Happy 100th GM

This September 16th, NBC’s Willard Scott just might be wishing a happy birthday to one very well-known soon to be centennarian. General Motors will be celebrating its 100th anniversary. As you’d expect, GM has a accomplished quite a bit in those hundred years. Technical innovations, business acumen, and market dominance are all things that GM can proudly highlight over and over again.

It takes a lot more than luck to be in business for 100 years, especially at GM’s level. But you could definitely say that GM has seen better decades. The last couple haven’t been very good for GM. Market share cut in half, letting the Japanese run away with popular opinion about quality, thinking all that cladding on Pontiacs actually looked good for way too long, and saying for years they can’t make money on small cars.

Also, they lost over $15 billion last quarter. GM is working hard to make it to their 200th anniversary, but some wonder if they’ll make it to their 102nd anniversary.

What it takes to be an icon of American Capitalism

Invented the electric starter, yes people really did have to crank up their cars before this

Invented the automatic transmission, helped make Cadillac “Standard Of The World”

GMAC was the first finance co run by an automaker, helping millions to buy a car

Industry’s first real design studio, created beautiful and memorable cars for decades

A marketing strategy for “every purse and pocket” that created brands, models and 52% market-share

Times may be tough right now for GM, but they just might be on the verge of a second Golden Age as far as product is concerned.  In 2010 they will be selling the all electric Chevy Volt.  The Volt is a game changing vehicle that will allow many Americans to slash their gas bill to something close to nothing.  The Volt is supposed to go 40 miles a day without a drop of gas if you plug it in everyday… just like your cell phone.

GM has a new Camaro, new Cadillac coupes and sedans, extremely efficient, conventional small cars that shame the very popular Prius, very competitive Chevrolet and Pontiac sedans, all coming up in the next couple years.  But most importantly, GM is fixing their business the right way through downsizing, more overseas cooperation, and building very high quality product.  The Detroit News has a great article summarizing GM’s last 100 years, read it here.