you may already know gmc stands for General Motor Company. But did you know that it was once the Grabowsky Motor Company? When General Motors bought the trucking business from the Grabowsky brothers in 1909, it kept the acronym GMC. Although the acronym has stayed the same for over a century, it has had several different meanings over the decades.
What did GMC originally stand for?
In 1902, GMC stood for Grabowsky Motor Vehicle Company. The automaker was founded by Max and Morris Grabowsky, and built trucks for fleets, according to VeraBuickGMC.com.
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The Grabowsky brothers’ first sale was to the American Garment Cleaning Company of Detroit. The Grabowskys continued to build excellent work trucks and delivery vehicles for six years, eventually catching the attention of General Motors. At the time, the brand was called Rapid Motor Vehicle Company, according to GM.
There are conflicting accounts as to when and why the Grabowskys changed their company name and what exactly it was called when GMC bought it. But we do know that a decade before the first Chevrolet truck, General Motors bought a majority stake in the Grabowskys’ company, and its vendors began selling Rapid trucks. GM renamed Rapid Trucks the General Motors Truck Company, resurrecting the Grabowskys’ “GMC” logo.
Does GM own GMC?
The parent company of Buick, Chevrolet, and Cadillac is General Motors, also known as GM. To make things more confusing, another of GM’s brands is GMC, or General Motors Company. So technically, GM owns GMC.
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General Motors resurrected the GMC logo from Rapid Trucks’ Grabowsky Motor Vehicle Company. But this time, the acronym stood for General Motors Truck Company. This division of GM continued to make trucks. In 1918, GM also introduced the first chevrolet truck, complete with his familiar bowtie insignia.
The GMC division built trucks for both World Wars, military ambulances, cargo vehicles, and troop transports. GMC also built a battery-powered “electric work truck” in 1912. Then, in 1925, a GMC truck set the coast-to-coast Cannonball speed record.
In 1943, GM decided to add buses to the GMC portfolio. He bought “Yellow Truck & Coach” and combined the brand with GMC. He then changed the name of the new company to the General Motors Truck & Coach Division. The GMC acronym did not acquire its modern meaning until 1998.
What does GMC mean?
Today, GMC stands for General Motors Company. It is a division of General Motors that makes “professional grade” trucks, SUVs, and crossovers.
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This truck manufacturer has used GMC as its logo for over a century. But GMC wasn’t named General Motors Company until a rebranding in 1998. From the Grabowski Motor Company days to the General Motors Truck Company era, and even during its time as the truck and coach division of General Motors, GMC has had many different names.
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