General Motors
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 |
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| Type | Public |
|---|---|
| Traded as | NYSE: GM TSX: GMM.U |
| Industry | Automotive |
| Founded | 1908 |
| Founder(s) | William C. Durant |
| Headquarters | Renaissance Center Detroit, Michigan, United States |
| Number of locations | 156 facilities on six continents[1] |
| Area served | Worldwide |
| Key people | Daniel Akerson, Chairman and CEO |
| Products | Automobiles Financial Services |
| Revenue |  US$ 150.276 billion (2011)[2] |
| Operating income | US$ 9.287 billion (2011)[2] |
| Net income | US$ 7.585 billion (2011)[2] |
| Total assets | US$ 144.60 billion (2011)[2] |
| Total equity | US$ 38.99 billion (2011)[2] |
| Employees | 202,000 (2012)[1] |
| Divisions | Buick Chevrolet Cadillac GMC |
| Subsidiaries | |
| Website | www.gm.com |
General Motors produces cars and trucks in 37 countries, and sells and services the vehicles through the following brands: Chevrolet, Buick, GMC, Cadillac, Baojun, Holden, Isuzu, Jie Fang, Opel, Vauxhall, and Wuling.[5][6]
GM acts in most countries outside the USA via direct subsidiaries, but in China through 10 joint ventures.[4]:pp.18, 96
GM's OnStar subsidiary provides vehicle safety, security and information services.
In 2009, the company shed several brands, closing Saturn and Pontiac, and emerged from a government backed Chapter 11 reorganization. In 2010, GM made an initial public offering that was one of the world's top 5 largest IPOs to date. GM returned to profitability in 2010.[7]
Contents |
History
Main article: History of General Motors
The company was founded on September 16, 1908, in Flint, Michigan, as a holding company for Buick, then controlled by William C. Durant.[8]
At the turn of the 20th century there were fewer than 8,000 automobiles
in America and Durant had become a leading manufacturer of horse-drawn
vehicles in Flint, MI, before making his foray into the automotive
industry.[9] GM's co-founder was Charles Stewart Mott,
whose carriage company was merged into Buick prior to GM's creation.
Over the years Mott became the largest single stockholder in GM and
spent his life with his Mott Foundation which has benefited the city of Flint, his adopted home. It acquired Oldsmobile later that year. In 1909, Durant brought in Cadillac, Elmore, Oakland and several others. Also in 1909, GM acquired the Reliance Motor Truck Company of Owosso, Michigan, and the Rapid Motor Vehicle Company of Pontiac, Michigan, the predecessors of GMC Truck.
Durant lost control of GM in 1910 to a bankers' trust, because of the
large amount of debt taken on in its acquisitions coupled with a
collapse in new vehicle sales.
GM led global sales for 77 consecutive years from 1931 through 2007, longer than any other automaker. In 2008, 2009, and 2010, GM has ranked as the second largest global automaker by sales. The company regained its position as the world's largest automaker, by vehicle unit sales, in 2011.[3] Along the way, a failure to obtain government loans caused GM to file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in June 2009, following the recession of 2008, 2009.
Chapter 11 reorganization
Main article: General Motors Chapter 11 reorganization
On July 10, 2009, General Motors emerged from government backed Chapter 11 reorganization after an initial filing on June 8, 2009.[10][11] Hummer, Saab, Pontiac and Saturn were closed.[12]
Shareholders did not have access to assets from GM in Asia or Europe.
The Company was relisted on the New York Stock Exchange and the Toronto
Stock Exchange again on November 18, 2010, following a US$33-a-share
initial public offering of US$23 billion, including preferred shares.
The proportion of the Company held by the U.S. Treasury department
reduced from 61% to about 26%, including preferred shares and accounting
for stock options given to former GM bondholders.[13][14]
Initial sale of such shares gave the Treasury department about
US$13.6 billion in proceeds. SAIC Motor, partner of GM in China and
India, acquired just less than 1 percent of the GM shares for about
$500 million.[14][15]
Following 2010 IPO, the U.S. government retained a 26% stake in GM. In
December 2012, the U.S. Government further reduced its holdings to 19%.
In 2010, GM returned to using its traditional ticker symbol on the New
York Stock Exchange, and in 2010 is also traded on the Toronto Stock
Exchange.[16]A Center for Automotive Research (CAR) study reported that in just a single year, 2010, the automotive industry generated $91.5 billion in state and local tax revenue and $43 billion in federal tax revenue in the United States.[17] The CAR studies have shown significant government tax revenues are generated by the auto industry.[18]
2012 Suit
In 2012, a trust representing unsecured creditors of "old" GM filed a lawsuit against GM over payments made to hedge funds in 2009 in exchange for waiving of claims against GM's Canadian subsidiary. The deal, of which presiding judge Robert Gerber says he was unaware - despite its disclosure in an SEC filing on the day GM sought Chapter 11 protection - could prompt a reopening of the 2009 case.[19]Corporate governance
On July 23, 2009, GM announced its new Board of Directors: Dan Akerson, David Bonderman, Robert D. Krebs, Patricia F. Russo and Ed Whitacre (GM Chairman and Interim Chief Executive Officer).[21] Board members who are not GM employees will be paid US$200,000 annually.[22]
Executive management:[23]
- Daniel Akerson – Chief Executive Officer & Chairman of the Board of Directors
- Daniel Ammann – Chief Financial Officer
- Stephen J. Girsky – GM Vice Chairman, Corporate Strategy, Business Development, Global Product Planning and Global Purchasing and Supply Chain
- Mark Reuss – President, GM North America
- Karl-Thomas Neumann[24] – President, GM Europe; CEO, Adam Opel AG
- Timothy E. Lee – President, GM International Operations (Asia-Pacific, Latin America, Africa, and Middle East)
- Mary Barra – Senior Vice President of Global Product Development[25]
- Michael Milliken – Senior Vice President and General Counsel[26]
- Cynthia J. Brinkley – Vice President, Global Human Resources[27]
- Selim Bingol – Vice President, Global Communications[28]
- Edward T. Welburn – Vice President of Global Design for GM[29]
Financial results
The company has reported annual profits since 2010. It can carry forward previous losses to reduce tax liability on future earnings. It earned $4.7 billion in 2010. The Wall Street Journal estimated the tax break, including credits for costs related to pensions and other expenses can be worth as much as $45 billion over the next 20 years.[33]In 2010, General Motors ranked second on the list with 8.5 million units produced globally.[34] In 2011, GM returned to the first place with 9.025 million units sold worldwide, corresponding to 11.9% market share of the global motor vehicle industry. The top two markets in 2011 were China, with 2,547,203 units, and the United States, with 2,503,820 vehicles sold. The Chevrolet brand was the main contributor to GM performance, with 4.76 million vehicles sold around the world in 2011, a global sales record.[35]
World presence
| Calendar Year | U.S. sales (vehicles) |
Chg/yr. |
|---|---|---|
| 1998[36] | 4,603,991 | |
| 1999 | 5,017,150 | 9.0% |
| 2000[37] | 4,953,163 |  1.3% |
| 2001 | 4,904,015 | 1.0% |
| 2002 | 4,858,705 | 0.9% |
| 2003 | 4,756,403 | 2.1% |
| 2004[38] | 4,707,416 | 1.0% |
| 2005 | 4,517,730 | 4.0% |
| 2006[39] | 4,124,645 | 8.7% |
| 2007[40] | 3,866,620 | 6.3% |
| 2008[41] | 2,980,688 | 22.9% |
| 2009[42] | 2,084,492 | 30.1% |
| 2010[43] | 2,215,227 | 6.3% |
| 2011[44] | 2,503,820 | 13.7% |
| 2012 | 2,595,717 | 3.7% |
North America
General Motors of Canada Limited is reported to be in the Superior Court of Ontario, Canada, as a privately owned Canadian company with the corporation as indirect parent. The employees are not all Canadian, as salary personnel are from the USA and work for the corporation. GM products focus primarily on its four core divisions – Chevrolet, Cadillac, Buick, and GMC. The GM restructuring has resulted in a lower break even point for annual sales and renewed profits.[45][46]In the mid 2005, GM announced that its corporate chrome power emblem "Mark of Excellence" would begin appearing on all recently introduced and all-new 2006 model vehicles produced and sold in North America. However, in 2009 the "New GM" reversed this, saying that emphasis on its four core divisions would downplay the GM logo.[47]
GM typically reports as among the largest auto makers in the United States. In May 2012, GM recorded an 18.4% market share in the U.S.[48]
South America
In 2008 the third largest individual country by sales was Brazil with some 550 thousand GM vehicles sold.In that year the other South American countries Argentina, Columbia, and Venezuela sold another 300 thousand GM vehicles, suggesting that the total GM sales in South America (including sales in other South American countries such as Chile, Peru, Ecuador, Bolivia, etc.) in that year were at a similar level to sales in China.Europe
Opel is the main GM brand name in Europe except in the UK, where Opel's British subsidiary, Vauxhall, still uses its own "Vauxhall" brand name. In 2012 PSA Peugeot Citroen and General Motors formed an alliance, which involved General Motors acquiring seven percent of PSA Group.| GM worldwide 2008 vehicle sales[49] (thousands) |
|||
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank in GM |
Location | Vehicle sales |
Market share (%) |
| 1 |  United States |
2,981 | 22.1% |
| 2 |  China |
1,095 | 12.0% |
| 3 |  Brazil |
549 | 19.5% |
| 4 |  United Kingdom |
384 | 15.4% |
| 5 |  Canada |
359 | 21.4% |
| 6 |  Russia |
338 | 11.1% |
| 7 |  Germany |
300 | 8.8% |
| 8 |  Mexico |
212 | 19.8% |
| 9 |  Australia |
133 | 13.1% |
| 10 |  South Korea |
117 | 9.7% |
| 11 |  France |
114 | 4.4% |
| 12 |  Spain |
107 | 7.8% |
| 13 |  Argentina |
95 | 15.5% |
| 14 |  Venezuela |
91 | 33.3% |
| 15 |  Colombia |
80 | 36.3% |
| 16 |  India |
66 | 4.4% |
Asia
The company manufactures most of its China market vehicles locally through Shanghai GM, a joint venture with the Chinese company SAIC Motor, which was created on March 25, 1997. The Shanghai GM plant was officially opened on December 15, 1998, when the first Chinese-built Buick came off the assembly line. The SAIC-GM-Wuling Automobile joint-venture is also successfully selling microvans under the Wuling brand (34 percent owned by GM). Much of General Motors' recent growth has been in the People's Republic of China, where its sales rose 66.9 percent in 2009, selling 1,830,000 vehicles and accounting for 13.4 percent of the market.[50]The Buick is strong in China, led by the Buick Excelle subcompact. The last emperor of China owned a Buick.[51] The Cadillac brand was introduced in China in 2004, starting with exports to China. GM pushed the marketing of the Chevrolet brand in China in 2005 as well, transferring Buick Sail to that brand. GM maintains a dealership presence in Japan, called GM Chevrolet Shop, previously known as GM Auto World Shop. The GM Japan website can be accessed here. Current GM Japan dealerships were either former Saturn dealerships or Isuzu dealership locations. GM products are also currently sold by the company Yanase Co., Ltd. since 1915.
In August 2009 the joint venture of FAW GM Light Duty Commercial Vehicle Co Ltd was formed that mainly produces Jiefang light-duty trucks.[52]
General Motors vehicle sales in China rose 28.8 percent to a record 2,351,610 units in 2010.[53] GM set up an auto research center as part of a USD250 million corporate campus in Shanghai to develop 'gasoline-hybrid cars, electric vehicles and alternative fuels, engines and new technologies'.[54] The company plans to double its sales from 2010 to about 5 million units in China by 2015.[55]
SAIC-GM-Wuling established the low-cost Baojun brand to better compete with domestic rivals, Chery, Geely and BYD for first-time buyers of cars priced around USD10,000. It is estimated that such market in China is about 5 million vehicles a year, larger than the auto market in France and Britain combined. However, some are worried that 'local brands like Baojun could eventually become threats to their parent brands if they compete more against established models over time'. Shanghai-GM-Wuling sold 1.23 million vehicles in 2010, mainly commercial vans and trucks, of which about 700,000 units were a van called Sunshine.[56]
In August 2011, GM announced plans to build a plant in Bekasi, West Java, Indonesia, which would produce 40,000 passenger cars per year for the Southeast Asian market. It is the third plant in Southeast Asia, after the Rayong plant, Thailand, and the Hanoi plant, Vietnam.[57]
In October 2011, the South Korea Free Trade Agreement opened up the South Korean auto market to American made cars.[58] GM owns (per 31 December 2011) 77.0% of its joint venture in South Korea, GM Korea.[4]:p.96
Africa
General Motors has a long history in Egypt which began in the 1920s with the assembling of cars and light pickup trucks for the local market. In the mid of the 1950s, GM withdrew from the Egyptian market. Some year later, the Ghabbour Brothers began to assemble Cadillac, Chevrolet and Buick models up to the 1990s.Since 1983 GM and Al-Monsour Automotive Company has founded the General Motors Egypt which is currently the only manufacturer of traditional GM branded vehicles in Egypt. The Speranza Motors is a big company which started in the 1990s with the SKD assembling of Daewoo cars. Today the main products of Speranza are from the Chinese Chery concern.
GM began operating in South Africa in 1913 through its wholly owned subsidiary, General Motors South Africa. Following the passage of the Comprehensive Anti-Apartheid Act in 1986, GM was forced to divest from South Africa, and GMSA became the independent Delta Motor Corporation. GM purchased a 49% stake in Delta in 1997 following the end of apartheid, and acquired the remaining 51% in 2004, reverting the company to its original name.
Another manufacturing base of the GM for the African markets is the Industries Mécaniques Maghrébines headquartered in Kairouan, Tunisia which assembles Isuzu and Mazda models for the Maghreb region. General Motors East Africa (GMEA) located in Nairobi, Kenya assembles a wide range of Isuzu trucks and buses including the popular Isuzu N-Series versatile light commercial vehicle, TF Series pick-ups and Isuzu bus chassis. Formed in 1975, GMEA's facility is the largest assembler of commercial vehicles in the region exporting to East and Central African countries including Uganda, Tanzania, Malawi, Rwanda and Burundi. In addition to assembly, GMEA also markets the Chevrolet products Spark and Optra.
In the 1920s Miller Brothers Nigeria was founded as an importer of commercial vehicles of the Bedford brand into the country. In 1949, the company opened its own assembly plant and operated under the name Niger/Nigeria Motors. In 1965 the plant and its distribution network was split into different companies and renamed as Federated Motors Industries. In 1991 the company was taken in by a joint venture between General Motors and UACN of Nigeria.
Oceania
In Australia and New Zealand GM is represented by the Holden and Opel[59] brands.Motorsport
GM has participated over the years in the World Touring Car Championship (WTCC), 24 Hours of Le Mans, NASCAR, SCCA, V8 Supercars, and many other world venues.
GM has also used many cars in the American racing series NASCAR. Currently the Chevrolet SS is the only entry in the series but in the past the Pontiac Grand Prix, Buick Regal, Oldsmobile Cutlass, Chevrolet Lumina, Chevrolet Malibu, and the Chevrolet Monte Carlo were also used. GM has won a total of 40 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series manufacturer's championships, including 34 with Chevrolet, the most of any make in NASCAR history, 3 with Oldsmobile, 2 with Buick, and 1 with Pontiac. GM leads all other automobile manufacturers in races won in NASCAR's premier series at 1,011. Chevrolet leads individual makes with 677 wins.
In Australia, there is the V8 Supercar Championship which is battled out by the two main rivals of (GM) Holden and Ford. The current Holden Racing Team cars are based on the Holden Commodore and run a 5.0-litre V8-cylinder engine producing 635 bhp (474 kW). These cars have a top speed of 298 km/h (185 mph) and run 0–100 km/h in 3.8 seconds. The Holden Racing Team is Australia's most successful team in Australian Touring Car History. In 2006 & 2007, the Drivers championship was won by the very closely linked (now defunct) HSV Dealer Team.
Research and development
Research and development (R&D) at General Motors began organically as the continuation of such R&D as the various divisions (e.g., Cadillac, Buick, Olds, Oakland) were already doing for themselves before the merger. Its character was entirely empirical; it was whatever key people in each company had been competent enough to organize and pursue.Charles F. Kettering's Dayton Engineering Laboratories Company (Delco), at Dayton, Ohio, was still an independent firm at this time. Its work was well known to GM central management through its relationship as a supplier and consultancy to Cadillac and Buick.
In 1916, Durant organized the United Motors Corporation as an amalgamation of parts suppliers, supplying GM and other OEMs but independent of GM.[60] Alfred P. Sloan, head of the newly acquired Hyatt Roller Bearing Corporation, became United Motors' CEO. United Motors acquired Delco, and Kettering began his association with Sloan. United Motors also acquired at this time the original Remy corporation[60] (called the Remy Electric Company), a competitor of Delco. In 1918 General Motors bought United Motors.[60] Various entities grew out of the original Delco and Remy, including the Dayton Metal Products Corporation, the General Motors Research Corporation, the Delco Division and Remy Electric Division of GM, Delco Remy (now Remy International, Inc.), ACDelco, Delco Electronics, and others. Today's main successor corporation is Delphi Automotive, which nowadays is an independent parent corporation.
The General Motors Research Corporation, at Dayton under Kettering, became a true automotive research center. During the next few decades it led the development of:
- many electrical-appliance features for cars and trucks
- tetraethyllead and its widespread use as a gasoline additive (recognized today as a bad idea environmentally, but a technological wonder of its day)
- dichlorodifluoromethane refrigerant for HVAC and refrigeration applications (Freon, R-12; recognized today as a bad idea environmentally [being a chlorofluorocarbon (CFC)], but a technological wonder of its day)
- commercially practical two-stroke diesel engines
- better transmissions for track-laying vehicles
- many other advancements
Today, GM R&D, headquartered in Warren, Michigan, is a network of six laboratories, six science offices, and collaborative relationships in over twelve countries including working relationships with universities, government groups, suppliers, and other partners from across the globe.
Small car sales
Although GM since the 1920s has always offered economy models in the U.S. market (relative to that market's definition in any given decade), and had done research and development in the 1940s and 1950s in preparation for any potential rise of strong demand for truly small cars in the U.S. market,[63] it has also been criticized over the decades for not doing enough to promote fuel efficiency in the U.S. market in the 1970s through 1990s. GM's response has been that it has always responded to market demands, and that most Americans, despite anything they said to the contrary, did not actually demand (at purchasing-decision time) small size or fuel efficiency in their vehicles to any great or lasting extent. Although some U.S. consumers flocked temporarily to the ideal of fuel economy whenever fuel supply crises arose (such as 1973 and 1979), they flocked equally enthusiastically to SUVs when cheap fuel of the 1980s and 1990s temporarily shielded them from any downside to these choices.
Since the return of high fuel prices in the 2000s and 2010s, GM's interest in [truly-]small-car programs for the U.S. market has been renewed. As part of General Motors Company development, it plans to revive one of its idled U.S. factories for the production of a small car in Orion, Michigan, with the creation of 1,200 American jobs. This will be the first time ever that a large manufacturer produces a supermini vehicle in the United States. The new small car will add to a group of small and fuel-efficient vehicles that the company is planning to roll out in the near future. This retooled plant will be capable of building 160,000 cars annually, including both small and compact vehicles.[64]
Environmental initiatives
The world's largest rooftop solar power installation was installed at General Motors Spanish Zaragoza Manufacturing Plant in fall 2008. The Zaragoza solar installation has about 2,000,000 square feet (190,000 m2) of roof at the plant and contains about 85,000 solar panels. The installation was created, owned and operated by Veolia Environment and Clairvoyant Energy, who lease the rooftop area from General Motors. [65][66][67] In 2011, the company also invested $7.5 million in solar-panel provider Sunlogics, which will install solar panels on GM facilities.[68]
The company has long worked on alternative-technology vehicles, and has led the industry with ethanol-burning flexible-fuel vehicles that can run on either E85 (ethanol) or gasoline. The company was the first to use turbochargers and was an early proponent of V6 engines in the 1960s, but quickly lost interest as the muscle car race took hold. They demonstrated[69] gas turbine vehicles powered by kerosene, an area of interest throughout the industry, but abandoned the alternative engine configuration in view of the 1973 oil crisis. In the 1970s and 1980s, GM pushed the benefits of diesel engines and cylinder deactivation technologies with disastrous results due to poor durability in the Oldsmobile diesels and drivability issues in the Cadillac V8-6-4 variable-cylinder engines. In 1987, GM, in conjunction with AeroVironment, built the Sunraycer, which won the inaugural World Solar Challenge and was a showcase of advanced technology. Much of the technology from Sunraycer found its way into the Impact prototype electric vehicle (also built by Aerovironment) and was the predecessor to the General Motors EV1.
GM supported a compromise version of the Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) standard increase from 27 mpg-US (8.7 L/100 km; 32 mpg-imp) to 35 mpg-US (6.7 L/100 km; 42 mpg-imp), the first such increase in over 20 years.[70] GM announced they will introduce more Volt-based plug-in hybrids.
Hybrid electric vehicles
GM currently offers the 2-mode hybrid system used by the Chevrolet Tahoe/GMC Yukon/Cadillac Escalade, and GM 1/2 half-ton pickups and will later be used on other vehicles.[71]
GM introduced the Chevrolet Volt in 2010, an electric vehicle with back-up generators powered by gasoline. The production Chevrolet Volt was available in late 2010 as a 2011 model with limited availability.[72] GM delivered the first Volt during December 2010.
The GM Magic Bus is a hybrid-powered bus.[73]
All-electric vehicles
Further information: Who Killed the Electric Car?#Batteries
General Motors was the first company (in the modern era) to release
an all-electric automobile. In 1990, GM debuted the "Impact" concept car
at the Los Angeles Auto Show. It was the first car with zero-emissions
marketed in the US in over three decades. The Impact was eventually
produced as the EV1
for the 1996 model year. It was available through dealers located in
only a few regions (e.g., California, Arizona, Georgia). Vehicles were
leased, rather than sold, to individuals. In 1999 GM decided to cease
production of the vehicles. When the individual leases had expired, they
declined to renew the leases or allow the lessors to purchase them. All
of the EV1s were eventually returned to General Motors and, with the
exception of a few which were donated to museums, all were destroyed.
The documentary film Who Killed the Electric Car? covered the EV1 story.The EV1's cancellation had disappointed supporters of electric vehicles. In 2010, GM debuted the Chevrolet Volt, an electric vehicle with back-up generators powered by gasoline. General Motors has announced that it is building a prototype two-seat electric vehicle with Segway. An early prototype of the Personal Urban Mobility and Accessibility vehicle—dubbed Project P.U.M.A. – will be shown off in New York a day ahead of the press previews for the 2009 New York International Auto Show.[74][dated info]
Battery packs for electric vehicles
GM builds battery packs in southern Michigan.[72] GM also established an automotive battery laboratory in Michigan.[75] GM will be responsible for battery management systems and power electronics, thermal management, as well as the pack assembly. An existing GM facility at Brownstown Township was chosen to be upgraded as battery pack plant.[72] LG Chem's U.S. subsidiary, Compact Power of Troy, Michigan, has been building the prototype packs for the development vehicles and will continue to provide integration support and act as a liaison for the program.Hydrogen initiative
In June 2007, Larry Burns, vice president of research and development, said he's not yet willing to say exactly when hydrogen vehicles will be mass-produced, but he said it should happen before 2020, the year many experts have predicted. He said "I sure would be disappointed if we weren't there" before 2020.[76]
Flexible-fuel vehicles
GM produces several flexible-fuel vehicles that can operate on E85 ethanol fuel or gasoline, or any blend of both. Since 2006 GM started featuring a bright yellow gas cap to remind drivers of the E85 capabilities,[77][78][79][80] and also using badging with the text "Flexfuel/E85 Ethanol" to clearly mark the car as an E85 FFV.[81][82]GM is the leader in E85 flex fuel vehicles, with over 3 million FlexFuel vehicles on the road in the U.S. As of 2009, GM offers 18 ethanol-enabled FlexFuel cars and trucks in the US, and produces more than one million new FlexFuel vehicles. In 2010, GM pledged to have more than half of their annual vehicle production be E85 or biodiesel capable by 2012.[83]
Brand reorganization
As it emerged from bankruptcy and company reorganization in 2010, GM reorganized the content and structure of its brand portfolio (its brand architecture).[84] Some nameplates like Pontiac, Oldsmobile, Saturn, Hummer, and service brands like Goodwrench were discontinued. Others, like SAAB, were sold.[85] The practice of putting the "GM Mark of Excellence" on every car, no matter what the brand, was discontinued in August, 2009.[86] The company has moved from a corporate-endorsed hybrid brand architecture structure, where GM underpinned every brand to a multiple brand corporate invisible brand architecture structure.[87] The company's familiar square blue "badge" has been removed from the Web site and advertising, in favor of a new, subtle all-text logo treatment on its U.S. site;[84] the Canadian site still retaines the blue "badge".[88] In 2011, GM discontinued the Daewoo brand in South Korea and replaced it with the Chevrolet brand.[89]GM describes their brand politics as having "two brands" which "will drive our global growth. They are Chevrolet, which embodies the qualities of value, reliability, performance and expressive design; and Cadillac, which creates luxury vehicles that are provocative and powerful. At the same time, the Holden, Buick, GMC, Baojun, Opel and Vauxhall brands are being carefully cultivated to satisfy as many customers as possible in select regions."[4]:p.182[5]
| Brand | Year founded | Year began making autos | Year joined GM | Markets served today |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Baojun |
2010 | 2010 | 2010 | China |
| Buick |
1899 | 1903 | 1908 | North America, China, Israel |
| Cadillac |
1902 | 1902 | 1909 | North America, Europe, Asia, Middle East |
| Chevrolet |
1911 | 1911 | 1911 | Global, except Australia, New Zealand |
| GMC |
1901 | 1901 | 1909 | North America, Middle East |
| Holden |
1856 | 1908 | 1931 | Australia, New Zealand |
| Jiefang |
2011 | 2011 | 2011 | China |
| Opel |
1862 | 1899 | 1929 | Global, except North America, United Kingdom |
| Wuling |
2002 | 2002 | 2002 | China |
| Vauxhall |
1857 | 1903 | 1925 | United Kingdom |
Discontinued brands
(Note on dates: the dates below are the years each brand existed, which are not always the same as the dates they were part of GM.)Oldsmobile (1897–2004)
Ewing (1908–1911)
Marquette (1912)
McLaughlin (1918–1942)
Ranger (1968–1976)
Former subsidiaries
Lotus (1986–1993), sold to Luxembourg-based A.C.B.N. Holdings S.A.
Saab (1990–2010), sold to Dutch sports car manufacturer Spyker Cars N.V.,[93] now sold to National Electric Vehicle Sweden AB on August 31, 2012.
Former affiliates
Fiat (2000–2005), GM owned 20 percent at one time with put option[94]
Fuji Heavy Industries, manufacturer of Subaru (1999–2006), GM owned 20 percent at one time[95]
Spin-offs
Philanthropy
See also: General Motors Foundation
General Motors has been a leading contributor to charity.Since 1994, General Motors has donated over $23 million in cash and vehicles to the Nature Conservancy, and funding from GM supports many conservation projects.[98]
Through 2002, the PACE Awards program, led by GM, EDS, and SUN Microsystems, has given over $1.2 billion of in-kind contributions which includes computers to over 18 universities to support engineering education.[99] In 2009, the GM led group has helped the Pace Awards program worldwide.[100]
In 2004, GM gave $51,200,000 in cash contributions and $17,200,000 in-kind donations to charitable causes.[101]
The General Motors Foundation (GM Foundation) receives philanthropic bequests from General Motors. It is a 501(c)(3) foundation incorporated in 1976.[102]
Since 1996, the GM Foundation has been the exclusive source of funding for Safe Kids USA's "Safe Kids Buckle Up" program, a national initiative to ensure child automobile safety through education and inspection.[103][104]
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