1899
Olds Motor Vehicle and Olds Gasoline Engine Works of Lansing merge to form Olds Motor Works. This new company is incorporated on May 8, 1899 with $500,000 capital. The first factory specifically for automobile manufacture in the United States is built by Olds in Detroit on Jefferson Avenue East.
In Germany, Adam Opel’s first motorcar, the "Opel-Patent-Motorwagen System Lutzmann," is built.

1901
The curved-dash Oldsmobile becomes the first American car to be manufactured in quantity.

1902
Cadillac Automobile Company is organized in Detroit by Henry M. Leland, a precision manufacturer of automotive components.

1903
Buick Motor Company, founded by David Dunbar Buick, is incorporated on May 19,1903. Ground is broken for the first Buick engine plant on September 11, 1903, with funding from Flint Wagon Works, and operations are moved from Detroit to Flint.

1904
William Crapo ("Billy") Durant of Durant-Dort Carriage Company, Flint, Michigan, takes control of Buick Motor Company on November 1, 1904.

1905
Cadillac produces the Osceola, a single cylinder favorite of Henry Leland and the first step-in closed-car design. The body was built under the supervision of Fred J. Fisher (who later founded Fisher Body with his brothers) in the Wilson Body Company plant in Detroit.

1906
Buick builds its first production four-cylinder car, a 1907 Model D.

1907
Henry M. Leland establishes the Cadillac School of Applied Mechanics, the first school to train machinists, technicians and toolmakers.
The Oakland Motor Car Co., predecessor to Pontiac Motor, is founded by Edward M. Murphy on August 28, 1907 in Pontiac, Michigan.

1908
General Motors Company is organized in 1908 (Sept 16), incorporating the Buick Motor Company.
Oldsmobile becomes the second company to join General Motors when Olds Motor Works is sold to GM on Nov. 12, 1908
Fisher Body Company is incorporated on July 22, 1908, by Albert, Fred and Charles Fisher and located in Detroit.
Cadillac wins the Dewar trophy of the Royal Automobile Club in London for demonstrating interchangeability of parts, a basic element in mass production.

1909
General Motors purchases a half interest in Oakland Motor Car Co. on January 20, 1909. When its founder, Edward Murphy, passes away the following summer, his company comes under the full control of General Motors. In 1932, the Oakland name is dropped from the vehicle line and Pontiac becomes the name of the division.
General Motors purchases Cadillac for $5.5 million on July 29, 1909. Henry M. Leland and his son, Wilfred, are invited to continue operating Cadillac. They do so until 1917, when they leave to form Lincoln Motor Co.
AC Spark Plug joins GM. Known as Champion Ignition Company in 1909, the name is changed to AC Spark Plug Company in 1922 and made a division in 1933.
General Motors acquires the Rapid Motor Vehicle Company of Pontiac, Michigan, the predecessor of GMC Truck, and Reliance Motor Truck Co. of Owosso, Michigan. A Rapid becomes the first truck to conquer Pikes Peak in 1909.
Bankers turn down William Durant’s request for a loan to buy Ford Motor Co. for about $9.5 million.

1910
Cadillac is the first American manufacturer to offer closed bodies as standard equipment, revolutionizing motoring convenience by providing cleanliness and all-weather comfort. In exchange for the loans required to avoid financial collapse, bankers step in and William Durant is removed from management of General Motors.

1911
GM President James J. Storrow creates a centralized testing and research laboratory and technical department to serve all constituent companies on February 7, 1911. At first known as the Engineering Department, in November it becomes the General Motors Research Department.
Charles F. Kettering’s milestone invention, the electric self starter, is first installed in a Cadillac on February 27, 1911. Kettering had organized his company, the Dayton Engineering Laboratories Company, in 1909 for the purpose of working on developments in the automotive field.
General Motors Truck Company (later known as GMC) is organized on July 22, 1911, to handle sales of GM’s Rapid and Reliance products.
Chevrolet Motor Company of Michigan is incorporated in November of 1911 by Louis Chevrolet, William Little and Edwin Cambell, William Durant’s son-in-law. Headquarters are in Detroit.
General Motors Export Company is established to handle the sale of all General Motors products outside the U.S. and Canada.

1912
Cadillac adopts the electric self-starter as standard equipment. Cadillac’s self-starter wins the Dewar Trophy as the most important automotive contribution of the year.

1913
All GM truck operations are consolidated in Pontiac, Michigan.

1914
Cadillac is first manufacturer in the U.S. to produce a V-type, water-cooled, eight-cylinder engine. The 314-cubic-inch engine produces 70 horsepower at 2,400 RPM and is the first major step in development of high-speed, high-compression automotive engines.
Cadillac becomes the first in the auto industry to use thermostatic control of a cooling system.

1915
Cadillac’s V-8 engine is installed in all its models and the V-8 emblem is added to Cadillac designs.
On September 13, 1915, Durant incorporates Chevrolet Motor Co. of Delaware. The new corporation includes the original Chevrolet Motor Company and becomes a holding company for auto companies Durant had put together after losing control of GM.
At the November 16, 1915 stockholders meeting of General Motors Company, Pierre S. Du Pont is elected chairman. William Durant, having held on to all his stock and acquiring more in the interim since his departure from GM (and receiving a $50 dividend on each share), is back in a position of power.
Tilt-beam headlights operated by a handle on the dash are introduced on Cadillac for improved nighttime visibility.

1916
In May 1916, Durant creates United Motors Corp., a combination of five parts and accessories manufacturers that include Hyatt Roller Bearing, led by Alfred P. Sloan, and Dayton Engineering Laboratories, led by Charles F. Kettering. Sloan is named president of United Motors.
Durant announces that Chevrolet owns 54.5 percent of GM’s outstanding shares and takes over the GM presidency from Charles W. Nash, who had been GM president from 1912 to 1916.
General Motors Corporation is incorporated under Delaware law (Oct. 13) and acquires all stock of General Motors Company.

1917
Durant purchases an interest in the Samson Sieve-Grip Tractor Co. of Stockton, California. The following year he recommends that GM enter the farm equipment business and directors approve purchase of Durant’s interest as well as acquisition of the rest of the company. In 1922, Samson Tractor, by now a division of General Motors, is liquidated because it is unprofitable.

1918
General Motors buys the operating assets of Chevrolet Motor Company in May, and Chevrolet became a division of General Motors.
United Motors Corporation (UMC) becomes part of General Motors Corporation. UMC is dissolved in 1919 and individual businesses continue as part of General Motors. United Motors Service, Inc., created by Sloan in 1916 to handle sales for the UMC manufacturing divisions, is included in this acquisition and becomes a division of General Motors in 1944. In 1971 United Motors Service Division is renamed United Delco Division and in 1974 it is absorbed into AC-Delco Division.
General Motors of Canada, Ltd. is formed through merger of McLaughlin Motor Car Company, Ltd. and Chevrolet Motor Company of Canada, Ltd.
Durant invests personally in Guardian Frigerator, a company trying to manufacture a new product, an electric ice box.

1919
General Motors acquires 60% interest in Fisher Body Company.
General Motors Acceptance Corporation is established to finance the sale of General Motors cars and trucks.
Construction of the General Motors Building in Detroit begins.
The predecessor of General Motors Institute of Technology opens at Flint as part-time training school.
The Guardian Frigerator Company changes its name to Frigidaire Corporation. General Motors Corporation purchases all of the outstanding stock on May 31, 1919.
General Motors purchases Dayton Wright Company, an early airplane manufacturer. In 1929, its assets are sold to Fokker Aircraft Corporation.
All General Motors employees in the US are made eligible to participate in the GM Savings and Investment Plan (predecessor to the Savings-Stock Purchase Program, established in 1955). Employees contributions of up to $300 per year are matched by a GM contribution of $.50 for every dollar that employees invest in the plan. The plan is discontinued in 1935.

1920
General Motors Research Corporation, predecessor of GM Research Laboratories, is established.
GM Export’s first Far Eastern branch office opens in Manila (moved to Shanghai in 1922).
Durant resigns as President of General Motors and Pierre S. du Pont, then Chairman of the Board, is named President.

1921
The Clark Street Cadillac factory begins production. At the time, it is the most modern plant in the industry. It remains in production until 1987.
Pierre du Pont issues GM’s first "Message to Shareholders."
GM decides to proceed with commercial application of Kettering’s "copper-cooled" engine, intended to replace the traditional piston engine. The initial target is to put the copper-cooled engine in all of Chevrolet Division’s cars. The program is officially ended in 1923, with a total of fewer than 800 copper-cooled engines ever being produced and only 300 sold to dealers, all of which are recalled by GM.

1923
Alfred P. Sloan is elected President and Chairman of the Executive Committee May 10, 1923, following a meeting of the Board of Directors.
Four-wheel brakes are introduced on 1924-model year Buicks.
Ethyl gasoline, developed in General Motors Research Laboratories, goes on sale. The following year, Ethyl Gasoline Corporation is formed by General Motors and Standard Oil Company of New Jersey to market this "knockless" motor fuel component developed by General Motors Research Laboratories.
Inland Manufacturing Company of Dayton, Ohio, is established to produce steering wheels for GM cars.
GM’s first European assembly plant is established in Copenhagen under the name General Motors International A/S. It is to build Chevrolets for sale in Scandinavian countries, the Baltics, and Germany, Poland, Czechoslovakia, Austria, Hungary and Russia. The first GM vehicle assembled outside the U.S. and Canada, a Chevrolet utility truck, comes off the Copenhagen assembly line on January 7, 1924.
GM acquires all outstanding stocks of Brown-Lipe-Chapin Company of Syracuse, NY, a manufacturer of automobile differentials and gears.
Executives become stockholders under a plan allowing them to acquire stock through the Managers Securities Company. This is the most far reaching effort yet made by a large corporation to align interests of management and stockholders through having leaders become large stockholders themselves.

1924
Alfred Sloan articulates GM’s product strategy of "A car for every purse and purpose" in his Message to Shareholders in the 1924 Annual Report.
General Motors Proving Ground is opened in Milford, Mich.
William S. Knudsen becomes president of Chevrolet and joins the GM Board of Directors.
GM Continental is established with operations in Antwerp, Belgium.
Donaldson Brown develops his financial concept of "the highest return consistent with attainable volume in the market" and publishes his landmark article, "Pricing Policy in Relation to Financial Control."

1925
Yellow Truck and Coach Manufacturing Company is organized, with General Motors Truck as a subsidiary and General Motors Corporation holding a large interest. Vauxhall Motors Ltd., Luton, England, is acquired by General Motors.
General Motors do Brasil is established in Sao Paulo.
GM opens a manufacturing facility Buenos Aires, Argentina. In 1978 the vehicle manufacturing operations are discontinued and GM Argentina S.A. is liquidated. In 1993, GM de Argentina S.A. is established as a joint venture with CIADEA with production in Cordoba. GM acquires full ownership in builds a new plant in Rosaria which commences production in 1997.
G.M. Peninsular is established in Malaga, Sapin, as General Motors Export Division’s first warehouse.
General Motors (France) is organized with a sales office in Paris and warehouse in Le Havre.
General Motors G.m.b.H. is set up in Berlin as a sales office. In 1927 an assembly plant is built in Berlin.
General Exchange Insurance Corporation (predecessor of Motors Insurance Corporation) is organized by General Motors to handle insurance business arising through sales financed by GMAC.

1926

General Motors purchases the Fisher brothers’ remaining interest in Fisher Body Co. William Fisher, president of Fisher Body Corp., becomes general manager of GM’s new Fisher Body division. The acquisition includes Ternstedt Manufacturing Company which is engaged in the manufacture of automobile body hardware and metal stampings. In 1933, Ternstedt is made a division of General Motors. Brown-Lipe-Chapin, a supplier of differential gears for General Motors cars acquired in 1922, is made a division of General Motors in 1926 and consolidated with Ternstedt in 1962. In 1968, Ternstedt Division is consolidated into Fisher Body Division.
General Motors Institute is formally inaugurated.
GM enters South Africa by forming General Motors South African (Pty.) Limited (GMSA), a wholly owned subsidiary, in Port Elizabeth.
The first Pontiac car is introduced by Oakland. The "Chief of the Sixes," a 6-cylinder car, is launched at the 1926 New York Auto Show.
General Motors (Australia) Pty. Ltd. is incorporated with headquarters at Melbourne and five branches in major cities. Five plants — Melbourne, Perth, Sydney, Brisbane and Adelaide — begin operations on November 1.
General Motors New Zealand Ltd. begins assembly operations at Petone on August 30.
GM Japan Ltd. is established in Kobe, Japan. The following year, GM opens a new assembly plant about twenty miles away in Osaka.
G.M. Near East is established in Alexandria, Egypt.
G.M. Uruguaya S.A. is incorporated in Montevideo. In 1986, GM withdraws from Uruguay. In 1993, General Motors Uruguay, S.A., a wholly- owned subsidiary, is established to import built-up vehicles from Brazil, Chile, and GM Argentina.
Cadillac becomes the first in the auto industry to develop a comprehensive service policy and provide it on a nationwide basis.

1927
The milestone 1927 model-year Cadillac La Salle is introduced. This is the first production car designed by a stylist. It was designed by the legendary Harley Earl.
General Motors Java is established.
GM Japan opens its new assembly plant in Osaka.
Fundamental financial management principles are set forth by Donaldson Brown in a paper entitled "Decentralized Operations and Responsibilities with Coordinated Control."

1928
General Motors Near East holds its first Dealers’ Conference in Alexandria, Egypt.
General Motors India establishes the first automobile assembly plant in India.
Clashless synchromesh transmission is introduced by Cadillac. This is a major innovation for its day.
Cadillac introduces shatter-resistant safety glass in all windows of 1929 Cadillac and LaSalle models.

1929
Cadillac becomes the first to adopt chrome plating as standard on its cars.
Chevrolet introduces its new six-cylinder engine for use in commercial vehicles. This engine is nicknamed "the cast iron wonder" for its remarkable durability.
Frigidaire designs and produces the first room air conditioner.
Adam Opel AG, based in Russelsheim, Germany, is acquired by GM and takes its place as a key member of the General Motors family.
GM do Brasil inaugurates its first plant in Sao Caetano do Sul to assemble vehicles and produce bus bodies and automotive components.
GM enters the commercial aviation business by buying a 40% interest in Fokker Aircraft Corporation which now has assets of Dayton-Wright, 24% interest in Bendix Aviation Corp., and all of the outstanding stock of Allison Engineering Company. These acquisitions also give GM access to technical information that is valuable in automotive operations. The name of Fokker Aircraft Corp. of America is changed to General Aviation Corporation.
Motors Holding Corporation is established to give financial assistance to worthy individuals who want to become GM dealers but lack the capital. In 1936, this subsidiary becomes Motors Holding Division.
Buick introduces a smaller 6-cylinder sedan which is named the Marquette. It is discontinued by 1931.
Olds introduces the Viking, an all new V-8 new model for a more expensive market. Sales drop as the depression advances and production ceases in 1930.

1930
Electro-Motive Company of Cleveland becomes part of GM.

1931
General Motors - Holden’s Ltd. is formed through merger of Holden’s Motor Body Builders Ltd. and GM (Australia) Pty. Ltd.

1932
Pontiac Motor Division is established, replacing Oakland.
B-O-P Sales Company is established, consolidating the wholesale sales forces of Buick, Oldsmobile, and Pontiac. It is disbanded the following year.
Packard Electric Company, a producer of automotive starting, lighting and ignition cable, joins GM.

1933
The GM Sales and Service Section is renamed Customer Research Staff under the direction of Henry G. "Buck" Weaver.
No-Draft Ventilation, developed by Fisher Body, is introduced on all GM cars.
Individual front wheel suspension, called Knee-Action, is developed by the GM Engineering Staff and introduced in 1934 models.
GM sells some interests and assets of General Aviation to North American Aviation for shares of North American’s stock and later buys additional stock in North American to increase its equity to 51%. North American’s holdings include Eastern Air Transport (which later becomes Eastern Airlines), and a substantial interest in Douglas Aircraft, and Transcontinental and Western Air, Inc. (which later becomes TWA).

1934
A two-cycle diesel engine developed by GM hauls the first American diesel-powered streamlined railroad train.
The industry’s first barrier impact tests are conducted when GM cars are directed into a retaining wall at low speeds.
Fisher Body announces development of the one-piece steel "turret top" roof for introduction on GM cars beginning in 1935.
GM introduces the first rollover tests, running one side of a car up a ramp at the top of a hill.

1935
Electro-Motive Division is established and a plant is built at La Grange, Illinois, to produce diesel locomotives.
GM de Mexico is established.
Opel announces the "Olympia" model, the first mass-produced car with all-steel unitized body (integrated body and frame construction).
General Motors Suisse SA is established in Bienne (Berne), Switzerland. Construction of an assembly and office building begins immediately and is completed in early 1936.
Pontiac’s "Silver Streak" styling theme is introduced.
The one-millionth Olds is built on September 30, 1935.
The one-millionth Pontiac is built in November, 1935.
Chevrolet introduces the Suburban Carryall, a 1/2-ton truck with seating capacity for eight.

1936
The Buick Roadmaster, a milestone in styling (designed by Harley Earl), is introduced.
Guide Lamp develops the first manual turn signals. Operated with an on-off switch (with no flasher), Guide Lamp sells them to United Motors for truck applications.
Fisher Body introduces dual windshield wipers.
Workers at two key GM plants in Flint, Michigan, go on "sit-down" strike the last week of December.

1937
On February 11, the sit-down strikes end with GM’s recognition of the United Auto Workers (UAW) as having the right to represent workers who are union members.
A test laboratory is set up in Phoenix, Arizona, so that heat, dust, and high-altitude tests can be conducted year around.

1937
Pontiac introduces the industry’s first column-mounted gearshift.
G.M. Export Company changes its name to the Foreign Distributors Division.
Winton Engine Manufacturing Corporation becomes GM Cleveland Diesel Engine Division.
Detroit Diesel Engine Division is organized for production of small diesel engines.
Linden Division, Linden, NJ, is established to assemble Buicks, Oldsmobiles and Pontiacs closer to the points of sale in the eastern U.S.

1938
General Motors Overseas Operations (GMOO) is established, encompassing all vehicle manufacturing and marketing outside the U.S. and Canada. Headquarters are in New York City and remain there until 1978 when GM’s non-U.S. and non-Canadian operations are restructured and their top management moves to Detroit.
Sales outside the U.S. and Canada exceed 350,000 vehicles.

1939
Hydra-matic, the industry’s first completely automatic shift transmission, is introduced by Detroit Transmission Division (later Hydra-matic Division) on Oldsmobile’s 1940 models.
The industry’s first rear turn signals to use flasher are introduced by Buick.
At the 1939 World’s Fair, GM’s Highways and Horizons exhibit features the "futurama," a panoramic tour of a cross-section of the country as it might appear in 1960, illustrating the possibilities of future industrial progress.

1940
GM produces its 25,000,000th car (Jan. 11).
The German government officially seizes control of Adam Opel AG.
William S. Knudsen is appointed chairman of the U. S. government’s new Office of Production Management by President Roosevelt to lead the wartime industrial mobilization program, a credit to his outstanding leadership and knowledge of manufacturing, machine tools and productivity.

1941
GM Japan ceases operation.

1942
GM converts 100% of its production to the war effort. During World War II, GM delivers more than $12,300,000,000 worth of war material to lead the Allied war effort, including airplane engines, airplanes and parts, trucks, tanks, marine diesels, guns, shells and miscellaneous products. Among those products manufactured for the war effort were the GMC CCKW 6 X 6 army truck (a two-and-a-half ton vehicle that carried both troops and supplies) and the DUKW (nicknamed "the duck"), designed to carry up to 50 men on either land or water.

1943
General Motors acquires all assets of Yellow Truck & Coach, and the GMC Truck & Coach Division is formed.

1945
The Buick-Oldsmobile-Pontiac Assembly Division is organized. It later becomes General Motors Assembly Division (GMAD) in 1965.
In December, the UAW goes on strike over wage issues in the U.S.
GM del Peru begins assembling trucks and commercial vehicles.

1946
The UAW strike is resolved on March 13, 1946, with a wage increase 1/2 cent higher than the company’s initial proposal.
Central Foundry Division is established.

1947
Oldsmobile celebrates its Golden Anniversary.
The General Motors Train of Tomorrow (Electro-Motive Division) begins a nationwide tour.

1948
Cadillac and Oldsmobile introduce the industry’s first high-compression V8 engines. The Oldsmobile "Rocket" V-8 engine goes into production and the "Rocket Era" begins.
Buick introduces the first torque converter-type automatic transmission, Dynaflow, offered in U.S. passenger cars.
The first mass-produced car to be manufactured in Australia, the Holden, is introduced by GM to specifically meet Australia’s motoring needs. The car has more road clearance and is smaller and lighter than standard American cars.
GM resumes management control of Adam Opel AG on November 1, 1948.
General Motors Interamerica Corporation completes construction of new plant in Caracas. This is the first automotive plant in Venezuela.
GM and the UAW agree to a new U.S. contract with several innovations: Eliminatation of annual economic negotiations with the union and introduction of the idea of longer-term contracts; introduction of a new wage formula which provides for cost of living changes (COLA); and, an annual improvement factor (AIF) based on increased efficiency resulting from advancing technology.

1949
Cadillac’s one-millionth car is produced November 25, 1949.
GM opens "Transportation Unlimited," its first show since 1940, in New York.
Cadillac introduces the Coupe de Ville, which is also Cadillac’s first hardtop.

1950
Opel’s Ruesselsheim plant is rebuilt.
Chevrolet introduces the Powerglide transmission, becoming the first competitor in the low-price field to offer fully automatic shifting.
Allison begins flight tests on its experimental Turbo-Liner, America’s first turbine-powered airplane for commercial use.

1951

Buick’s Le Sabre and XP-300, two custom-built super-streamlined concept cars, are introduced to test GM’s new advances in styling and mechanical features.

1952
Power steering is offered by Cadillac, Oldsmobile and Buick.
Following government proceedings to resolve accusations that GM and GMAC had required GM dealers to use GMAC’s financing service, GM enters into a consent decree which sets ground rules for the relations of General Motors and GMAC with dealers. Under the decree, GMAC conducts its business independently and in competition with other financing organizations.

1953
Charles E. Wilson, President of General Motors, offers the following response during a U.S. Senate hearing held to determine his qualifications for Secretary of Defense. Responding to a question concerning any possible conflict of interest, he answered: "I cannot conceive of one because for years I thought that what was good for our country was good for General Motors, and vice versa."
GM’s Parade of Progress, a traveling educational exhibit initiated by Charles F. Kettering in 1936 and discontinued during the war years, begins touring again.
12-volt electrical systems, developed by Delco Remy Division, are installed on Cadillacs, Oldsmobiles and Buicks.
The Buick high compression V-8 engine is introduced.
Power brakes are offered by Buick and Oldsmobile.
The GM Desert Proving Ground, Mesa, Arizona, is formally dedicated on April 22.
The Chevrolet Corvette is introduced. It is the first volume production sports car and the first production car with a plastic body to be produced in quantity.
GM acquires Euclid Road Machinery Co. with plants in Euclid, Ohio, and Lanarkshire, Scotland. Euclid manufactures and distributes off-road earth moving equipment.
GM’s Motorama, a touring product show, opens in New York’s Waldorf-Astoria hotel.

1954
GM Pike’s Peak Engineering Test Headquarters is opened.
GM produces its 50 millionth U.S.-made car (Nov. 23).
Cadillac becomes the first auto company to provide power steering and automatic windshield washers as standard equipment on all its vehicles.
The Allison Division introduces the first fully automatic transmission for trucks and buses.
The Turbocruiser, the world’s first gas turbine bus, is introduced by GM.
The industry’s first four-door "pillarless" hardtop sedans are offered by Buick and Oldsmobile on 1955 models. The following year, Cadillac offers the feature on the 1956 Sedan de Ville.
Chevrolet introduces small-block V-8 engine on 1955 trucks.

1955
General Motors testifies at government hearings on antitrust before the Senate Committee on the Judiciary, Subcommittee on Antitrust and Monopoly. The GM Savings-Stock Purchase Program (SSPP) is initiated.

1956
The GM Technical Center in Warren, Michigan, is dedicated on May 16.
Alfred P. Sloan retires as Chairman on April 2.
The U. S. Senate, Subcommitee of the Committee on Interstate and Foreign Commerce, holds hearings on automobile marketing practices as part of an investigation of problems relating to interstate and foreign commerce.

1957
The U. S Supreme Court rules in a landmark case brought by the Justice Department that the 23% stock interest Du Pont holds in GM violates the Clayton Antitrust Act. As a result of the case, the du Pont directors 1957 on GM’s Board of Directors resign in 1959. This case is finally resolved in 1961 with the du Ponts, GM’s largest shareholders, divesting their stock.
Sen. Estes Kefauver, Chairman, Subcommittee on Antitrust and Monopoly, holds hearings as part of a study of inflation relating to price increases in the administered price industries of steel and automobiles.
The Bonneville model, with Pontiac’s first fuel injection engine, is introduced.

1958
GM marks its 50th anniversary with a year-long Golden Milestone celebration. The theme was "From the Progress of the Past — the Promise of the Future."
The first demonstration of an automatically guided automobile takes place at the GM Tech Center, introducing the possibility of a built-in guidance system for tomorrow’s highways.
Cruise control is offered on 1959 Cadillacs.
Chevrolet introduces the El Camino, designed to combine big car comfort with the utility of a pickup truck, as a 1959 model.

1959
Chevrolet introduces the Corvair.
GM holds its first auto exhibit in Moscow.
Detroit Transmission produces its 10-millionth Hydra-Matic.
A new Defense Systems Division is formed to perform research directed toward the design and development of weapons systems and related activities. In 1962, it is transferred to the Research Laboratories and re-named General Motors Defense Research Laboratories, with headquarters at Santa Barbara, California.

1960
GM introduces three new smaller cars in the U.S. as 1961 models: the Buick Special, Oldsmobile F-85 and Pontiac Tempest.

1961
Buick introduces the first American V-6 passenger car engine.
As part of the 1962 model year, Chevrolet introduces a new line of smaller cars, the Chevy II.
The U. S. Department of Justice files a criminal indictment against GM on charges of monopolistic practices in the production and sale of diesel electric locomotives. A federal judge grants a motion to dismiss the grand jury indictment in 1964.

1962
GM produces its 75,000,000th U.S.-made vehicle (March 14).
The number of GM shareholders passes the 1,000,000 mark.
The U.S. Department of Justice, Antitrust Division, charges GM and three Chevrolet dealer trade associations in criminal and civil suits for violation of the Sherman Act by restricting sales of Chevrolets in the Los Angeles area through discount houses. In 1966, the U.S. District Court for Southern California enters the final judgment enjoining GM from conspiring with any group or association of Chevrolet dealers to limit sales by such dealers or through discount houses or referral services.
Adam Opel, A.G. celebrates the 100th anniversary of its founding in 1862.
Opel opens its new plant at Bochum, Germany.
Opel introduces a new lower-priced small car, the Kadett.
Holden’s manufactures its one-millionth vehicle.
Ethyl Corporation is sold to Albemarle Paper Manufacturing Company.
Heaters and defrosters become standard equipment on Cadillac cars.
A new dual-circuit braking system is introduced on Cadillac cars.
Buick introduces the prestige, E-body based, Rivera, as a 1963 model.

1963
Alfred P. Sloan’s book, My Years With General Motors, is published.
Chevrolet introduces its midsize Malibu as a 1964 model.

1965
GM’s Futurama at the New York World’s Fair opens and attracts more than 29,000,000 visitors during a two-year period.
Ralph Nader’s book, Unsafe at Any Speed, critical of GM and the Corvair, is published.
The B-O-P Assembly Division is replaced by the GM Assembly Division.
Harrison Radiator produces its 5-millionth automobile air conditioning unit.
Oldsmobile introduces the front-wheel-drive Toronado, the first FWD car to be built and sold in the U.S. since the 1930s.

1966
GM introduces the industry’s first energy absorbing steering column.
GM introduces front seat shoulder belts on 1967 models. (Rear seat shoulder belts are available as a dealer installed option.)
Cadillac’s front-wheel drive Fleetwood Eldorado is introduced as a 1967 model.
Chevrolet introduces the F-body Camaro as a 1967 model. The following January, Pontiac introduces the Firebird, its third line of cars, as a 1967 model.
The U. S. Senate, Committee on Government Operations, investigates allegations of harassment of Ralph Nader by GM. James M. Roche, GM President, apologizes for the incident in a statement before the Subcommittee on Executive Reorganization.

1967
GM produces its 100,000,000th U.S.-made vehicle (April 21).
Changes in the organization and executive responsibilities are announced November 1. The designation Operating Divisions is discontinued and divided into two groups: the Car and Truck, Body and Assembly, Automotive Components Group; and the Overseas, Canadian, Non-Automotive and Defense Group.

1968
The Safety Research and Development Laboratory and Vehicle Dynamics Test Area are dedicated at the Milford Proving Ground.
The new 50-story General Motors Building opens in New York.
Euclid Division is renamed Earthmoving Equipment Division following on the consent judgment on July 1 which requires GM to sell to the White Motor Corporation the name "Euclid" and certain equipment and assets used in the manufacture of off-highway dump trucks. A major expansion program for the Earthmoving Equipment Division is also announced.
Six passenger car and truck assembly plants previously operated by Fisher Body and Chevrolet Motor Division are transferred to the management of GM Assembly Division. Chevrolet is to have additional responsibility of engineering, producing and distributing a new American-built small car.

1969
General Motors Chile S.A. is established.
General Motors Institute marks its 50th anniversary and dedicates its new South Campus.
All GM operations in Canada are consolidated into General Motors of Canada, Ltd.
Chevrolet announces that it is discontinuing production of Corvair.
GM manufactures the guidance and navigation systems which guide the Apollo 11 astronauts to man’s first landing on the moon and safely back to earth.
Chevrolet introduces the Vega as a 1970 model.

1970
GM forms a five-member Public Policy Committee, consisting of members of the Board of Directors who are not officers of the company.
A two-phase automotive emissions control program directed to spread use of unleaded gasoline nationwide in the U.S. is announced by Edward Cole, President of GM. GM introduces no lead or low lead tolerant engines on all of its 1971 models in the U.S. & Canada. Industrial air and water pollution control programs are announced at a General Motors news conference.
GM production in the US is stopped by a 10-week UAW strike, beginning on September 15 and ending on November 20.

1971
GM forms an Environmental Activities Staff to concentrate on the performance of GM products in the environment.
GM and Isuzu Motors Limited sign an agreement under which GM acquires 34.2% interest in Isuzu. Initial plans are for GM to market and service Isuzu trucks.
A Science Advisory Committee, consisting of top scientists selected from across the US, is formed to advise the GM Executive Committee on GM policies and activities concerning basic and applied research.
GM designs and manufactures the mobility system for the Lunar Roving Vehicle which enables Apollo 15 astronauts to accomplish mankind’s first vehicular drive on the moon.
GM acquires all shares of Capital Motors Assembly Corp. in Tampoia, Malaysia, and forms GM Malaysia BHD. GM Malaysia BHD is sold to Oriental Holdings BHD of Malaysia in 1980.

1972
A new combined lap and shoulder belt system with both a light and a buzzer to remind the front occupants that they should "buckle-up" becomes standard on all GM cars.
GM enters into an agreement to form a joint venture company, General Motors Iran, Ltd. GM has 45 percent interest. The agreement provides for the production and distribution of General Motors passenger cars in Iran. In December 1978, GM exits from both the plant and the country.
GM enters into a joint venture with Shinjin Motor Co. of Seoul, Korea, to build and market cars in Korea. The joint venture is named General Motors Korea Company, Ltd. The company is renamed Saehan Motor in 1976. In 1982, Daewoo Group assumes managerial control and renames it Daewoo Motor Co. Ltd. GM retains 50% stake until 1992.
GM establishes a jointly owned vehicle and transmission manufacturing operation in the Philippines with two Philippine companies. In 1979, Isuzu Motors invests in the venture, GM Philipinas, Inc. The assembly and transmission plants cease operation in 1985.

1973
GM manufactures the first production car equipped with an air cushion restraint system as an option.
The first GMC motor home is introduced.
GM and the UAW agree to establish the National Committee to improve the Quality of Work Life.
A European Advisory Council of top business leaders from across Europe is formed to advise Corporation’s chairman on business activities in Europe.
The Arab oil embargo and ensuing gasoline price increases lead to a rapid an unexpected rise in sales of small Japanese-built cars in the US.

1974
GM introduces the catalytic converter, a technology it developed in the 1960s. All 1975 model cars sold in the U.S. and Canada are equipped with these catalytic converters to comply with provisions of the Federal Clean Air Act.
GM proceeds with plans for an unprecedented downsizing of its US cars.

1975
General Motors Kenya Limited is established as a joint venture.
Chevrolet introduces the Chevette in October. This U.S.-built "T-car" was first designed by Opel and is also manufactured by GM subsidiaries in Argentina, Brazil and England and sold under the names Kadett, Chevette, Gemini and K-180

1976
GM introduces its re-sized Chevrolet, Pontiac, Oldsmobile, Buick and Cadillac full-size and luxury cars in September.
The last American convertible is built by Cadillac in April 1976. Convertibles are reintroduced in 1984.

1977
GM establishes a new Consumer Relations and Service Staff.
The Statement of Principles of U.S. Firms with Affiliates in the Republic of South Africa is issued by Rev. Leon H. Sullivan and endorsed by twelve American firms, including General Motors.
GM offers the first domestic diesel engine on its 1978 U.S. passenger cars - the Olds Delta Eighty Eights, Ninety Eights and Custom Cruisers.
GMC introduces the RTS coach, incorporating the newest technology into mass transit products
GM introduces re-designed 1977 Buick, Chevrolet, Pontiac and Oldsmobile midsize models.

1978
A major reorganization of General Motors’ overseas operations is initiated in March with the official intent of closer management coordination with the North American operations. The position of Group Executive in Charge of Operations is created with five vice presidents reporting to that position, each with responsibility for a geographic area.
The General Motors Cancer Research Foundation is formed in September to recognize individual excellence in cancer research.
GM introduces redesigned front-wheel-drive personal luxury cars from Buick, Cadillac, and Oldsmobile in September as 1979 models.

1979
Frigidaire Division appliance business is sold to White Consolidated Industries, Inc. Frigidaire’s Dayton, Ohio production facilities are converted to GM automotive operations.
GM announces the formation of Motors Trading Corporation, a wholly owned trading subsidiary to serve divisions and plants worldwide.
GM acquires majority interest in Colmotores (Colombia).
GM introduces newly designed front-wheel-drive compact cars, the Buick Skylark, Chevrolet Citation, Oldsmobile Omega and Pontiac Phoenix X-body models.
GM announces a $2 billion European expansion program which includes plans for a new assembly plant in Zaragoza, Spain, and an engine plant in Austria.

1980
GM announces that it will spend $40 billion from 1980 through 1984 in a worldwide program to redesign its vehicles and modernize its assembly plants.
GM establishes the new position of Vice President of Quality and Reliability.
GM’s worldwide TEREX earthmoving operations are sold to IBH Holding AG of the Federal Republic of Germany.
GM announces plans to build five new plants in Europe to manufacture automotive components — three in Spain, one in Austria and one in Northern Ireland.
With the US economy and industry in recession, GM suffers its first corporate financial loss since 1920.

1981
Diesel Equipment Division is consolidated with Rochester Products Division.
GM’s new worldwide Truck & Bus Group is formed with responsibility for the design, engineering, manufacture, sales and service of all GM trucks, buses and vans in North America and throughout the world. In 1982, the truck manufacturing and assembly operations of GM Assembly Division, Chevrolet Motor Division, and GMC Truck and Coach Division are merged to form Truck & Bus Manufacturing Division. Headquarters for both are to be located in Pontiac, Michigan.
Delco Air Conditioning Division is merged with Harrison Radiator Division.
GM and Suzuki Motor Company, Ltd., the world’s largest manufacturer of mini-compact vehicles, announce an agreement to develop future supply and distribution arrangements. The agreement provides that GM purchase 14 million shares (approximately a five percent interest) in Suzuki.
New Departure Hyatt Bearings Division’s Clark, N.J. plant is sold to the new employee-owned Hyatt Clark Industries.
AC Delco Division and GM Parts Division are consolidated into the new GM Warehousing & Distribution Division.
GM enters a joint venture in Taiwan to build heavy duty trucks, buses and diesel engines when it purchases a 45 percent holding in Hua Tung Automotive Corp. In 1982, GM withdraws from the joint venture and sells its 45 percent equity interest. In 1989, GM establishes General Motors Taiwan, Ltd., a wholly-owned subsidiary, to import and distribute North American and Saturn vehicles, and to import, assemble and distribute Opel vehicles.
The UAW grants contract concessions to Ford, Chrysler and GM as recession continues in the US and imports gain market share at the Big Three’s expense. GM begins to suffer more market share loss than Ford and Chrysler.

1982
GM and the UAW sign a new labor agreement that emphasizes improvements in competitiveness, quality of work life and job security provisions, including the Guaranteed Income Stream.
GM opens its newest European assembly plant near Zaragoza, Spain. To date, this is the largest expansion project outside the U.S. ever undertaken by the corporation. The plant produces the front-wheel-drive Opel Corsa, the smallest car yet produced by GM.
GM and Fanuc Ltd. of Japan form GMFaunc (GMF) Robotics Corporation, a U.S.-based joint venture to design, manufacture and sell robotics systems.
GM introduces the redesigned front-wheel-drive 1983 Buick Century, Chevrolet Celebrity, Oldsmobile Cutlass Ciera and Pontiac 6000.
General Motors Institute (GMI) is renamed GMI Engineering and Management Institute and is re-chartered as an independent educational institution, separate from General Motors. It is later renamed Kettering University in 1997.
GM’s Engineering and Manufacturing Staffs are restructured as the Advanced Product and Manufacturing Engineering Staff and Current Engineering and Manufacturing Services Staff.
GM’s World of Motion Exhibit opens in EPCOT Center at Walt Disney World in Lake Buena Vista, Fla. Before the year is out, the one-millionth visitor to the exhibit is recorded.
GM signs an agreement forming Industries Mecaniques Maghebines, a joint venture which will produce commercial vans and light-duty trucks at an assembly plant in Kairouan, Tunisia, about 100 miles south of Tunis. The joint venture is with Isuzu and Tunisian private investors.

1983
GM and Toyota Motor Corporation agree to form a joint venture, New United Motor Manufacturing, Inc. (NUMMI), to produce a small Chevrolet automobile in the Fremont, Calif., assembly plant previously operated by GM.
GM and the UAW launch the "Care and Share" fund donation program, which nets more than $13 million worth of canned food for America’s needy. The effort is the largest and most comprehensive food donation program ever conducted by private enterprise.

1983
GM and Isuzu Motors Ltd. form a joint venture to produce light-duty and medium duty trucks and bus chassis at a manufacturing operation near Cairo, Egypt.
Buick Motor Division announces plans to consolidate its car assembly operations in Flint with Fisher Body Division’s metal fabricating and body assembly facilities. The $200 million project is dubbed "Buick City."
Detroit Diesel Allison Division’s gas turbine business is separated to form Allison Gas Turbine Division.
GM observes its 75th anniversary (Sept. 16). More than 235 million vehicles worldwide have been produced since its incorporation in 1908.
The 1984 Chevrolet Corvette is introduced, with the car’s first major styling change in 15 years.
The UAW and GM announce a comprehensive retraining and training program to serve some 9,300 laid off UAW-GM workers in Flint. The project includes the establishment of a Regional Skills Development and Training Center.
GM announces its Saturn Project — a "no-year" developmental program for a new family of subcompact cars it plans to produce in the U.S., using start-to-finish innovation. The UAW and GM unveil plans for a Joint Study Center aimed at achieving an unprecedented union-management partnership in the Saturn Project. In 1985, Saturn Corporation is created as a separate subsidiary, adding a sixth nameplate to GM’s North American passenger car marques.
MAGNEQUENCH, a new class of high-performance permanent magnets which can substantially reduce the size and weight of electric motors, it announced. It is to have its first application in a new Delco Remy cranking motor.

1984
A new organizational structure for GM’s North American Passenger Car Operations is formed. Two integrated car groups, Chevrolet, Pontiac, GM of Canada (C-P-C) and Buick, Oldsmobile, Cadillac (B-O-C), each have complete responsibility for their respective products, including engineering, manufacturing, assembly and marketing.
The world’s first electrically driven fuel-saving, integral power brake system for cars and light trucks, called Powermaster, is unveiled by Delco Moraine Division.
GM acquires Electronic Data Systems Corporation (EDS), one of the leading data processing and telecommunications companies in the world.
Some 531,000 U.S. employees receive the first payout from GM’s Profit Sharing Plans. $322.2 million is distributed.
GM and the UAW sign a new three-year labor agreement that provides unprecedented job and income security for employees.
GM introduces its redesigned front-wheel-drive luxury models, the 1985 Buick Electra, Oldsmobile Ninety Eight Regency and Cadillac DeVilles and Fleetwood sedan.
The new Opel Kadett and Vauxhall Nova are named Europe’s "Car of the Year — 1985" by jury of leading European motor journalists.

1985
The General Motors Building in Detroit is named a National Historic Landmark.
General Motors acquires Hughes Aircraft Company, regarded as one of the leading defense electronics firms in the world. It is to remain independently managed as a subsidiary of GM Hughes Electronics Corporation (GMHE) — a new wholly owned subsidiary of General Motors. Delco Electronics Corporation becomes a subsidiary of GMHE.
Etak, Inc. of Sunnyvale, Calif. gives GM exclusive rights to use Etak’s technology in the manufacture of Navigational systems in cars and trucks in the United States and Canada.

1986
General Motors acquires Group Lotus, the U.K.- based engineering consulting and performance car manufacturing firm. In 1993, GM sells Group Lotus and Lotus Cars USA to Bugatti International SAH of Italy.
GM Europe is established to coordinate and organize GM’s expanding passenger car business in Europe. Headquarters is located in Zurich, Switzerland.
GM withdraws from South Africa, selling its operations to a group headed by local management under the name Delta Motor Corporation.
GM and Seattle Silicon sign a multi-year R&D and licensing agreement for Very Large Scale Integration (super chip) technology.
Delco Moraine Division and Akebono Brake Industry of Japan form a joint venture to produce brake assemblies at Elizabethtown, Ky., beginning in 1987.
GM and Volvo form a joint venture in the U.S. to develop, produce, and market heavy-duty trucks for North America. Volvo is given operational responsibility for the Volvo GM Heavy Truck Corporation.
General Motors of Canada and Suzuki announce a joint venture, CAMI, to manufacture small cars and sport utility vehicles in Canada.
General Motors-Holden’s Limited reorganizes into two new GM subsidiaries, Holden’s Engine and Components Company and Holden’s Motor Company.
Service Parts Operations is reorganized in the U.S. to strengthen GM’s competitive position in the automotive aftermarket sales business. The reorganization eliminates the GM Warehousing & Distribution Division as a separate unit.
GM confirms plans to close 11 U.S. assembly and metal fabricating operations that became redundant as a result of the plant modernization process begun in the late 1970s.
UAW/GM Human Resource Center in Auburn Hills, Michigan opens.

1988
Greyhound Corporation announces intent to purchase GM’s transit bus business.
A new six-year, 60,000 mile powertrain warranty, with six-year, 100,000 mile corrosion protection, is introduced for most GM North American cars and trucks.
GM establishes a new headquarters office for Latin American Operations in Miami Lakes, Florida.
Oldsmobile begins production of the Quad 4 engine at its Delta Township plant near Lansing, Michigan.
The Automotive Components Group is formed, consisting of component divisions realigned into the Chassis and Transmission Components Group and the Body and Engine Components Group.
Detroit Diesel Allison and Penske Corporation of Red Bank, N.J., form a joint venture company, Detroit Diesel Corporation, for the design, manufacture, and marketing of diesel engines.
GM Sunraycer, designed and built by team of GM, Hughes Aircraft and AeroVironment, Inc., wins the 1,950-mile inaugural World Solar Challenge Race across Australia, finishing 2-1/2 days ahead of runner-up.
GM and Toyota announce plans to establish joint venture in Australia to coordinate design, engineering and product sharing strategies. It is to include assets from GM’s Holden’s Motor Co., Ltd. and Toyota’s Australian operations.
GM introduces its "GM10" family of newly redesigned mid-size cars — the Buick Regal, Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme, and Pontiac Grand Prix.
Allison Transmission Division is created with design, manufacturing, and sales responsibilities for all medium and heavy- duty automatic transmissions within General Motors.
GM hosts the largest-ever single showing of GM technology at the "Teamwork & Technology—For Today and Tomorrow" exhibition held at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in New York.
GM spends a record $1.1 billion with minority-owned and operated suppliers in the United States during 1988.
AC Spark Plug and Rochester Products Divisions are consolidated into AC Rochester Division.
GMAC introduces a new corporation-wide GM consumer leasing program called "SmartLease by GMAC" to respond to growing market in retail leasing of vehicles for personal transportation.
GM produces its last heavy-duty truck in Pontiac, Michigan, completing phase-out of heavy truck business following its joint-venture with Volvo-White.
Harrison Radiator Division produces its 100th million air conditioning unit.
Chevrolet introduces its Geo line of small vehicles with Geo Metro, Spectrum and Tracker.
Two GM assembly plants in Europe adopt innovative steps to raise productivity. GM Continental in Belgium merges the workforce of its two plants into one and operates two ten-hour shifts on five days and one on Saturday, with three crews each working four days a week. GM Espana in Spain adds a night shift and produces cars on three shifts.
GM Europe launches the all new Opel Vectra and Vauxhall Cavalier and introduces its first 4x4 powertrain.

1989
Four-door sedan versions of the "GM 10" Pontiac Grand Prix and Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme are introduced.
The Pontiac Trans Sport and Oldsmobile Silhouette all-purpose vehicles debut. These models feature the largest plastic panels ever put on any vehicle.
GM offers its driver-side Supplemental Inflatable Restraint System on 15 passenger cars for the 1990 model year — standard equipment on 13 vehicles and an option on two others.
The two-millionth "J-body" subcompact car comes off the line at Lordstown, Ohio, and the one-millionth Pontiac Grand Am is built in Lansing, Michigan.
Electro-Motive Division introduces the first U.S.-built and operated diesel-electric locomotive to use alternating current (AC) technology.
GM Espana’s Zaragoza plant, which opened in 1982 to produce Opel Corsa/Vauxhall Nova models, builds its two-millionth car.
Delco Products, Fisher Guide and Inland Divisions are realigned and consolidated into two units with Delco and Fisher Guide absorbing strategic business units of Inland. Fisher Guide becomes Inland Fisher Guide Division.
Delco Moraine, New Departure Hyatt, and Saginaw Divisions are realigned and consolidated into two units. The strategic business units of New Departure (NDH) are absorbed by Delco and Saginaw. Delco is renamed Delco Moraine NHD Division.
GM begins operations in Turkey. Two plants produce interior trim and electric wiring components for export to Opel and sale to other auto manufacturers, and an assembly plant is established in Torbali to build Opel Vectras for the Turkish market.
Opel is recognized as the European leader in environmentally "clean cars" and becomes the first volume producer to make closed-loop catalytic converter systems standard on all gasoline-engine models in Germany. Throughout Europe, Opel offers the widest model and engine range of low emission cars.
B-O-C Lansing Automotive Division’s Lansing (Mich.) assembly plant produces Oldsmobile’s 30-millionth car.
GM and other automakers join major oil companies in joint venture to develop formulated fuels to reduce vehicle emissions.
GM purchases 50 percent of Saab Automobile AB of Sweden to develop, manufacture and market Saab passenger cars worldwide.
GM and Isuzu form joint venture company in Australia, Isuzu-General Motors Australia Limited, to manufacture and market commercial vehicles through Holden’s.

1990
GM debuts a new electric car, the Impact, in Los Angeles. World-wide public reaction is so favorable that GM announces plans to market the Impact as soon as possible.
As part of its Intelligent Highway Vehicle System (IHVS) program, GM announces participation in TRAVTEK, an Orlando Fla., experiment aimed at finding new ways to reduce and prevent traffic congestion.
GM announces that by the fall of 1995, virtually all of its new passenger cars will be equipped with driver and passenger-side air bags.
AC Rochester Division and Volga Auto Works (VAZ), the leading vehicle manufacturer in the Soviet Union, sign agreements valued at nearly $1 billion (US) that call for AC Rochester to supply fuel injection and emissions control subsystems and other engine management components.
A new GM Powertrain Division is formed from the integration of GM Engine Division and Hydra-matic Division, creating a single powertrain-focused organization.
All 1991 Cadillacs come with standard anti-lock brakes (ABS).
The first Saturn car rolls off the line at Spring Hill, Tennessee on July 30. In the fall, GM introduces its all-new Saturn cars to compete against the imports in the small car market.
GM-Holdens produces its five-millionth automobile, becoming the only Australian car manufacturer to have reached that milestone.
Allison Gas Turbine Division and Allison Transmission Division, Indianapolis, celebrate the 75th anniversary of the Allison name as part of the GM family.
Adam Opel AG and Automobilwerke Eisenach (AWE) of East Germany form a joint venture in Eisenach, Opel-AWE Ges.m.b.H., for vehicle assembly and components production. The first Opel Vectra comes off the line in October.
1990 Packard Electric Division celebrates its 100th anniversary.
In Hungary, GM forms a joint venture with RABA, the state-owned producer of trucks, axles and diesel engines, to build engines and assemble cars beginning in 1992. Packard Electric Europe forms a joint venture with Villszov, a Hungarian firm, to manufacture automotive power and signal distribution systems primarily for export for Opel cars produced and sold in Western Europe.
GM sponsors Sunrace USA, North America’s largest-ever competition for solar-powered vehicles. The 1,640- mile route through eight states was traveled by 32 college teams in cars they designed and built.
With Iraq’s invasion of Kuwait, the US economy and vehicle market decline.

1991
New United Motor Manufacturing, Inc. (NUMMI), a 50/50 venture between GM and Toyota, produces its one-millionth car.
GM offers anti-lock brakes and traction control on more models than any other manufacturer in the world.
In the face of financial loses, GM Chairman Robert Stempel announces plans to idle 21 U.S. and Canadian assembly and manufacturing facilities over the next four years, and to reduce the number of hourly and salaried employees by 74,000 as part of a program to restore profitability.

1992
The Board of Directors elects John F. Smith, Jr., chief executive officer and president following the resignation of Robert C. Stempel. At the same time, John G. Smale, retired chairman and CEO of Procter & Gamble and a GM director since 1982, is named Chairman of the Board.
A major reorganization is launched with the establishment of North American Operations (NAO), based in Warren, Michigan, and General Motors International Operations (GMIO), based in Zurich, Switzerland.
GM unveils the GM Mastercard with an unprecedented five percent rebate, designed to save consumers money on the purchase of a new GM car or truck.
GM announces that 50 Electric Vehicles (EV1, successor of the Impact), will be produced in 1993 for use by utilities, local governments and others who provide information about performance capabilities and gain feedback on user requirements.
Cadillac Motor Car Company Engineering and Manufacturing and Flint Automotive Division are consolidated into one organization - Cadillac/Luxury Car Engineering and Manufacturing Division (CLCD).
The Midsize and Rear Drive Automotive Divisions are consolidated into a new organization, the Midsize Car Division.
The GM Truck & Bus Group changes its name to the General Motors North American Truck Platforms (NATP). Later it becomes the General Motors Truck Group.
GM and Jinbei Automotive Company Ltd. in China enter into a joint venture called Jinbei GM Automotive Company Ltd. to produce light commercial vehicles in the People’s Republic of China.
The one-millionth Corvette is built in Bowling Green, Ky.

1993
GM joins the Partnership for a New Generation of Vehicles (PNGV). This venture among GM, Chrysler, Ford and the U.S. Government, will work toward developing new fuel efficient cars and technologies.
The Chevrolet Cavalier becomes best-selling GM passenger car for the calendar year with sales of approximately 270,000 units.

1993
The GM Truck Product Center is organized in Pontiac, Michigan.
Toyota and GM sign an unprecedented supply and sales agreement under which GM will build right-hand drive Chevrolet Cavaliers in the U.S. Toyota will purchase these models from GM and sell them in Japan.
GM forms a joint venture company in Indonesia to assemble and distribute passenger cars and light commercial vehicles. In 1997, GM, which previously owned 60 percent, buys the remaining 40 percent stake in GMBI (PT General Motors Buana Indonesia) from its local partner, Garmak Motor of the Mercu Buana Group. In 1998, the company changes its name to PT General Motors Indonesia.

1994
Hughes Electronics introduces DirecTV, the first high-power direct broadcast satellite TV distribution system in the U.S. It is soon the most successful consumer electronics product launch in history.
GMAC introduces SmartCare, a mechanical and maintenance program specifically designed for leased vehicles.
General Motors becomes the first U.S. automaker to offer Daytime Running Lights designed to improve the visibility of vehicles in all weather conditions as standard on all of its new cars and trucks.
GM and Energy Conversion Devices Inc. establish GM Ovonic, a joint venture to develop, manufacture and commercialize Ovonic nickel metal hydride batteries for electric vehicles.
General Motors and the Walt Disney Company sign a new contract that ensures GM’s presence at the Walt Disney World Resort in Florida until the 21st Century. The contract extends the partnership at Epcot until 2007 and provides for a complete redesign of the existing GM World of Motion pavilion.
GM, Chrysler and Ford jointly release a single supplier quality standard. Known as QS-9000, the Quality Systems Requirements now replace Chrysler’s "Supplier Quality Assurance," Ford’s "Q101," and GM’s "Targets for Excellence" and "General Quality Standard."

1995
GM sales beyond North America exceed 3 million units for the first time.
GM North American Operations announces the creation of the VLE (vehicle line executives) system designed to provide strong, single-point management of vehicle programs and accelerate the vehicle development process.
General Motors and Shanghai Automotive Industry Corporation (SAIC) sign an agreement for a proposed vehicle joint venture, a joint venture technical development center and other related projects in Shanghai, China.
Hughes Electronics becomes the largest supplier of commercial communications satellites in the world.
GM announces plans to sell U.S.-made right-hand-drive Saturn cars in Japan through its own network of dealers starting in 1997. Saturn Japan, a division of General Motors Japan, begins selling cars through Saturn dealerships in Japan in April 1997.
Automotive Components Group (ACG) Worldwide is renamed Delphi Automotive Systems. Later, in 1998, GM announces that it will offer an initial public offering (IPO) for Delphi stock in 1999.
GM is the official car and truck sponsor of the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta.
Motors Trading Corporation is dissolved.

1996
With the introduction of the EV1, GM becomes the first automaker in modern times to market a specifically designed electric car to the public. GM launches a website on the World Wide Web to provide an overview of it product lines and services.
Pontiac and GMC marketing divisions are merged to form Pontiac-GMC Division.
GM announces a housing initiative in Mexico with the Mexican government agency Infonavit and Habitat for Humanity to make new housing affordable for several thousand Delphi employees.
GM announces that it will purchase the Renaissance Center in Detroit for its new global headquarters.
EDS is officially split-off from GM.
The GM-NAO International Product Center (IPC) is formed to enhance GM’s vehicle export activities. The former North American Export Sales (NAES), International Regulations, Canadian Export Operations (CANEXPO) and Specialty Vehicle Operations (SVO) are consolidated into IPC.

1997
General Motors returns to South Africa by acquiring a 49% equity stake in Delta Motors.
Service Parts Operations moves into new world headquarters in Grand Blanc, Michigan.
General Motors University is created, emphasizing the vision of a Learing organization.
GM and Hughes announce and complete the spin-off of the Hughes defense electronics business, followed by the merger of that business with Raytheon Company and the transfer of Delco Electronics from Hughes to Delphi.

1998
GM announces a restructuring of its North American sales and marketing operations, replacing marketing division-specific organizations with a single sales, service and parts system divided into five regions in the U.S.
On June 5,1998, UAW workers at two key plants in Flint, Michigan, go on strike. GM North American vehicle production is shut down until the strikes are resolved on July 28.
General Motors and Delphi Automotive Systems announce that Delphi will become a fully independent, publicly-traded company during 1999.
General Motors and Isuzu Motors Ltd. announces the formation of a new joint venture company, DMAX Ltd., to manufacture 6.6-liter direct-injection diesel engines. The facility will be located in Moraine, OH.
The GMIO business sector is eliminated and all automotive operations worldwide are brought together in a single organization, GM Automotive Operations.
GM announces $1.5 billion investment in its southeast Michigan engineering facilities creating major functional centers at six key campuses in the region.
Isuzu Motors Ltd. and General Motors Corporation agree to further strengthen their business alliance in the commercial vehicle field. GM is to raise its equity share in Isuzu to 49 percent.