General Motors Logo

Brand History

The General Motors Story

General Motors was founded in 1908 in Flint, Michigan, by William C. Durant, who rapidly assembled Buick, Cadillac, Oldsmobile, Oakland and other makers into a single group. Under Alfred P. Sloan, GM pioneered the multi-brand 'ladder' strategy and annual model change, and it reigned for decades as the world's largest automaker. The company underwent a government-backed bankruptcy and restructuring in 2009 before returning to profitability.

Logo History

Evolution Of The General Motors Logo

1. 1964–2021

   For over half a century GM was represented by its blue square 'mark of excellence' — the letters GM, typically underlined, set in a blue field. The mark was refined several times, gaining a gradient and dimensional look in later decades, but stayed essentially unchanged as a symbol of the corporation rather than any single car brand.

2. 2021–present

   In 2021 GM introduced a lowercase 'gm' wordmark in gradient blue on a rounded square, with an underline beneath the m. The softer, sky-blue design was explicitly tied to the company's electric future, with the underline evoking an electrical plug.

Model Evolution

General Motors Through The Years

6 milestone models from 1953 to 2010.

1953

1964

1966

1996

1998

2010