General Motors Company

What does General Motors own?
General Motors owns four automotive brands: Chevrolet, GMC, Buick, and Cadillac. The company also owns GM Financial (captive finance), Cruise (autonomous vehicles), and OnStar (connected vehicle services). GM operates manufacturing facilities in the United States, Canada, Mexico, China (through joint ventures), Brazil, and South Korea. GM previously owned Pontiac, Saturn, Saab, Hummer, and Opel/Vauxhall, all of which were divested or discontinued.

Is General Motors publicly traded?
Yes, General Motors is listed on the New York Stock Exchange under ticker GM. The company relisted on the NYSE in November 2010 following its emergence from bankruptcy in 2009. GM has no controlling shareholder, and its shares are held primarily by institutional investors. The U.S. government sold its remaining stake in GM in 2013. As of December 31, 2025, the company had 904 million shares outstanding.

What is General Motors' annual revenue?
For fiscal year 2025 (ended December 31, 2025), GM reported revenue of $185.0 billion, down 1.3% from FY2024. EBIT-adjusted was $12.7 billion, at the high end of guidance. Net income was $2.7 billion, reduced by more than $7.2 billion in special charges primarily related to EV capacity realignment. Adjusted EPS was $10.60. The company generated $10.6 billion in adjusted automotive free cash flow.

Who is the CEO of General Motors?
Mary Barra has served as Chairman and CEO since January 2014, making her the first female CEO of a major global automaker. She joined GM in 1980 as a co-op student and rose through the engineering and manufacturing ranks. Under her leadership, GM delivered a 54% total return for shareholders in 2025 and announced a 20% dividend increase and new $6 billion share repurchase authorization for 2026.

What is GM's 2026 guidance?
For 2026, GM projects EBIT-adjusted of $13.0-$15.0 billion, net income of $10.3-$11.7 billion, EPS-diluted of $11.00-$13.00, and adjusted automotive free cash flow of $9.0-$11.0 billion. The company expects North America adjusted profit margins to return to 8-10%, up from 6.8% in 2025. CEO Barra stated that 2026 "should be an even better year for GM."

Who founded General Motors?
General Motors was founded by William Crapo Durant on September 16, 1908, in Flint, Michigan. Durant was a successful carriage manufacturer who had acquired Buick Motor Company in 1904 and used it as the foundation for GM. Alfred P. Sloan Jr. subsequently became the dominant figure in GM's management and is credited with developing the multi-brand strategy.

Where is General Motors headquartered?
General Motors is headquartered in Detroit, Michigan, USA. The company has been significantly downsizing its headquarters, a move expected to save tens of millions of dollars annually. GM operates manufacturing facilities in the United States, Canada, Mexico, China, Brazil, and South Korea, among other locations.

William Crapo Durant founded General Motors in Flint, Michigan on September 16, 1908. Durant was a successful carriage manufacturer who had acquired Buick Motor Company in 1904 and used it as the foundation for a new automotive holding company. Within the first two years of its existence, GM acquired Oldsmobile, Cadillac, Oakland (later renamed Pontiac), and several other automotive companies.

Durant lost control of GM in 1910 due to financial difficulties and was replaced by a banker-led management team. He subsequently founded Chevrolet Motor Company in 1911 and used its success to regain control of GM in 1916. Durant was again forced out of GM in 1920 following another financial crisis, and Alfred P. Sloan Jr. subsequently became the dominant figure in GM's management.

Under Alfred Sloan's leadership from the 1920s through the 1950s, GM developed the concept of the annual model change and the multi-brand strategy, offering "a car for every purse and purpose." Sloan organized GM's brands in a price hierarchy from Chevrolet at the entry level through Pontiac, Oldsmobile, Buick, and Cadillac at the top.

GM became the world's largest automaker by the mid-20th century, a position it held for several decades. The company's U.S. market share peaked at approximately 50% in the 1960s. However, GM's dominance was gradually eroded by competition from Japanese automakers, particularly Toyota and Honda.

In 2009, GM filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. The U.S. government provided approximately $50 billion in bailout funding. GM emerged from bankruptcy in July 2009, having shed several brands including Pontiac, Saturn, Saab, and Hummer. The U.S. government sold its remaining stake in GM in 2013. GM relisted on the NYSE in November 2010, raising approximately $20 billion in one of the largest IPOs in U.S. history.

In 2016, GM acquired Cruise Automation, a self-driving vehicle startup, for approximately $1 billion. In 2023, a Cruise robotaxi was involved in an accident in San Francisco that resulted in significant regulatory and reputational consequences. GM subsequently paused Cruise's robotaxi operations and restructured the business.

For FY2025, GM reported revenue of $185.0 billion, down 1.3% from FY2024. EBIT-adjusted reached $12.7 billion, at the high end of guidance. However, net income was only $2.7 billion, reduced by more than $7.2 billion in special charges driven primarily by a realignment of EV capacity and investments to adjust to expected declines in consumer demand for EVs, and in response to U.S. government policy changes including the termination of consumer EV incentives and the reduction in the stringency of emissions regulations. Q4 2025 net income was a loss of $3.3 billion due to these charges.

Despite the special charges, GM delivered a 54% total return for shareholders in 2025. The company announced a 20% increase in its quarterly dividend to $0.18 per share and a new $6 billion share repurchase authorization. GM reduced its shares outstanding from 995 million at the end of 2024 to 904 million at the end of 2025.

L87 V8 engine recall: In April 2025, GM announced a major recall affecting nearly 600,000 full-size trucks and SUVs from model years 2021-2024 due to L87 V8 engine problems. The recall covers Chevrolet Silverado 1500, GMC Sierra 1500, Chevrolet Tahoe and Suburban, GMC Yukon and Yukon XL, and Cadillac Escalade vehicles. A class action lawsuit alleges GM knew about engine failures for years before initiating the recall. NHTSA opened its investigation in January 2025 after receiving over 1,000 consumer complaints and approximately 14,000 allegations of "loss of propulsion."

Cruise autonomous vehicle incident: In October 2023, a Cruise robotaxi in San Francisco struck a pedestrian who had already been hit by another vehicle, and then dragged the pedestrian approximately 20 feet before stopping. The incident led to the suspension of Cruise's California operating license, a federal investigation, and the resignation of Cruise's CEO. GM subsequently paused Cruise's robotaxi operations and restructured the business, taking significant write-downs.

EV capacity realignment charges: In Q4 2025, GM took more than $7.2 billion in special charges driven primarily by a realignment of EV capacity and investments to adjust to expected declines in consumer demand for EVs, and in response to U.S. government policy changes including the termination of consumer EV incentives and the reduction in the stringency of emissions regulations.

Historical ignition switch recall: GM faced a major ignition switch recall scandal beginning in 2014, when the company disclosed that it had known for years about a defective ignition switch linked to at least 124 deaths. GM paid approximately $900 million in a settlement with the U.S. Department of Justice.

2009 bankruptcy and bailout: The company's 2009 bankruptcy and $50 billion government bailout was a significant public controversy, with critics arguing that the bailout rewarded poor management.