Whole Network Austin Healey Automobilia Automotive Art Canadian Cars German Cars Great Drives Pony Cars

 

The General Reaches 100 on Petroleum but its Future is Electric

Filed in archive As We See Things , Buick , Cadillac , Chevrolet , General Motors by Philip Powell on September 16, 2008

Chevy Volt

Most of what I read about General Motors today is bad news, due to financial problems and falling sales in the US. So here's some good news, folks. Today, Sep 16, is the General's 100th birthday, and the company is still with us. General Motors came into existence thanks to the vision of William Crapo Durant, better known as "Billy." Durant bought a controlling interest in David Dunbar Buick's Manufacturing Company, reorganised production, led the company to second place in sales behind Ford. In 1908 David Buick, who was more of a tinkerer than a mass-production man, left the company. On September 16 of that year, Billy Durant founded General Motors, though it was then a one-make corporation. Oldsmobile was soon added, followed by Oakland (later to be replaced by Pontiac) and Cadillac.

The dynamic but not always far-thinking Durant departed the corporation after bringing several losing manufacturers into the group; returned again with racer Louis Chevrolet's new car in his portfolio. In the decades to follow General Motors twice changed the automotive world: first with Alfred Sloan's marketing concepts, in which buyers would move up from Chevrolet to Pontiac, Oldsmobile, Buick and Cadillac as their lifestyles improved, and then with the visions of designer Harley Earl, who knew how to turn dreams into reality. Seeking a car to best illustrate those 100 years, I've chosen the Chevrolet Volt, America's first plug-in hybrid. This is the future of General Motors... and yours and mine, too.






Permalink: The General Reaches 100 on Petroleum but its Future is Electric
Tags: GM  General  Motors  Buick  Pontiac  Oldsmobile  Chevrolet  Chevy  Volt  Cadillac  Durant  100th  birthday  class 

Trackback: http://www.creative-weblogging.com/cgi-bin/mt-tb.pl/134033



Advertisement


Advertisement


RSSrss   | See all blog subscribe options
Googlegoogle   |   What is RSS?
Yahoo!yahoo
AddthisAddThis Feed Button
BloglinesBloglines
Newsletter

Use the search to look for other interesting posts

 
  • Advertise with us

  • Learn more about our advertising options or email advertising - at - creative-weblogging.com or give Luis a call at +1 (650) 331 8047.


  • Other blogs in the same channel in the Creative Weblogging Network







 
Tagcloud: 1980's Cars AC Cars Alfa Romeo American Independents American Specials Antique Autos As We See Things Auctions Austin Healey Auto Shows Automobilia Automotive Art Aviation Barn Finds Bentley BMW Books British Cars Buick Cadillac Canadian Cars Catalogs Chevrolet Chrysler Classic Boats Classic Rentals Concours Design Deusenberg Electric Cars European Specials Famous Drivers Fashion Items Ferrari Ford French Cars Fun Events General Motors German Cars Gifts Great Drives Great Gifts Historic Transportation Hot Rods Italian Cars Jaguar Japanese Oldies Lincoln Media Sites Mercedes MG Model Cars Morgan Movies Muscle Cars Museums Oddball Autos Oldsmobile Our Story Photographs Plymouth Pontiac Pony Cars Porsche Private Collections Racers Rally/Retro-Rally Rare Europeans Record Breakers Replicas Restoration Roads to Remember Rolls-Royce Romantic Notions Sponsored Post Station Wagons Tech Stuff Test Drives Vintage Racing Vintage Rentals Vintage Vans