General Motors, 100 years old and counting
One hundred years ago, carriage maker William "Billy" Durant placed a big bet on the fledgling auto industry in the early 1900s and created General Motors Corp. Riding America's rise as a superpower, GM went on to dominate the automobile industry for decades, producing some iconic cars and trucks, as well as numerous safety, marketing and technological advances. Explore this special section as we examine GM's first century.
Timeline
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My golden oldie
Car enthusiasts talk about their rare GM vehicles in video or audio slideshow presentations.
- Bob Waldock, Sandusky, Ohio: 1959 Cadillac Coupe de Ville
Ed Hanson, Flint: 1908 Buick Model F
- Albert Golden, Reading, Pa.: 1947 Pontiac Streamliner Station Wagon
Jeb Rand, Farmington Hills: 1927 Cadillac 7-passenger sedan
- Clarence Becker, St. Clair Shores: 1941 Chevrolet Special Deluxe convertible coupe
Ron Wilson, Royal Oak: 1956 Chevrolet Bel Air Nomad
- Gary McIntyre, Brighton: 1925 Oakland Business Coupe
- Al Butlin Sr., Warren, and Al Butlin Jr., Beverly Hills:1954 Chevrolet Corvette
- Rick Giezentaner, Saline: 1939 Chevrolet 3/4 Ton Stake Truck
- John Martin, Bay City: 1929 Oakland sedan
- Andy Wise, Ellandale, Del.: 1926 Pontiac coach 2-door sedan
- Mike Frey, Denver, Colo.: 1959 Pontiac Bonneville Convertible
A century of General Motors
Legacy of innovation
Few major companies endure the rigors and shocks of American capitalism for decades -- let alone survive long enough to mark their centennial. But GM is no ordinary American company. - 09/16/2008
Daniel Howes
Commentary: Questions override future
If you want to understand General Motors Corp. today, as it marks its 100th anniversary, consider two data points. - 09/16/2008
UAW's battles shape history
General Motors and the United Auto Workers have made a fair share of history together during much of the last century. - 09/16/2008
Detroit reshaped, retooled
When it opened in the early 1920s, General Motors Corp.'s towering headquarters in Detroit was the largest office building in the world. GM controlled less than 15 percent of the U.S. market at the time and had just escaped near bankruptcy, and the grand building was viewed as an audacious gamble. - 09/16/2008
Flint prospered along with GM
In the 1950s, factory workers in Flint often joked with one another about how many states were in the union. - 09/16/2008
The sour taste of lemons
It was often admirably referred to as the "General." But for all of its financial resources and technical prowess, GM has sometimes failed to hit one out of the ballpark. - 09/16/2008
In second century, GM embraces globe
At about the same time that General Motors Corp. established itself as the biggest U.S. automaker in 1927, it was already taking steps to become a global player with the acquisition of the European carmakers Vauxhall and Adam Opel. - 09/16/2008
Innovations propel success
General Motors Corp. didn't invent the automobile, but it did discover important advances that made driving and transportation more appealing, safer and environmentally sound. Through the years, GM scientists and engineers helped transform motoring from a rugged activity to an enjoyable, sometimes thrilling, pastime. The hundreds of innovations include the first speedometer (1901 Oldsmobile) first electric headlights (1909 Cadillac) first electric windshield wiper (1925) first shatter-resistant safety windshield (1926 Cadillac) first turn signals (1939 Buick) first four-wheel disc brakes (1960s) and first on-board video entertainment system (1990s). A look at some of the key discoveries: - 09/16/2008
Editorial: GM must tap Durant's spirit for next century
Walter Chrysler once said of Billy Durant, who founded General Motors Corp. 100 years ago today, that he was such an amazing salesman, "he could coax a bird right down out of a tree." - 09/16/2008
Commentary: What do next 100 years hold for GM, industry?
The Detroit News solicited the comments of automotive experts about the future of General Motors Corp. and the industry on GM's 100th anniversary. - 09/16/2008
GM workers past and present share their memories
"It's difficult -- all the bad news. It feels like nobody wants to root for a company that knows it has done it before. When you see all the things we have coming down the line. The Chevy Volt. The bio-fuels or hybrid developments. I'm really excited to be part of the next 100 years. I love the auto business. I believe in this company. That may sound corny, but it's the truth." - 09/16/2008
Saturn: General Motors's brand for the future
Saturn was touted as a "different kind of car company" when General Motors Corp. debuted the brand 18 years ago with a slavish devotion to customer service, a single-minded focus on compact cars and no-haggle pricing. - 09/16/2008
Corvette: An American sports car, from Chevrolet with love
What does it mean to own a Corvette, that most American of cars? It means being the envy of every person you know, and most of those who don't know you. It means getting a second or even a third glance from a passing state trooper -- standard treatment for a car that looks like it's breaking the speed limit even when it's sitting in your driveway. It means finally owning the car you dreamed about when you were a kid with nothing in your pockets except your hands. It means pitying drivers who are "stuck" with driving Porsches, BMWs and other assorted Eurotrash. Remember: Once you go Vette, you never go back. - 09/16/2008
Buick: General Motors' standard for comfort at an affordable price
It all started with Buick. - 09/16/2008
Cadillac: General Motors' benchmark for luxury automobiles
In 1902, Henry M. Leland picked up the pieces of the unsuccessful Henry Ford Co. and launched the Cadillac Automobile Co., named in honor of the founder of Detroit, French explorer Antoine de la Mothe Cadillac. With Leland, a manufacturer of automotive components, at the helm, Cadillac would come to define engineering, manufacturing standards and luxury -- a legacy the brand has maintained for more than a century. Here are some of the highlights and innovations of Cadillac's past: - 09/16/2008
A century of General Motors
Driven by culture: GM's cars take center stage in popular music, movies, TV shows
For a century, General Motors has cast a huge shadow over American popular culture, its cars inspiring songs, movies, cartoons and TV shows. - 09/06/2008
A century of General Motors
Legendary execs: 7 notable presidents who helped shape GM
Though countless General Motors executives have helped shape the Detroit automaker into the company it is today, some of the company's leaders over the past 100 years stand out as central figures in the company's storied history. - 08/30/2008
GM's family ties: Tradition of on-the-spot jobs for generations fades
M ore than a half century ago, his grandfather inspected the first Cadillac Eldorado as it rolled off a Detroit assembly line. Some 20-plus years ago, his father was among the first assembly line workers at the new Hamtramck plant. And this week, Tony Sapienza was on hand for another milestone moment for General Motors Corp., a sneak peek of its first "global car." - 08/23/2008
Scott Burgess: A Century of General Motors
GM's best and baddest
From the time Billy Durant helped eliminate the crank starter to when The General helped the world clean up its act by installing catalytic converters on its entire lineup in the '70s, General Motors Corp. has remained at the forefront in research and development. - 08/15/2008
100 Years of GM
General Motors has ruled the road, but not without enduring its share of dents
Few major companies endure the rigors and shocks of American capitalism for decades -- let alone survive long enough to mark their centennial. - 08/13/2008
- Interactive timeline: A century of GM
- Video: GM Heritage Center preserves milestone cars
- Photos: General Motors' first 100 years
- Photos: GM concept cars
- Interactive quiz: How well do you know GM's history?
- Forum: Share your memories of GM cars or workplaces
- Video: Early GM history on display at Sloan Museum in Flint
Legendary CEO Sloan instrumental in crafting 'The GM Way'
It was a former horse carriage maker who gambled on the fledgling automobile industry and planted the seed to form General Motors Corp. - 08/13/2008
David Phillips: Car culture
GM cruise celebrates 100 years of classics
Donald Weston grew up in Highland Park just three blocks from Woodward and first cruised the avenue in 1963 in a '52 burgundy Chevy Deluxe. - 08/13/2008
GM Centennial events
GM Century Cruise - 08/13/2008
Flint remembers GM's glory with parade marking 100th anniversary
FLINT -- Matt Assenmacher is a cyclist at heart and runs two bicycle shops in Genesee County, but on Sunday, he had old-fashioned gasoline and a lot of nostalgia pumping through his veins. - 07/20/2008
