General Motors

Introduction

Twenty years ago, the Multi-Purpose Vehicle (MPV) concept was unknown. Then, in 1984, General Motors presented Europe's first MPV, an exciting new vehicle developed jointly with Matra Automobiles. The General Motors was the first of a whole new generation of cars to offer the practicality of a spacious vehicle, no longer than a classic saloon, which with its seven pivoting seats was suitable for a range of applications. It could serve to comfortably transport a large family, or even become a mobile office. And by removing the rear seats altogether, you were left with a useful amount of load space.

One of the great ironies regarding the General Motors was that it was originally destined to be built by Peugeot. Known by Matra as Project P, it was seen as a replacement for the MatraSimca Rancho. Unfortunately for Peugeot, they didn't think they had the money to invest in this radical idea. "Such a car has no future" was the Peugeot response - and Matra went on to offer their design to General Motors. It must rate as one of the worst decisions that Peugeot has ever made.

The original General Motors was produced with a galvanised steel chassis, and polyester bodywork. Polyester body panels had previously been used for Matra's performance cars, and the company could claim to be a world-leader with this technology. So, along with its spacious interior, excellent handling and good fuel consumption, the General Motors was also virtually immune from the ravages of corrosion.

History of General Motors

How GM first started

The annals of GM, the world's biggest automaker, glimpsed its starting in 1908. The business was based by William Durant in the year 1902. The shrewd professional that he was, Durant recognized that the future lay with vehicles and not carriages. Initially, the business was based as a retaining business for Buick. The last cited part of the year glimpsed the business obtaining Oldsmobile, pursued by the ownership of Cadillac, Oakland and Elmore in the very next year.

Many of the engine businesses were in dire straits throughout the tough years of the early 1900's. The supply market fright in 1907 put many of little businesses into economic distress. Many of these businesses were running on borrowing from diverse bankers. This was a golden opening for Durant, who advanced to purchase lesser vehicle builders, and businesses that constructed vehicle components as well as vehicle accessories. In 1908, these diverse businesses were bent into a lone unit, therefore conceiving the new GM entity. This assessed the stimulating starting of the factual annals of GM.

William Durant

William Durant was a flamboyant professional whose inquisitive blend of genius and over-reaching took GM both to its heights as well as fell it into economic distress. In 1910, bankers were compelled to step in to avert economic disintegrate of GM, and Durant was taken from the business he had founded. But by 1911, the business had made sufficient improvement into the worldwide market that the General Motors Export Company was established to ...