Talk:GMC (automobile)

Name

GMC stands for "Grabowsky Motor Corporation" by the way. I am a GM employee. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 129.33.35.22 (talk • contribs) 16:13, 18 April 2007 (UTC)

While it is true that Max Grabowsky founded Rapid, the name GMC Truck came 3 years after the company was bought by GM, and does in fact stand for 'General Motors Truck Company', rearranged so that 'Truck' was more prominent than a mere initial. There was never a Grabowsky Motor Corporation. (although it isn't relevant, while i am not a GM employee, my entire family is, or was) - Scottr76 00:48, 19 April 2007 (UTC)

Grabowski Motor was the original name of GMC. I used to sell cars for a GMC dealership. The dealership dated back to the early-1900’s and had plenty of GMC history and older advertisements for GMC. Furthermore, GMC included it as a question in the test given for GM certification for their salesmen. The company was actually known as “GMC” well before they sold to General Motors. — Preceding unsigned comment added by Rustysmith (talk • contribs) 05:37, 22 October 2019 (UTC)

A little GMC history lesson - Grabowsky style

I can't take credit for any of the following information; however, I will give credit where credit is due. I found the following tidbit at http://www.gmcforums.com/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=86&t=588 . It's a reprint of an article that is long lost by now (at least I couldn't find it on many searches). Enjoy this little history:

Tim Spell - Houston Chronical 2:34 PM 12/23/2002 wrote:

GMC trucks make 100-year journey

By TIM SPELL

Cars & Trucks

When mechanics Max and Morris Grabowsky sold their first truck in 1902, Henry Ford had yet to impact automotive history and the gas-powered truck's chief competitor was a wagon hitched to a mule team.

The Grabowsky Motor Vehicle Co. sold its initial "Rapid" model to the American Garment Cleaning Co. of Detroit -- the first "Motor City" business to operate a truck. This transaction 100 years ago was the spark that ignited GMC's remarkably successful history.

While GMC's 21st-century truck lineup represents premium power and luxury, the spartan Rapid was only a short evolutionary step from a buckboard. Grabowsky's ugly truckling was propelled by a one-cylinder horizontal engine that delivered power via a chain propelling each rear wheel. Common in the industry's infant years, it was fitted with right-hand steering and a podium-style dashboard.

Encouraged by production truck No. 1, the brothers reorganized to form the Rapid Motor Vehicle Co. By 1904, the company boasted sales of 75 trucks. In 1905, control of the business changed hands, with buggy-builders Albert North and Harry Hamilton becoming key forces behind the operation.

As today, the demand was for muscle, and this was addressed with the 1905 1- and 1 1/2-ton Model B "Power Wagons." These were fitted with two-cylinder engines that turned big, wooden-spoke wheels with 15 horsepower. Over the next few years, Rapid Motor Vehicle Co.'s lineup, as well as engine power, maintained steady growth.

In 1908, the manufacturer's success garnered the attention of businessman William Durant, who started buying stock in the company. It was that year which Durant, who had been serving as Buick Co. general manager, founded General Motors. Durant quickly acquired Buick, the Oldsmobile Corp. and the Oakland Co., which he renamed Pontiac.

Rapid Motor Vehicle Co. was added to the list of GM divisions in 1909. The GMC logo, which stands for General Motors Truck Co., wasn't affixed to trucks until 1912.

Daring promotions

The market was getting competitive, and daring promotions were launched to demonstrate trucks' durability. In 1909, a Rapid truck gained acclaim after climbing to the Pikes Peak summit. Dependability of GMC trucks was shown in grand fashion in 1916, when driver William Warwick and his wife launched a cross-country journey in a 1 1/2-ton GMC truck. Laden with a ton of canned Carnation milk, the truck completed a trek of more than 9,500 miles from Seattle to New York in 21 weeks.

The next year, GMC's three-quarter-ton Model 16 was tested rigorously in World War I. It mainly served as a battlefield ambulance, but also was used as a cargo and troop carrier, as well as a searchlight truck.

Quests to prove the mettle of GMC trucks continued in the 1920s, when famed endurance driver Erwin "Cannon-ball" Baker clinched a spot in historical footnotes by driving a Buick-six-cylinder-powered, 2-ton GMC T40 tanker truck coast-to-coast in record time. Baker's five-day, 17-hour run from New York to San Francisco was capped off by releasing 550 gallons of Atlantic Ocean water into the Pacific Ocean.

GMC pumped up brute strength with a diversified lineup of trucks built for serious work applications. A group of commercial-grade K-series trucks were manufactured that included a K-101T tractor-truck with a 15-ton rating.

In 1925, General Motors' management initiated a maneuver to wedge the company into the the growing bus and taxicab business. A merger was engineered with Yellow Cab Manufacturing Co. The pairing resulted in the Yellow Truck & Coach Manufacturing Co., with the General Motors Truck Co. maintained as a subsidiary.

The "modern era"

Evolution of GMC trucks accelerated rapidly during the 1930s. Boxy bodies riding on wagon-style spoke wheels were replaced with streamlined designs closer akin to today's trucks.

In true GMC style, this "modern" era of truck design is marked by another coast-to-coast promotion -- but with a practical side to it. In 1931, a T-95-C big-rig's trailer was equipped with a refrigeration unit and stocked with a load of perishables that included eggs, vegetables and fruits. At the end of an eight-day, 117-hour run from Los Angeles to New York, the produce was still in good shape.

Then, 1935 and 1936 were a pivotal years in GMC history. They marked the beginning of a modern approach to truck design and a rekindled interest in light-duty trucks. Design updates were made in 1935, and light-duty truck brake systems switched from mechanical to hydraulic.

A renaissance was sparked in 1936 with the manufacturing of GMC's first half-ton truck and the initiation of streamlined designs to keep trucks in step with passenger cars. Similar to the styling awakening that occurred in the 1990s, the trucks of 1936 dropped the stale radiator-look front end in favor of shapely grilles with bright louvers.

Headlamp mountings were removed from the fenders so lamps could flank the grille to create a sleeker effect. Hoods were tapered alligator-style and, importantly, roofs were rounded. Grilles became even more ornate in following years, flaunting classic '30s Art Deco pizzazz.

Carryall-Suburban

Another new form that would endure was the Carryall-Suburban introduced in 1937. This steel wagon mounted to a long commercial chassis rolled on a 113.5-inch wheelbase. As with today's GMC Yukon XL, the draw was a vehicle with extended passenger- and cargo-hauling credentials. The Carryall-Suburban had multiple seats that could be removed with quick-release mechanisms to accommodate extra cargo. Cargo was loaded in the rear through vertically opened doors, which included a tailgate and top-hinged "lift" panel.

GMC goes to war

In the 1940s, GMC trucks once again were recruited for duty in a world war. General Motors built about 584,000 military trucks for World War II, ranging in size from 1 1/2 to 8 tons. Gaining the greatest fame were the 2 1/2-ton CCKW workhorse, known as the "deuce-and-a-half," and the amphibious 2 1/2-ton DUKW "Duck." Deuce-and-a-half models, which excelled as heavy-duty transports, trudged through countless hostile situations with 6-by-6 traction. The duck also was a six-wheel-drive vehicle, powered by the same "270" six-cylinder engine as the deuce-and-a-half.

Post-war GMC

GMC emerged from the war with a new "advanced design" look launched for the 1947 model year on light-duty pickups. The new cabs were eight inches wider and seven inches longer than those of previous models, and the windshield glass was center-split and slanted. Hoods were smooth and rounded, grille openings were rectangular and filled with broad horizontal bars, and round headlamps were integrated into the fenders.

The next major model and engineering changes occurred in 1955, when light- and medium-duty pickups were sculpted with a form that provided basic styling elements for decades to follow. Running boards were dropped, "panoramic" windshields were curved one-piece types and, as today, pickups were offered in stepside and smooth-side box configurations. The term "stepside" was coined to describe the remnants of running boards -- short steps between the rear of the cab and the rear fenders. These steps offered convenient footholds when loading and unloading items from the front of the box.

Major engineering strides also were made in 1955 with the first offering of a V-8 engine. While GMC's Chevrolet counterpart was making news with its in-house-developed V-8, GMC borrowed a more powerful engine from the Pontiac division. Its 287.2 cubic-inch Pontiac-GMC V-8 generated 155 horsepower. Also key to the future of pickup grunt was the offering of four-wheel drive.

The new '60s look

The 1960s were kicked off with a new design approach, which arguably resulted in less-attractive trucks. Bodies were sleeker and lower profile, but the designers' sense of "modern" made for awkward-looking front ends. Especially detracting were the pair of narrow "jet pod" openings with integrated turn signals at the front of the hood. These were a mismatch with the strange grille/headlamp treatment below. In 1962, the jet pods were replaced with a more subdued dual-slotted-nostril effect.

Under the hoods of '60s pickups were new-breed V-6 engines, available in three displacements and five power ratings. The 304.7 cubic-inch V-6 fitted into light-duty trucks delivered 150 horsepower.

Sport and custom

A fresh vision of personal-use trucks with fun and flair emerged in the late 1960s. Sport and custom trucks were created to expand the uses and images of trucks. The Jimmy -- GMC's first sporty utility vehicle -- was created to contend in the 4x4 market with the likes of Jeep and International Scout. It basically was a short-wheelbase pickup with a bed cap and second-row seating. Those favoring a more dressy image could buy a Super Custom Wide-Side pickup.

GMC revved up its image in 1971 with the introduction of the Sprint -- the Chevrolet El Camino counterpart. This show-and-go pickup was offered with a selections of muscular V-8s, including a 270-horsepower, big-block "Invader 454."

In 1977, GMC celebrated its diamond anniversary. It was a record sales year for all truck manufacturers, with a 15 percent hike from 1976. Pickup styling was conservative in the late-1970s and early 1980s, featuring squared front ends dominated by "ice-cube-tray" grille treatments.

'New-era' trucks

Two key introductions came in the 1980s -- the debut of a compact pickup and of an extended-cab pickup. GMC's American-made 1982 S-15 compact pickup was in response to import mini pickups that had hit the market. Its was powered by a 1.9-liter Isuzu-built four-cylinder engine. In 1983, 4WD and extended-cab models were added to the lineup. The luxury of an extended cab was offered with full-size pickups in 1988, when GMC pickups received a complete make-over.

Sleekness was amplified with the redesign. These "new era" pickups benefited from larger glass areas and flush-mounted side windows. Smoother bodysides and more-curvy front bumpers left the days of old-fashioned sqaureness behind. Grille design also was cleaner and more sophisticated.

These trucks were offered with venerable powerplants, which included the popular and dependable base 4.3-liter Vortec V-6 and 5.7-liter V-8.

A new truck mentality

GMC's basic new-era pickup design was immensely successful, surviving until 1999 when the current-generation full-size truck models were introduced. Tremendous changes in both truck design and consumer mentality occurred in the pickup market during the 1990s. Trucks -- both pickups and sport-utility vehicles -- gained phenomenal popularity. Pumping up the buying power were consumers more interested in trucks for recreational and passenger-hauling needs than for work.

Factoring into the personal-use truck-buying frenzy is the macho image and practicality of vehicles such as the full-size Yukon sport-utility vehicle and stretched Yukon XL, the modern-day Carryall-Suburban. Sierra full-size pickups -- especially four-door, extended-cab models -- offer the luxury of sedans. Leather seating, DVD entertainment system, XM Satellite Radio and Quadrasteer four-wheel-steer are among the pamper pluses luring passenger-car owners into the truck world.

GMC's new buzz phrase -- "Professional Grade" -- is created to conjure images representing industrial macho such as heavy-duty power tools or even a billet of machined metal. While a hundred years has brought GMC to a point unimaginable to its founders, in a real sense Professional Grade was the focus when the Grabowsky brothers hand-crafted their first mechanized workhorse.

—Preceding unsigned comment added by ImpliedConsent (talk • contribs) 20:47, 16 December 2007 (UTC)

Why was GMC retained as a "core" brand?

I have been reading about GM and its decision to reduce its North American brands to four, and I can't see where GMC fits in. The other three retained brands are designed to appeal to different price points. GMC used to make all sorts of commercial vehicles, but now it mainly makes variants on cars made by the other three. So what is the rationale for its retention? Luwilt (talk) 22:48, 15 October 2010 (UTC)

Well, this is just opinion, but..

1. GMC dealerships are mostly shared with Buick or Cadillac, rather than Chevy, so it keeps an SUV/truck lineup for those dealers.
2. SUVs/trucks are more profitable than cars, in general.
3. As an "upscale" SUV/truck brand, it attracts former Hummer shoppers.
4. There are still some commercial GMC retailers out there (vans, medium duty trucks). Granted, they don't have anything that Chevy doesn't. --Vossanova ^o< 20:05, 30 June 2011 (UTC)

Move request

The following discussion is an archived discussion of a requested move. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made in a new section on the talk page. No further edits should be made to this section.

The result of the move request was: moved to GMC (automobile). Weak consensus for this rather than GMD (vehicle brand), and it conforms with other members of Category:Car manufacturers of the United States. Favonian (talk) 13:39, 15 July 2011 (UTC)

---

GMC cars & trucks → GMC (automobile) – Relisted. Consensus is to move, the target does not have consensus. From the web site, GMC (vehicles) might be an option. Vegaswikian (talk) 18:35, 7 July 2011 (UTC)}} Without discussion, this page was moved to GMC Cars (not correct), then to GMC cars & trucks (even more incorrect). There is precedence of using (automobile) as disambiguation for car brands (see Lincoln (automobile)). --Vossanova ^o< 20:33, 30 June 2011 (UTC)

• Support parenthetical disambiguation because the phrase "GMC cars & trucks" is not that common. –CWenger (^ • @) 21:14, 30 June 2011 (UTC)
• Comment shouldn't it be GMC Truck ? 65.94.47.63 (talk) 04:26, 1 July 2011 (UTC)
• Support per nom. -- Necrothesp (talk) 13:16, 1 July 2011 (UTC)
• Comment it should be GMC Truck, since, as far as I can tell, there has never been a GMC "car"—only trucks and vans (including minivans). 64.85.240.22 (talk) 16:48, 7 July 2011 (UTC)
  • Actually, Truck & Bus (which I believe was the name of the division, at one time). Useddenim (talk) 17:35, 7 July 2011 (UTC)
  • The division was once named "GMC Truck", but is now named only "GMC" (see www.gmc.com). Also, they do sell SUVs and crossovers, which can be debated as to whether they're trucks or cars. --Vossanova ^o< 17:44, 7 July 2011 (UTC)
• Support (although I'd still prefer to retain "GMC Truck", even if they've officially dropped the "Truck" part, which is still justifiable by COMMONNAME I'd say)
  — V = IR (Talk • Contribs) 22:07, 7 July 2011 (UTC)
• Support rename although to me the best naming convention would be "GMC (vehicle brand)". I like it better than the other options mentioned. I would even move Lincoln to "Lincoln (vehicle brand)". But I won't pitch a fit if others vote it down. But I still think it's the best choice. :-) — ¾-10 22:15, 7 July 2011 (UTC)

• Support rename to GMC (vehicle brand). AlgaeGraphix (talk) 19:42, 8 July 2011 (UTC)

• Support. "xxx (automobile)" is a widely-used and accepted convention. "GMC Truck" is no longer the official name anyway, and "automobile" removes any argument over what a crossover qualifies as. --Sable232 (talk) 21:12, 9 July 2011 (UTC)

Grabowsky Motor Company

To the anonymous editor at North Carolina Research and Education Network logging on as 198.85.164.14 (talk · contribs · block user), 198.85.165.50 (talk · contribs · block user) and 198.85.166.31 (talk · contribs · block user):

Please contact GMC for yourself!! I contacted GMC more than once, and they said that it was not a myth, and it is what GMC stands for. Please contact them, you can chat with them on their webpage at www.gmc.com or you can call them at :1-888-988-7267

does not constitute a WP:reliable source. As this is the FIFTH time you have made this change, it is obvious that you have no intention of following proper Wikipedia user etiquette, and therefore you will be blocked.

I think 128.205.48.114 (talk · contribs · logs) probably summed it up adequately at User talk:198.85.165.50:

Useddenim (talk) 16:57, 30 March 2012 (UTC)

air bags

How can I find out if my Yukon has faulty airbags — Preceding unsigned comment added by 97.101.94.41 (talk) 23:45, 22 October 2014 (UTC)

Hi. Go to recalls.gm.com and type in your VIN (the number on your doorjamb). This should do the trick. Cheers, — ¾-10 00:26, 23 October 2014 (UTC)

possible logo infringement?

if you pay close attention, while GNC is not that well known it has a logo very similar to that of GMC. has anyone else found this? — Preceding unsigned comment added by 142.161.223.155 (talk) 21:17, 8 March 2021 (UTC)

GMC

Grand Master Champion (GMC) Known only by name as Joseph R. Wall From the northern up towns 2607:FEA8:1BA0:1460:3924:709:7872:547B (talk) 23:14, 3 May 2023 (UTC)