General Motors

Extracted Attributes

• Name

  General Motors

• Type

  Automotive manufacturing company

• Founded

  1908-09-16

• Founder

  William C. Durant (William Crapo Durant)

• Headquarters

  Detroit, Michigan, United States

• Number of Employees

  164,000

• Largest Automaker in US

  Yes

• Manufacturing Operations

  8 countries

• Current Entity Established

  2009 (following Chapter 11 reorganization)

• Fortune 500 Ranking (2024)

  25th (US by total revenue)

• Forbes Global 2000 Ranking (2023)

  70th

• Fortune Global 500 Ranking (2024)

  50th

• Largest Automaker in World (Historical)

  For 77 years (until 2008)

Timeline

• General Motors was founded by William C. Durant as a holding company for Buick. (Source: Summary, Wikipedia, Wikidata, DBPedia, Web Search)

  1908-09-16

• Introduced the electric self-starter commercially in its Cadillac vehicles, making the hand crank obsolete. (Source: Britannica)

  1912

• Reincorporated and named General Motors Corporation. (Source: Britannica)

  1916

• Pioneered consumer credit, significantly changing American aversion to debt and contributing to a massive expansion of leverage and speculation in the market. (Source: Summary, Related Documents)

  1919

• Acquired Vauxhall of England and organized the Yellow Truck & Coach Manufacturing Co. (now GMC Truck & Coach Division). (Source: Britannica)

  1925

• Surpassed Ford Motor Company to become the leading American passenger-car manufacturer. (Source: Britannica)

  1929

• Acquired Adam Opel of Germany. (Source: Britannica)

  1929

• Its pioneering of consumer credit contributed to the speculative bubble that led to the Stock Market Crash of 1929 and the subsequent Great Depression. (Source: Summary, Related Documents)

  1929

• Acquired Holden of Australia. (Source: Britannica)

  1931

• Became the world's largest manufacturer of motor vehicles. (Source: Britannica)

  1931

• Lost its position as the world's largest automaker to Toyota, after holding the title for 77 consecutive years. (Source: Summary, Wikipedia, DBPedia)

  2008

• The current entity was established following a Chapter 11 reorganization. (Source: Summary, Wikipedia, DBPedia, Web Search)

  2009

• Announced plans to end production and sales of vehicles using internal combustion engines by 2035 and achieve carbon neutrality by 2040. (Source: Summary, Wikipedia, DBPedia)

  2021-01

• Ranked 25th on the Fortune 500 list of largest United States corporations by total revenue. (Source: Summary, Wikipedia)

  2024

• Plans to cease internal combustion engine vehicle production and achieve carbon neutrality were largely scaled back. (Source: Summary, Wikipedia)

  2025

General Motors

General Motors Company (GM) is an American multinational automotive manufacturing company headquartered in Detroit, Michigan, United States. The company is most known for owning and manufacturing four automobile brands: Chevrolet, Buick, GMC, and Cadillac, each a separate division of GM. By total sales, it has continuously been the largest automaker in the United States, and was the largest in the world for 77 years before losing the top spot to Toyota in 2008. General Motors operates manufacturing plants in eight countries. In addition to its four core brands, GM also holds interests in Chinese brands Baojun and Wuling via SAIC-GM-Wuling Automobile. GM further owns a namesake defense vehicles division which produces military vehicles for the United States government and military, the vehicle safety, security, and information services provider OnStar, the auto parts company ACDelco, and a namesake financial lending service. The company originated as a holding company for Buick established on September 16, 1908, by William C. Durant, the largest seller of horse-drawn vehicles at the time. The first half of the 20th century saw the company grow into an automotive behemoth through acquisitions; going into the second half, the company pursued innovation and new offerings to consumers as well as collaborations with NASA to develop electric vehicles. The current entity was established in 2009 after the General Motors Chapter 11 reorganization. As of 2024, General Motors ranks 25th by total revenue out of all American companies on the Fortune 500 and 50th on the Fortune Global 500. In 2023, the company was ranked 70th in the Forbes Global 2000. In 2021, GM announced its intent to end production of vehicles using internal combustion engines by 2035, as part of its plan to achieve carbon neutrality by 2040. These plans were mostly scaled back in 2025.

Web Search Results

• General Motors - Wikipedia

  General Motors Company (GM) is an American multinational automotive manufacturing company headquartered in Detroit, Michigan, United States. The company is most known for owning and manufacturing four automobile brands: Chevrolet, Buick, GMC "GMC (marque)"), and Cadillac, each a separate division of GM. By total sales, it has continuously been the largest automaker in the United States, and was the largest in the world for 77 years before losing the top spot to Toyota in 2008. [...] General Motors operates manufacturing plants in eight countries. In addition to its four core brands, GM also holds interests in Chinese brands Baojun and Wuling via SAIC-GM-Wuling Automobile. GM further owns a namesake defense vehicles division which produces military vehicles for the United States government and military, the vehicle safety, security, and information services provider OnStar, the auto parts company ACDelco, and a namesake financial lending service. [...] The company originated as a holding company for Buick established on September 16, 1908, by William C. Durant, the largest seller of horse-drawn vehicles at the time. The first half of the 20th century saw the company grow into an automotive behemoth through acquisitions; going into the second half, the company pursued innovation and new offerings to consumers as well as collaborations with NASA to develop electric vehicles. The current entity was established in 2009 after the General Motors

• General Motors: Iconic Vehicles for Every Drive

  General Motors (GM) is one of the world's leading automotive manufacturers with iconic vehicle brands like Chevrolet, Buick, GMC, and Cadillac. We’ve been shaping the future of driving since 1908: building trusted vehicles, pioneering technologies, and delivering innovation at scale. With our unmatched breadth and expanding portfolio, we’re creating the one for every drive and working toward a future with zero crashes, zero tailpipe emissions, and zero congestion. [...] General Motors (GM) was founded on September 16, 1908, in Flint, Michigan by William Durant. GM has a rich heritage and has been shaping the automotive industry with transformative innovations for over a century. Grounded in Alfred Sloan’s vision of creating “a car for every purse and purpose,” GM continues to enable choice for consumers with a broad range of vehicles for every journey. [...] GM makes vehicles across four brands — Chevrolet, Buick, GMC, and Cadillac. GM’s portfolio includes retail vehicles for people’s everyday lives, commercial vehicles to support businesses, and performance vehicles for winning on the race track. GM offers electric vehicles (EV), internal combustion engines (ICE), and advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS).

• General Motors Co Company Profile - Overview - GlobalData

  General Motors Co (GM) is an automobile manufacturing company. It designs, builds, and markets cars, SUVs, crossovers, trucks, and automobile parts. The company also provides automotive financing services through its subsidiary, General Motors Financial Company. GM sells cars and trucks to commercial fleet customers, daily rental car companies, leasing companies, and governments directly or through a network of dealers. Its major brands include Chevrolet, Cadillac, Buick, GMC, Onstar, Ultium, [...] Baojun, and Wuling. The company has business operations across North America, Asia Pacific, the Middle East and Africa, and South America. GM is headquartered in Detroit, Michigan, the US. [...] | Key Parameters | General Motors Co | Volkswagen AG | Toyota Motor Corp | Ford Motor Co | Stellantis NV | --- --- --- | | Headquarters | United States of America | Germany | Japan | United States of America | Netherlands | | City | Detroit | Wolfsburg | Toyota-Shi | Dearborn | Hoofddorp | | State/Province | Michigan | Niedersachsen | Aichi | Michigan | No. of Employees | 162,000 | 667,190 | 383,853 | 171,000 | 248,243 | | Entity Type | Public | Public | Public | Public | Public |

• General Motors (GM) | History, Deals, & Facts | Britannica Money

  Under the leadership of William C. Durant, the General Motors Company was founded in 1908 to consolidate several motorcar companies producing Buick, Oldsmobile, Cadillac, Oakland (later Pontiac), Ewing, Marquette, and other autos as well as Reliance and Rapid trucks. GM introduced the electric self-starter commercially in its 1912 Cadillac, and this invention soon made the hand crank obsolete. GM remained based in Detroit and was reincorporated and named General Motors Corporation in 1916. The [...] General Motors (GM), American corporation that was the world’s largest motor-vehicle manufacturer for much of the 20th and early 21st centuries. It operates manufacturing and assembly plants and distribution centres throughout the United States, Canada, and many other countries. The company’s major products include automobiles and trucks, automotive components, and engines, and it is also engaged in financial services. GM’s headquarters are in Detroit. ## Early history [...] By 1929 General Motors had surpassed the Ford Motor Company to become the leading American passenger-car manufacturer. It added overseas operations, including Vauxhall of England in 1925, Adam Opel of Germany in 1929, and Holden of Australia in 1931. The Yellow Truck & Coach Manufacturing Co. (now GMC Truck & Coach Division), organized in 1925, was among the new American divisions and subsidiaries established. In 1931 GM became the world’s largest manufacturer of motor vehicles. By 1941 it was

• General Motors Co - Company Profile and News - Bloomberg Markets

  General Motors Company designs, builds, and sells cars, trucks, crossovers, and automobile parts. The Company offers vehicle protection, parts, accessories, maintenance, satellite radio, and automotive financing services. General Motors provides its vehicles and services worldwide. []( Terms of ServiceDo Not Sell or Share My Personal InformationTrademarksPrivacy Policy CareersMade in NYCAdvertise Ad Choices Help©2025 Bloomberg L.P. All Rights Reserved.

• Award

  Silver Anvil Award

• Image

  

• Country

  United States

• Founder

  William Crapo Durant

• Employees

  164,000

• Instance Of

  Q786820

• Headquarters

  Detroit

• Inception Date

  9/16/1908

The General Motors Company (GM) is an American multinational automotive manufacturing company headquartered in Detroit, Michigan, United States. It is the largest automaker in the United States and was the largest in the world for 77 years before losing the top spot to Toyota in 2008. General Motors operates manufacturing plants in eight countries. Its four core automobile brands are Chevrolet, Buick, GMC, and Cadillac. It also holds interests in Chinese brands Wuling Motors and Baojun as well as DMAX via joint ventures. Additionally, GM also owns the BrightDrop delivery vehicle manufacturer, a namesake Defense vehicles division which produces military vehicles for the United States government and military; the vehicle safety, security, and information services provider OnStar; the auto parts company ACDelco, a namesake financial lending service; and majority ownership in the self-driving cars enterprise Cruise LLC. In January 2021, GM announced plans to end production and sales of vehicles using internal combustion engines, including hybrid vehicles and plug-in hybrids by 2035, as part of its plan to achieve carbon neutrality by 2040. GM offers more flexible-fuel vehicles, which can operate on either E85 ethanol fuel or gasoline, or any blend of both, than any other automaker. The company traces itself to a holding company for Buick established on September 16, 1908, by William C. Durant, the largest seller of horse-drawn vehicles at the time. The current entity was established in 2009 after the General Motors Chapter 11 reorganization. GM is ranked 22nd on the Fortune 500 rankings of the largest United States corporations by total revenue.