General Motors
Overview
General Motors (GM) is a multinational automaker headquartered in Detroit, Michigan, USA. It was founded in 1908 by William C. Durant and is one of the world's largest automotive groups, with multiple brands including Chevrolet, Cadillac, Buick, and GMC. After restructuring through Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in 2009, it is currently pursuing electrification and the transition to software-defined vehicles (SDVs) as core survival strategies.
Key Details
History and Growth
GM began in 1908 as a holding company based on Buick. Founder Durant rapidly expanded the brand portfolio by acquiring Cadillac, Oldsmobile, Oakland (later Pontiac), and others in succession, and in 1918 incorporated Chevrolet. In the 1920s under Chairman Alfred Sloan, GM established a multi-brand strategy of a "price ladder for each brand" and secured dominance approaching 50% U.S. market share. It later expanded into Europe (Opel/Vauxhall), Australia (Holden), Korea (acquiring GM Korea/Daewoo Motors), and other regions, and at one time recorded the world's No. 1 sales volume.
Brands and Business Structure
GM's four core brands today are Chevrolet (mass-market brand), GMC (trucks/SUVs), Buick (premium compact), and Cadillac (luxury). Pontiac, Oldsmobile, Saturn, Hummer, Saab, and others from the past were eliminated or sold during restructuring in 2008–2010, and the European business (Opel/Vauxhall) was sold to PSA Group in 2017. The business is largely divided by region into North America (largest profit source), China (SAIC-GM joint venture), South America, and the Middle East, and it also operates the financing subsidiary GM Financial and the defense division GM Defense.
Electrification and Technology Strategy
In the 2020s, GM declared expansion of its EV lineup centered on the "Ultium" battery platform and set a goal to fully electrify new vehicles by 2035. Through Ultium Cells, a joint venture with LG Energy Solution, it established battery cell production bases in the U.S., and launched vehicles such as the Chevrolet Bolt EV, Equinox EV, Cadillac Lyriq, and GMC Hummer EV. The autonomous driving subsidiary Cruise once led robotaxi commercialization, and the highway conditional autonomous driving assistance system "Super Cruise" has become one of GM's signature software products. In addition, since 2023, GM has been pushing a "software vertical integration" route that excludes Apple CarPlay and Android Auto from some EVs and installs its own infotainment OS.
Latest Trends
After Cruise's robotaxi accident in October 2023, GM significantly reduced its autonomous driving business, withdrew from the robotaxi business in 2024, and integrated the Cruise organization into the driver assistance systems division. In the same year, it partially adjusted its pure EV-only strategy in the North American market and announced the reintroduction of plug-in hybrids (PHEVs), and its battery lineup reflected a direction of expanding the use of lower-cost LFP (lithium iron phosphate). In 2024, it signed a comprehensive cooperation MOU with Hyundai Motor, seeking cooperation in vehicles, batteries, and software, and in 2025 it announced plans to expand local production investment in response to changes in U.S. tariff policy, facing pressure to reorganize its supply chain. On the sales side, it still maintains a top-tier U.S. market share, but sluggish sales at its Chinese joint venture and securing EV profitability remain major challenges.
Related Topics
- [[Electric vehicles]]
- [[Tesla]]
- [[Ford Motor Company]]
- [[Autonomous driving]]
- [[Battery industry]]