People looking for used engines for sale are a bit confused about the company’s association with General Motors. Often people ask whether GMC and GM are the same manufacturers. In this article, we’ll be unveiling the history of GMC and its association with GM so you can buy a used GMC engine without any inhibitions.
History of GMC
First of all, GMC is an abbreviation of General Motors Truck Company. It is clear from the name that GMC is a subsidiary of General Motors. Their association goes way back to the early 1900s. When GM was establishing itself as a major automotive manufacturer, it began buying the shares of Rapid Motor Vehicle Company. Eventually, by the year 1909, GM became the sole owner of Rapid Motors.
Since the company was already into producing trucks in Pontiac, GM continued the suit and made a headline in the same year. One of the Rapid trucks after it was acquired by GM reached the top of Pike’s Peak in Colorado. This became breaking news and led to the birth of the GMC truck brand. A few years later, the GMC logo made its first appearance on a truck.
Later, the General Motors Truck Company (GMC) wanted to make a name for itself and
worked hard to level up truck manufacturing. To do so, they gave made another headline.
Here’s how!
In 1916, a man named William Warwick drove from Seattle, Washington to New York in his GMC truck. The truck is said to have carried about a ton of Carnation canned milk taking up the truck’s weight to almost a ton and a half. It took William about 21 weeks to make that round trip and he drove 9,500 miles to make the journey.
Building on that, GMC arranged for a few professional drivers to drive some 1966 GMC truck models on the same historic path on the occasion of its 15th anniversary. Except, it took only 6 days this time due to the new and improved GMC trucks. Since then the brand has produced new truck models and now SUVs that go way beyond expectations and put itself on the map as the best truck manufacturer.
Is GM the Parent Company of GMC?
In straightforward terms, GM and GMC are not technically the same manufacturer. General Motors Owns the General Motors Truck Company. Therefore, GM is the parent company of GMC. They’re not the same entity, but one is a subsidiary of the other. Like GMC, GM also owns four leading car brands in the U.S, namely Chevrolet, Buick, GMC, and Cadillac.
Out of the four, GMC specializes in trucks and SUVs like the renowned GMC Sierra pickup truck. Moreover, these units also share the platforms produced under the GM corporate umbrella. Later, they are packaged and badged as either GMC or Chevrolet products.
Conclusion
Decades-old brands have their decades-long history, like the case of GM and GMC. Even though they share and differ in multiple aspects, they are not the same companies. Both the companies operate as separate entities. We hope this cleared up the confusion between GM and GMC motors. With this info, now you may buy GMC diesel engines or GMC truck engines with proper background knowledge of the company.
