, transmissions, gas turbine engines), New Departure (bearings), Delco Electronics and ACDelco (electrical and electronic components), GMAC (finance), General Aviation and North American Aviation (airplanes), Frigidaire (appliances including refrigeration and air conditioning), and Electronic Data Systems (information technology).