One of America's "big three" carmakers, alongside Ford and Stellantis. In the mid-1960s GM became the first company to install an industrial robotic arm. In 1985 its chairman, Roger Smith, attempted to create a "lights-out" fully automated factory in Saginaw, Michigan, but the witless robots could not tell car models apart, put bumpers on or paint properly. GM eventually shut it down. Its chief executive, Mary Barra, previously held the carmaker's top human-resources job. In June 2025 GM announced a $4bn investment plan that will tilt production back towards lucrative pickups and SUVs with petrol engines, taking advantage of Donald Trump's relaxation of federal emissions standards.
In 1992 GM's predecessor interest in Uzbekistan began when Daewoo, a South Korean firm, partnered with the state to build cars there. After Daewoo went bust following the Asian financial crisis of 1997-98, GM stepped in. GM sold its stake in 2019 but a deal permits UzAuto Motors, a state company, to keep making Chevrolets; as of 2025, 83% of cars sold in Uzbekistan were Chevys.
In 2003 GM discovered that a Chinese partner was rolling out a car model strikingly similar to one of its own.
GM says tariffs will cut its net profit by at least $2.3bn in 2025; Ford expects a similar hit.
Like Ford, GM faces a dwindling presence in China, where domestic brands' share of the market climbed from 34% in 2020 to 69% in the first four months of 2025. GM is protected at home by 100% tariffs on Chinese cars.
GM had set a deadline of 2035 for a complete transition to battery power. Its commitment to EVs remains "ironclad", according to Bernstein, a broker. In July 2025 GM said that production of batteries well suited for entry-level EVs would commence in 2027 with its partner, South Korea's LG Energy Solution.
That must be wonderful: I don't understand it at all.