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.jpg) GMC dealership sign in South Dakota | |
| Formerly | General Motors Truck Company |
|---|---|
| Company type | Division |
| Industry | Automotive |
| Predecessors | |
| Founded | 1911; 114 years ago (1911)[1] |
| Founder | William C. Durant |
| Headquarters | , U.S. |
Area served | North America South Korea Middle East China Australasia |
Key people | Jaclyn McQuaid (vice president)[2] |
| Products | |
| Brands | |
| Parent | General Motors |
| Website | gmc.com |
GMC (formerly theGeneral Motors Truck Company [1911–1943], or theGMC Truck & Coach Division [1943–1998]) is a division of American automotive manufacturerGeneral Motors (GM) for trucks and utility vehicles. GMC currently makesSUVs,pickup trucks, vans, and light-duty trucks. In the past, GMC also producedfire trucks,ambulances, heavy-duty trucks,military vehicles,motorhomes, transitbuses, andmedium duty trucks.
While many of their vehicles are mechanically similar, GMC is positioned as a premium offering to the mainstreamChevrolet brand, and includes the luxury trimDenali. InNorth America, GMC vehicles are almost always sold alongsideBuick (another premium brand) vehicles at multi-branddealerships.
Roots to the GMC brand can be traced to 1900, when the "Grabowsky Motor Company" was established[3][4] by brothers Max (1874-1946) and Morris Grabowsky,[3] in Detroit, and renamedRapid Motor Vehicle Company in 1902 when the brothers moved operations toPontiac, Michigan. In 1909,William C. Durant gained control of Rapid Motor Vehicle Company and made it a subsidiary of hisGeneral Motors Company.
In 1911, General Motors formed the "General Motors Truck Company" and folded Rapid andReliance Motor Car Company (another early commercial vehicle manufacturer that Durant had acquired in 1908) into it. In 1912, the Rapid and Reliance names were dropped in favor of "GMC". All General Motors truck production was consolidated at the former Rapid MotorPlant 1 in Pontiac, Michigan.[5]
GMC maintained three manufacturing locations in Pontiac, Michigan,Oakland, California, andSt. Louis, Missouri[when?].[citation needed]
In 1916, a GMC truck crossed the country fromSeattle toNew York City in thirty days, and in 1926, a 2-ton GMC truck was driven from New York toSan Francisco in five days and 30 minutes. During theFirst World War, the company provided the Model 16 3/4-ton truck,[6] and modified its production to provide 1-ton troop carriers and aviation support vehicles, and by 1918, more than 90 percent of GMC truck production was for military use. GMTC provided a total of 8,512 trucks to the U.S. government during the war years and earned aDistinguished Service Award.[7] During theSecond World War, GMC Truck produced 600,000 trucks for use by theUnited States Armed Forces.
In 1923, GMC trucks were exported to Japan to help recovery and reconstruction as a result of theGreat Kantō earthquake, and the company continued to provide vehicles as the transportation infrastructure was rebuilt. Before the earthquake struck, most of Japan's transportation of commerce and people was by wooden carts and government owned railroads, which were severely damaged when the train tracks were twisted beyond use. Autonomous trucks were much more effective at traveling to heavily damaged areas.[8]
In 1925, GM purchased a controlling interest inYellow Coach, a bus and taxicab manufacturer based in Chicago, Illinois which was founded byJohn D. Hertz. The company was renamed Yellow Truck & Coach Manufacturing Company (YT&CMC), an affiliated subsidiary ofGeneral Motors. All manufacturing operations of General Motors Truck Company were placed under YT&CMC. In 1928, Plant 2 opened and all headquarters staff moved to the administration building at 660 South Boulevard E in Pontiac, MI. In 1943, GM purchased the remaining interest in YT&CMC and renamed it GMC Truck and Coach Division.[9]
In 1981, GMC Truck & Coach Division became part of GM Worldwide Truck & Bus Group.[citation needed]Bus production ended in May 1987 and the division name was changed from GMC Truck & Coach to GMC Truck Division. The Canadian plant (inLondon, Ontario) produced buses from 1962 until July 1987. GM withdrew from the bus and coach market because of increased competition in the late 1970s and 1980s. Rights to theRTS model were sold toTransportation Manufacturing Corporation, whileMotor Coach Industries of Canada purchased theClassic design.[10] In 1998, GMC's official branding on vehicles was shortened from "GMC Truck" to simply "GMC".[citation needed]
In 1996, GM merged GMC Truck Division with thePontiac Motor Division in order to "give the combined division a brand image projecting physical power and outdoor activity".[11] This coincided with many GMC dealerships merging with Pontiac dealerships, allowing a single dealer to offer both trucks and entry-to-mid-level cars, using a similar approach already in use byChevrolet.[citation needed]
In 2002, GMC celebrated its 100th anniversary and released a book entitledGMC: The First 100 Years, a complete history of the company.[citation needed]
In 2007, GMC introduced theAcadia, acrossover SUV, which was the division's secondunibody vehicle (after the Vandura) whose predecessor, the GMT-360 basedEnvoy, was discontinued with the closure of GM'sMoraine, Ohio plant on December 23, 2008.
In 2009, GMC ended production of medium-duty commercial trucks after over 100 years.[12] They became exclusive to Chevrolet with the launch of the 4500HD/5500HD Silverado in 2018.[13] Also in 2009, GMC introduced theTerrain, a mid-size crossover SUV based on theGM Theta platform shared with theChevrolet Equinox. It replaced thePontiac Torrent after the brand's demise.
In 2020, General Motors announced the return of the Hummer nameplate, this time as a sub-brand of GMC instead of a stand-alone division.[14] The Hummer lineup includes two models, an electric pickup truck and SUV, to be sold as the "GMC Hummer EV". According to GM, the Edition 1 production electric pickup truck will feature 1,000 horsepower, hit 60 mph in 3 seconds and is scheduled to launch in late 2021. The new Hummer EV was revealed on October 20, 2020.
In 2022, the GMC brand was introduced inSouth Korea as a subsidiary ofGM Korea.[15]
In 2025, the GMC brand was introduced inChina,[16][17]Australia, andNew Zealand.[18]
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Beginning in 1920, GMC and Chevrolet trucks became largely similar, built as variants of the sameplatform, sharing much the same body sheetwork, except for nameplates and grilles – though their differences, especially engines, have varied over the years. GMC advertising marketed its trucks to commercial buyers and businesses, whereas Chevrolet's advertising was directed towards private owners.[citation needed] Beginning in 1928, GMCs usedPontiac's 186 cu in six-cylinder engines in their lighter trucks.[22] Medium-duty trucks relied onOldsmobile straight-6 engines, while the heaviest trucks used GMC's own "Standard Big Brute" engine.[22] From 1939 to 1974, GMC had its own line ofsix-cylinder engines, first the inline sixes known as "Jimmy's" from 1939 to 1959, and then their ownV6 from 1960 until 1974, of which a V8 and a V12 version also existed. Additionally, from 1955 through 1959, the less than 2-ton, domestic GMC gasoline trucks were equipped withPontiac V8s, andOldsmobile V8s—whereas the Canadian models used Chevrolet engines.[citation needed] GMC dealerships were partnered with Pontiac, Oldsmobile and Buick dealerships.[citation needed]
Between 1962 and 1972, most GMC vehicles were equipped with quad-headlights, while their Chevrolet clones were equipped with dual-headlights. The platform has been the most profitable for General Motors, as it was shared with theChevrolet Blazer/GMC Jimmy, theChevrolet Suburban and theChevrolet Tahoe/GMC Denali. In 1998, the platform was introduced as theCadillac Escalade.
In 1971, GMC marketed their version of theChevrolet El Camino, which was based on theChevrolet Chevelle. CalledSprint, it was virtually identical to the El Camino, and a sport version, the SP, was equivalent to the El Camino SS. It was renamed Caballero in 1978, and remained produced alongside the El Camino until its demise in 1987.
In 1973, with GM's introduction of the new "rounded line" series trucks, GMC and Chevrolet trucks became even more similar, ending production of GMC's quad-headlight models, and setting the standard for the Chevrolet/GMC line of trucks for over thirty years.[citation needed]
As of 2020[update], GMC's vehicles were marketed as more premium,luxury vehicles positioned above similar vehicles from the more mainstreamChevrolet division. Chevrolet vehicles are priced lower than a comparable GMC, but GMC vehicles have features not found in a comparable Chevrolet.[23]
InNorth America, Chevrolet offers a full lineup ofcars,crossover vehicles,sport utility vehicles, andpickup trucks. GMC, however, does not offer any car models, so typically they are sold alongBuick (or sometimesCadillac) vehicles at multi-branddealerships, allowing the same dealer to sell a full lineup of upscale vehicles, including both cars and trucks. However some standalone GMC dealerships do exist, primarily for dealers who have a focus on selling to thecommercial andfleet vehicle markets.
.jpg) 1965Chevrolet C10 Pick-Up  1966 GMC C-series pickup  1968Chevrolet C10 .jpg) 1968 GMC K2500 Super Custom  1976Chevrolet K20  1975–1976 GMC C/K |  1997–2000Chevrolet C3500 Silverado Extended Cab .jpg) 1997 GMC Sierra 3500 SLE Crew Cab  2005Chevrolet Silverado Crew Cab  2006 GMC Sierra Crew Cab .jpg) 2016 GMC Sierra |
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| Image | Model | Introduced | Discontinued | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rapid | 1911 | 1915 | 1 t | |
| Rapid | 1911 | 1915 | 2 t | |
| Reliance | 1911 | 1915 | 3.5 t | |
| VC[24] | ~ 1913 | 1.25 t | ||
| SC[24] | ~ 1913 | 2 t | ||
| H[24] | ~ 1913 | 3 t | ||
| HU[24] | ~ 1913 | 3.5 t | ||
| 40[25] | 1917 | 2 t | ||
| 30[25] | 1917 | 1.5 t | ||
| 15[25] | 1916 | 1917 | 0.75 t | |
| 21[25] | 1916 | 1919 | 1 t | |
| 70 A[26] | 1917 | 3.5 t | ||
| 70 B[26] | 1917 | 3.5 t | ||
| 71 A[26] | 1920 | 3.5 t | ||
| 71 B[26] | 1920 | 3.5 t | ||
| 41[26] | 1915 | 1920 | 2 t | |
| 31[25] | 1915 | 1920 | 1.5 t | |
.jpg) | T 19[27] series | 1927 | 1931 | 1.5 t |
.jpg) | T 20[28] | 1928 | 1928 | 1 t |
.jpg) | T 30[29] | 1927 | 1931 | 1.5 t |
.jpg) | T and F series | 1937 | 1938 | Similar to the Chevrolet G/S and F/T series |
 | AC and AF series | 1939 | 1940 | AF series is cabover design |
 | C and E series[30] | 1941 | 1947 | Little different from theChevrolet AK Series trucks |
.jpg) | New Design series | 1947 | 1955 | Little different from theChevrolet Advance-Design trucks |
.jpg) | Blue Chip series | 1955 | 1959 | Similar to theChevrolet Task-Force trucks. OptionalPontiac V8 |
| C and K Series | 1960 | 1991 | half–, three-quarter– and one-ton trucks, with Sierra, Sierra Grande, High Sierra, and Sierra Classic trim lines |
.jpg) | Sprint | 1971 | 1977 | Coupe utility – GMC version of the 1971 to 1977Chevrolet El Camino |
 | Caballero | 1978 | 1987 | Coupe utility – GMC version of the 1978 to 1987Chevrolet El Camino |
.jpg) | S-15 | 1982 | 1990 | Became theSonoma in 1991 |
 | Sonoma | 1991 | 2004 | Formerly theS-15 1982–1990 |
 | Syclone | 1991 | 1991 | High performance version of the Sonoma |
 | Sierra | 1988 | current | GMC version ofGMT400Chevrolet C/K (1988–99)Chevrolet Silverado (1999–present) light- and heavy-duty pickup |
.jpg) | Canyon | 2004 | current | GMC version ofChevrolet Colorado midsize pickup |
 | Hummer EV SUT | 2022 MY | current | General Motors' first all-electric off-road pickup |
| Image | Model | Introduced | Discontinued | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Varies, first letter denotes production year: A=1939-1940, C=1941-1945, E=1946, F=1947-1950, Z=1954, Y=1955, X=1956, T=1957, S=1958-1959, N=1960; Second letter denotes cab style: C=cab behind engine, F=cab over engine | 1939 | 1959 | Line sold toNavistar, now marketed under the WorkHorse brand. |
.jpg) | L-Series | 1960 | c.1984 | Steel Tilt Cab |
 | TopKick | 1980 | 2002 | |
.jpg) | C-Series | 1960 | 2002 | |
 | Forward | 1985 | 1997 | rebadged Isuzu Elf |
 | W-Series | 1998 | 2010 | Rebadged Isuzu Elf |
 | T-Series | 1994 | 2010 | Rebadged Isuzu Forward |
.jpg) | TopKick | 2003 | 2009 | Model used for Ironhide in theTransformers film series |
| Image | Model | Introduced | Discontinued | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
.jpg) | DLR/F/“Crackerbox” | 1959 | 1968 | Aluminium Tilt Cab |
 | B-Model | 1960 | 1966 | |
.jpg) | 7500 | 1963 | 1978 | |
.jpg) | 9500 | 1966 | 1978 | |
 | Astro 95 | 1968 | 1988 | |
 | General | 1977 | 1988 | |
 | Brigadier | 1978 | 1988 |
| Image | Model | Introduced | Discontinued | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
.jpg) | W-series[31] | 1920s[32] | ? | Yellow "Parlor"(highway) coaches |
 | P-series[33] | 1940s[32] | 1980 | "Parlor"(highway) coaches |
 | "Old Look" | 1940[32] | 1969 | transit |
 | "New Look" | 1959 | 1986 | transit |
 | RTS | 1977 | 1987 | transit |
 | Classic | 1982 | 1987 | transit |
 | B-series | 1966 | 2003 | school bus |
| S-series | 1986 | 1989 | school bus (forward control) |
| Image | Model | Introduced | Discontinued | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
.jpg) | Handi-Van | 1964 | 1970 | |
 | Handi-Bus | 1964 | 1970 | |
 | Rally | 1970 | 1996 | GMC version of the Chevrolet Sportvan |
 | Vandura | 1970 | 1996 | GMC version of the Chevrolet Chevy Van |
 | Safari | 1985 | 2005 | GMC version of the Chevrolet Astro |
 | Savana | 1996 | current | GMC version of the Chevrolet Express |
| Image | Model | Introduced | Discontinued | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Suburban | 1937 | 2006 | Rebranded as Yukon XL for 2000, it was sold in the Middle East using the Suburban nameplate through the 2006 model year. |
.jpg) | Jimmy | 1969 | 1991 | GMC version of theChevrolet Blazer |
 | S-15 Jimmy | 1983 | 2005 | GMC version of the Chevrolet Blazer |
 | Tracker | 1989 | 1991 | Canada only, GMC version of the Geo Tracker |
 | Typhoon | 1992 | 1993 | High performance version of the S-15 Jimmy |
 | Yukon | 1992 | current | GMC version of the Chevrolet K5 Blazer (1992-1994) and Chevrolet Tahoe (1995–present) |
 | Envoy | 1998 | 2009 | GMC version of theChevrolet TrailBlazer |
 | Yukon Hybrid | 2008 | 2013 | GMC version ofChevrolet Tahoe Hybrid andCadillac Escalade Hybrid |
 | Yukon XL | 2000 | current | Formerly the Suburban |
 | Acadia | 2007 | current | GMC version of theChevrolet Traverse; became a mid-size crossover SUV commencing with the 2017 model year |
 | Terrain | 2010 | current | GMC version of theChevrolet Equinox |
 | Hummer EV SUV | 2024 | current | Sport Utility variant of the electric Hummer EV off-road sub-brand |
| Image | Model | Introduced | Discontinued | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | GMC motorhome | 1973 | 1978 | The only Class A recreational vehicle produced by a car manufacturer. There were 12,921 produced. |
| Image | Model | Introduced | Discontinued | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ACK/ACKWX | 1940 | 1940 | Originally contracted for the French army | |
 | CCKW/CCW | 1941 | 1945 | |
 | AFKWX | 1941 | 1945 | Cab over engine |
 | DUKW | 1942 | 1945 | Amphibious |
| Image | Model | Introduced | Discontinued | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Chevette | 1992 | 1995 | RebadgedChevrolet Chevette intended for the Argentinian market |
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