GMC (General Motors division)
 |
GMC Logo |
GMC, formerly known as
GMC Truck, is a
United States-based branch of General Motors'
brand name of
trucks,
vans, and
SUVs. Its vehicles are marketed in
North America and the
Middle East.
 |
GMC Truck, from a 1919 advertisement |
In 1900, Max Grabowsky established a company called the "Rapid Motor Vehicle Company", which developed some of the earliest commercial trucks ever designed. The trucks utilized one-cylinder engines. In
1909, the company was purchased by
General Motors to form the basis for the General Motors Truck Company, from which GMC Truck was derived.
Another indepedent manufacturer purchased by GM that same year was Reliance Motor Car Company. Rapid & Reliance were merged in 1911, and in
1912 the marque "
GMC Truck" was first shown at the New York Auto Show. 22,000 trucks were produced that year, though GMC's contribution to that total was a mere 372 units.
In
1916, a GMC Truck crossed the country from Seattle to New York in thirty days, and in
1926, a 2-ton GMC truck was driven from New York to San Francisco in 5 days and 30 minutes.
During the
Second World War, GMC Truck produced 600,000 trucks for use by the
U.S. military. In
1996 GM dropped the word 'truck' from the GMC Truck name, thus creating the GMC name as we know it today.
In
2002, GMC released a book entitled,
GMC: The First 100 Years, that explained the company's complete history.
GMC currently manufactures
SUVs,
pickup trucks, vans, light-duty trucks, and medium-duty trucks. In the past, GMC also produced
fire trucks,
ambulances, heavy-duty trucks,
military vehicles,
motorhomes, and transit
buses.
GMC is positioned as an outlet for the same trucks available under the
Chevrolet brand. A
Sprint, for example, was in fact a
rebadged Chevrolet El Camino, the
Sierra is a rebadged
Chevrolet Silverado, etc. In the United States they are usually sold by dealers in combination with Buicks or Pontiacs, typically at lower volumes than the equivalent Chevrolet trucks. In Canada GMCs are sold in Pontiac-Buick-GMC dealerships, usually at volumes equivalent to the comparable Chevrolet trucks.
In
2007, the company will introduce the
Acadia, a
crossover SUV, which will be the company's first
unibody vehicle.
*
Pickup**
Caballero (
1978 -
1987)
**
Canyon (
2004 - Current)
**
Sierra (
1999 - Current)
**
Sonoma (
1982 -
2003)
**
Sprint (1971-1977)
**
Syclone (
1991)
*
Van**
Handi-Van (1964-1970)
**
Handi-Bus (1964-1970)
**
Safari (
1985 -
2005)
**
Savana (
1996 - Current)
**
Vandura (
1970 -
1996)
**
Rally*
SUV**
Acadia (
2007)
**
Envoy (
2001 - Current)
**
Jimmy (
1969 -
2005)
**
Tracker (Sold in Canada only)
**
Typhoon (
1992 -
1993)
**
Suburban (
1937 -
1999), renamed
Yukon XL (
2000 - Current)
**
Yukon (
1992 - Current)
*
Heavy duty trucks**
DLR/F/Crackerbox (
1959 -
1968)
**
B-Series (Heavy-Duty Low Cab Forward Trucks of the 1960's)
**
HM 9500 (
1965 -
1976)
**
JH 9500 (
1971 -
1978)
**
Astro 95 (
1968 -
1988)
**
General (
1977 -
1988)
**
Brigadier (
1978 -
1988)
*
Medium duty trucks**
C-Series **
TopKick (
1980 - 1996; 2003 - Present)
**
L-Series/Steel Tilt Cab **
B-Series (School Buses)
**
T-series **
W-series **
Forward **
P-Chassis *
Transit bus**
Old Look Coaches (
1945 -
1968)
**
New Look Coaches/Fishbowl (
1959 -
1986)
**
RTS (
1977 - 1987)
**
Classics (
1982 -
1987)
*Intercity bus
**
PD-4501 Scenicruiser (1950s)
**"Buffalo" Buses
***H8H649 (1979 - 1980)
***PD4107
***PD4108
***P8M4108A
***PD4903
***PD4905
***P8M4905A
***H8H649
*
Motorhome**
GMC motorhome (1973 - 1978)
*
List of automobile manufacturers*
GMC Homepage*
GM-Trucks.com*
Old GMC Trucks*
Blogspot GMC Truck*
The 60-66 GMC Guy
