GMC

Max and Morris Grabowsky established GMC 1902 as the Rapid Motor Vehicle Company in Pontiac, Michigan. Creating a delivery truck with 15 horsepower and dual cylinders propelled the firm into being. The brothers applied for corporation status in 1904 after the new twin proved far more successful in sales than their previous single-cylinder unit. At first, the brothers dedicated almost all of the business’s production resources to producing one-ton trucks.

William C. Durant, a General Motors magnate, was so impressed that he began purchasing the company’s shares and eventually acquired it entirely in 1909. General Motors retained the GMC moniker after merging all its truck-building companies in 1911; the name became official in 1913. That same year, full-scale mass manufacture of GMC trucks began. GMC was a significant component of General Motors’ business strategy when it was reincorporated in 1916.

Ninety percent of GMC’s vehicle production went to the military in 1918, and the company reached a production high of 4,700 military vehicles per week during World War I. GMC vehicles were used in both World Wars. After the war, GMC’s hard-won reputation would help it succeed and broaden its lineup of consumer pickups to include new buses and semi-trucks.

GMC is still making heavy-duty commercial trucks today. However, smaller passenger vehicles and SUVs are its mainstay. It sets itself apart from the rest of the GM lineup as a high-end substitute for Chevrolet.