General Motors companion make program

General Motors (GM) was founded in 1908 by William C. Durant as a holding company for Buick, which had been founded by David Dunbar Buick in 1903 and controlled by Durant since 1904.{{sfn|Ludvigsen et al.|pp=32–33|ps=none}} Durant intended for GM to replicate his business model as a horse-drawn coachbuilder, where he had found success by quickly acquiring outside companies in order to produce various coaches at different price points.{{sfn|Farber|p=59|ps=none}}

The three companies Durant initially purchased for General Motors were Oldsmobile, Oakland, and Cadillac, all of which he had bought more or less arbitrarily.{{efn|Oldsmobile, which had been founded in 1896, was bought by GM in 1908.{{sfn|Ludvigsen et al.|pp=158, 164|ps=none}} Oakland, which had entered the automotive business in 1907, joined GM within a year of GM's founding.{{sfn|Ludvigsen et al.|pp=33, 191|ps=none}} Cadillac, which had been formed from the remains of the Henry Ford Company in 1902, was purchased by GM in June 1909.{{sfn|Ludvigsen et al.|pp=41, 43, 45|ps=none}}}} That, combined with his having over-leveraged the fledgling company in making these acquisitions, saw Durant expelled from GM in 1910 at the behest of its creditors, who were reeling from the Panic of 1910–1911.{{cite web |url= http://history.gmheritagecenter.com/wiki/index.php/1910,_The_Founder_Departs_._._._for_Now |title=1910, The Founder Departs ... for Now |website=GM Heritage Center |access-date=May 27, 2021 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20131213055217/http://history.gmheritagecenter.com/wiki/index.php/1910,_The_Founder_Departs_._._._for_Now |archive-date=December 13, 2013 |url-status=dead }} Durant created Chevrolet shortly thereafter; he ultimately used the new company to regain control of GM in 1918.{{sfn|Ludvigsen et al.|pp=54, 56|ps=none}}

Finding himself president of GM once more, Durant fell back into old patterns; by 1920 he had grown the number of GM divisions from five to seven. GM stock, meanwhile, had fallen precipitously during Durant's second stint as president, and by 1920 the GM board decided they had had enough. In November of that year Durant was forced out of GM for the last time, at which point the company was almost bankrupt.{{Cite web|url=https://www.hemmings.com/stories/article/chevrolets-classic-1920-chevrolet-fb-50-touring|title=Chevrolet's Classic - 1920 Chevrolet FB-50 Touring|author=Strohl, Daniel|date=August 2005|work=Hemmings Classic Car|access-date=2022-02-04|via=www.hemmings.com}}{{sfn|Farber|p=44|ps=none}} He was replaced as GM president by Pierre du Pont of DuPont.{{sfn|Farber|p=45|ps=none}}

One of du Pont's main assistants was GM vice president Alfred P. Sloan. Sloan recognized that GM was ineffectively utilizing its various brands to fight against Ford, which at the time commanded more than half of the automobile market. Of all the GM vehicles available at the time, none were a competitive alternative to the immensely popular Ford Model T; the GM marques themselves also lacked a coherent framework that would make it easy for buyers of entry-level models to upgrade to a more premium car within the GM fold. Instead of complementing each other, different GM brands found themselves competing for the same customers, ultimately cannibalizing sales for GM as a whole.

While du Pont believed that direct competition with the Model T would be GM's best opportunity to gain market share, Sloan instead decided to pursue Durant's idea, albeit without crediting Durant, of a "car for every purse and purpose".{{sfn|Farber|pp=59, 62–63}} Sloan discontinued Scripps-Booth and sold the Sheridan brand, then reorganized the remaining five marques into a price hierarchy that positioned Chevrolet as the most entry-level line, Oldsmobile, Oakland, and Buick, as the mid-tier brands, and Cadillac as the flagship marque.{{sfn|Farber|p=64|ps=none}} However, the order of the marques' pricing was fluid,{{sfn|Farber|p=64|ps=none}} and by 1929 Oldsmobiles were cheaper than Buicks and Oaklands.{{sfn|Kimes|pp=168, 1011, 1036|ps=none}}

The idea of pricing cars on a ladder{{snd}}in concert with other innovations by GM at the time, including providing credit to prospective car buyers{{snd}}was tremendously successful in expanding GM's market share during the 1920s.{{sfn|Farber|p=104|ps=none}} The company surpassed Ford in market share in 1927, the same year that the Model T was discontinued in favor of the updated Model A.{{sfn|Farber|p=104|ps=none}}

File:1932_Pontiac_402_(1143386467).jpg

Sloan, who had replaced du Pont as GM president in 1923,{{sfn|Farber|p=72|ps=none}} decided to create various "companion makes" to fill the variety of gaps that had developed in the original pricing hierarchy.{{sfn|Great Cars of the Forties|p=39|ps=none}} These companion makes, introduced within GM's existing divisions as opposed to being treated as independent marques, were intended to increase sales of the parent division while costing less to produce.

Oakland introduced Pontiac {{nowrap|at the 1926 New York Auto Show}} as a low-priced model for the 1926 model year, followed by a sales meeting at the Commodore Hotel.{{sfn|Ludvigsen et al.|p=191|ps=none}}{{sfn|Kimes|p=1176|ps=none}} The name dated to 1893 as a coachbuilding business that had been the predecessor of Oakland's automotive ventures, and was an homage to both its factory in Pontiac, Michigan, and the Native American chief of the same name.{{sfn|Ludvigsen et al.|p=191|ps=none}} Touted as "the Chief of the Sixes" for its six-cylinder inline engine, it was designed from scratch by Ben H. Anibal, who had previously been Cadillac's chief engineer, to the order of Oakland's general manager Al R. Glancy.{{sfn|Ludvigsen et al.|p=191|ps=none}} By the {{nowrap|1929 model year}}, its flathead engine was able to make {{nowrap|60 brake horsepower (bhp) (45 kW).}}{{sfn|Kimes|pp=1178–1179|ps=none}} The chassis had a wheelbase of {{convert|110|in|mm}}, and the car was available in such body styles as a roadster, phaeton, coupe, convertible, two- or four-door sedan, or landaulet.{{sfn|Kimes|p=1178|ps=none}}

In early 1926, Lawrence P. Fisher, the general manager of the Cadillac division, visited a Los Angeles Cadillac dealership run by Don Lee that also made custom cars for Hollywood actors and producers.{{sfn|Farber|p=100|ps=none}} The director of the custom car operation, Harley Earl, would turn boxy factory automobiles into sleek low-riding roadsters, something that thrilled Fisher.{{sfn|Farber|p=100|ps=none}} Fisher hired Earl in spring 1926 to design a sleek low-priced vehicle to be introduced by Cadillac in 1927 known as the LaSalle.{{sfn|Farber|p=101|ps=none}} Sloan was sufficiently impressed by the result that he made Earl head of a special design division of GM, established in June 1927.{{sfn|Farber|p=101|ps=none}} The LaSalle itself was introduced in March 1927 for the 1927 model year.{{sfn|Kimes|pp=805–806|ps=none}} By the 1929 model year it had a V8 engine with a {{nowrap|newly-introduced synchromesh transmission}}.{{sfn|Kimes|p=808|ps=none}} It came with a wheelbase of either {{convert|128|in|abbr=on}} or {{convert|134|in|abbr=on}}; the former was available as a roadster and various forms of phaeton, while the latter was available in various forms of convertible, various forms of coupe, or various forms of sedan.{{sfn|Kimes|p=808|ps=none}}

File:1929 Marquette Model 35 phaeton (6992041332).jpg

Oldsmobile introduced the Viking in March 1929 for the 1929 model year.{{sfn|Kimes|p=1455|ps=none}} The Viking served as the upscale counterpart of Oldsmobile's F-29 model, which had a {{convert|62|bhp|adj=on|abbr=on}} six-cylinder inline engine.{{sfn|Kimes|pp=1035–1036, 1455|ps=none}} The Viking, by contrast, had a monoblock {{convert|81|hp|adj=on|abbr=on}} V8 engine.{{sfn|Kimes|p=1455|ps=none}} Its logo, a stylized "V", stood for both "Viking" and "V8".{{sfn|Kimes|p=1455|ps=none}} It resembled the LaSalle in appearance, had a {{convert|125|in|abbr=on}} wheelbase, and was available as a convertible, a close-coupled sedan, or standard sedan.{{sfn|Kimes|p=1455|ps=none}} It was initially priced at $1,595,{{efn|${{Inflation|US|1595|1929|2019|r=-2|fmt=c}} in 2019}} but by the end of 1929 had become worth $1,695.{{efn|${{Inflation|US|1695|1929|2019|r=-2|fmt=c}} in 2019}}{{sfn|Kimes|p=1455|ps=none}} During his 1930 visit to the United States to attempt a land speed record in the Silver Bullet, British racer Kaye Don used a Viking for casual driving and to test the terrain of his record attempt.{{cite news |title=British racer selects Viking |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/74431852/british-racer-selects-viking |access-date=26 March 2021 |work=The South Bend Tribune |location=South Bend, Indiana |volume=56 |issue=310 |page=Section 3 p. 4 |no-pp=yes |date=April 6, 1930 |via=Newspapers.com |archive-date=July 15, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210715022035/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/74431852/british-racer-selects-viking/ |url-status=live }} A retrospective noted it as a "fine car" that "doubtless...would have survived" but for the Great Depression.{{sfn|Kimes|p=1455|ps=none}}

After Buick sales had declined in the previous several years and following the successes of Pontiac and LaSalle,{{sfn|Kimes|pp=169, 891|ps=none}} Buick introduced Marquette to showrooms on June 1, 1929, for the 1930 model year.{{efn|name=Years}}{{cite news |last1=Klein |first1=Israel |title=Marquette enters motordom |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/74433533/marquette-enters-motordom |access-date=26 March 2021 |work=The Grand Island Independent |volume=46 |issue=130 |page=12 |location=Grand Island, Nebraska |date=June 1, 1929 |via=Newspapers.com |archive-date=July 15, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210715022036/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/74433533/marquette-enters-motordom/ |url-status=live }}{{cite news |last1=Vance |first1=Bill |title=How stock market crash killed "The Pregnant Buick" |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/74436614/how-stock-market-crash-killed-the-pregn |access-date=26 March 2021 |work=The Ottawa Citizen |page=C11 |date=December 29, 2006 |via=Newspapers.com |archive-date=July 15, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210715021946/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/74436614/how-stock-market-crash-killed-the/ |url-status=live }} Unlike Buick, which was noted for its overhead valve engine, the Marquette had a flathead six-cylinder engine based on Oldsmobile's. A prominent selling point was its fine engineering and craftsmanship; its engineers remarked that one could drive it at {{convert|60|mph|abbr=on}} without damaging the engine, and one was driven from Death Valley to Pikes Peak without any issues.{{sfn|Kimes|p=891|ps=none}} Other standard features included an air cleaner and a large muffler. Having a {{convert|114|in|abbr=on}} wheelbase with its engine making {{convert|67|hp|abbr=on}}, it was offered as a roadster, phaeton, one of two styles of coupe, or one of two styles of sedan.{{sfn|Kimes|p=891|ps=none}} It possessed distinctive styling, with a portly shape that led to its sobriquet of "the pregnant Buick" and a herringbone radiator, to distinguish it from other GM makes.{{sfn|Kimes|p=891|ps=none}}

The beginning of the Great Depression made the Viking unprofitable for Oldsmobile, which had enough trouble selling its own models that were just under half the price, and it was discontinued at the end of 1930.{{sfn|Kimes|p=1455|ps=none}} Existing parts were assembled into the final Vikings for the 1931 model year.{{Cite web|title=Viking Radiator Emblem|url=https://americanhistory.si.edu/collections/search/object/nmah_840288|access-date=2020-12-07|publisher=National Museum of American History|language=en|archive-date=July 15, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210715022044/https://americanhistory.si.edu/collections/search/object/nmah_840288|url-status=live}} The Depression was similarly unkind to Marquette, which, having failed to resuscitate Buick's sales,{{sfn|Kimes|p=169|ps=none}} was discontinued at the end of the 1930 model year, after about 35,000 units were made and mere months after dealerships had been mailed signs to put up advertising their presence.{{sfn|Kimes|p=891|ps=none}} Two factors working against the Marquette were its flathead engine, which irked fans of Buick's overhead valve philosophy, and its six-cylinder engine, which was incompatible with Buick's decision to offer only eight-cylinder cars for 1931.{{sfn|Kimes|p=169|ps=none}} After its discontinuation, the Marquette's body design was used in Buicks. The production tools for the engine were exported to Germany and used by Opel, GM's European subsidiary, for their Blitz truck.{{citation | ref = KL1 | title = Opel: wheels to the world; a seventy-five year history of automobile manufacture | first = Karl E. | last = Ludvigsen | publisher = Princeton Publishing | date = 1975 | isbn = 0-915038-01-3 | pages = 49–50 }}

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LaSalle fared better; initially selling a quarter of the Cadillac division's output, it narrowly outsold the Cadillac brand in 1929 and its sales contributed to the survival of the division during the Depression.{{sfn|Great Cars of the Forties|p=39|ps=none}} Nevertheless, as the economy improved {{nowrap|throughout the 1930s}}, LaSalle's niche dried up as the gap between {{nowrap|Buick and Cadillac}} narrowed.{{sfn|Great Cars of the Forties|p=40|ps=none}} In its final model year of 1940, LaSalles comprised about 65 percent of Cadillac's total output, but it was replaced in 1941 by the Cadillac Series 61.{{sfn|Great Cars of the Forties|p=40|ps=none}} The LaSalle name has been occasionally floated for revival; a 1955 concept car was titled the "LaSalle II", and the name reappeared in 1963 and 1975 as proposals for what eventually became the Buick Riviera and Cadillac Seville, respectively.{{sfn|Great Cars of the Forties|p=41|ps=none}} Earl, having gotten his start with the 1927 LaSalle, was later acclaimed as the "dean of design" of automobiles.{{sfn|Great Cars of the Forties|p=39|ps=none}}

Pontiac had the opposite destiny. Selling more than 75,000 units in 1926, Pontiac saw a rise to 140,000 units in 1927 and more than 200,000 in 1928.{{sfn|Ludvigsen et al.|p=191|ps=none}} Oakland was discontinued in 1931, a victim of the Depression; its final model, which had been based on the Viking V8, became the Pontiac V8 for 1932.{{sfn|Ludvigsen et al.|pp=14, 191, 192|ps=none}} Pontiac earned the distinction of being the only GM make that was not an outside acquisition that survived for a significant amount of time.{{sfn|Ludvigsen et al.|p=14}} The marque remained in production until 2010, when it was discontinued in the aftermath of the Great Recession as part of GM's reorganization from recession-caused bankruptcy.{{cite web |last1=Eisenstein |first1=Paul A. |title=Pontiac hits end of the road after 82 years |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna34224218#.VDE9OFfCthR |publisher=NBC News |access-date=6 May 2021 |date=December 2, 2009 |archive-date=May 6, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210506155634/https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna34224218#.VDE9OFfCthR |url-status=live }}

The companion make program as a whole was described by automotive historian Bill Vance as a "short-lived experiment" in a retrospective of the Marquette. Vance unfavorably compared the program to Sloan's earlier paring down of GM's line after the Durant ouster. A report on the Viking referred to the program as "several 'in-between' cars introduced by General Motors while the Twenties still roared and the stock market hadn't crashed."{{sfn|Kimes|p=1455|ps=none}}

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{{Reflist}}

{{commons cat}}

• {{cite book|last=Farber |first=David R. |title=Sloan Rules: Alfred P. Sloan and the triumph of General Motors |publisher=University of Chicago Press |location=Chicago |year=2002 |isbn=9780226238043 |url=https://archive.org/details/sloanrulesalfred00farb/mode/2up |url-access=registration |ref={{harvid|Farber}}}}
• {{cite book|author=((Auto editors of Consumer Guide)) |title=Great Cars of the Forties |publisher=Beekman House |location=New York |year=1985 |isbn=9780517479322 |url=https://archive.org/details/greatcarsofforti0000unse/mode/2up |url-access=registration |ref={{harvid|Great Cars of the Forties}}}}
• {{cite book|last=Kimes |first=Beverly Rae |title=Standard Catalog of American Cars, 1805–1942 |publisher=Krause Publications |location=Iola, Wisconsin |year=1989 |isbn=0-87341-478-0 |url=https://archive.org/details/standardcatalogo0000kime/ |url-access=registration |ref={{harvid|Kimes}}}}
• {{cite book|last1=Ludvigsen |first1=Karl E. |last2=Burgess Wise |first2 = David |last3=Laban |first3=Brian |title=The Encyclopedia of the American Automobile |year=1979 |edition=1982 |publisher=Exeter |location=New York |isbn=9780896731325 |url=https://archive.org/details/encyclopediaofam00ludv/page/190/mode/2up |url-access=registration |ref={{harvid|Ludvigsen et al.}}}}

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