Here are a few surprising facts about General Motors:
They built the Moon Buggy: GM helped design and manufacture the electric Lunar Roving Vehicle (LRV) used during NASA’s Apollo 15, 16, and 17 missions in the early 1970s.
The founder almost bought Ford: In 1909, GM’s founder, William C. Durant, struck a deal to buy Ford Motor Company from Henry Ford for $8 million. The purchase only fell through because banks refused to lend Durant the money in time.
The founder was ousted... twice: Durant was forced out of GM in 1910 after taking on too much debt. He teamed up with racing driver Louis Chevrolet to create Chevrolet, bought enough stock to regain control of GM in 1916, and was then ousted a second time in 1920.
40+ automotive brands: Over its century-long history, GM has owned or operated more than 40 car brands worldwide—including Pontiac, Oldsmobile, Saturn, Saab, Hummer, Holden, Opel, and Vauxhall.
Astronauts drove Corvettes for $1 a year: A Florida Chevrolet dealer worked out a special lease agreement in the 1960s allowing NASA astronauts to lease brand-new Corvettes for just $1 per year, making the sports car legendary at NASA headquarters.
Invention of key car features: GM introduced the first mass-production automatic transmission (the Hydramatic in 1939) and launched the first series-production turbocharged car (the 1962 Oldsmobile Cutlass Turbo-Jetfire).
Early EV pioneer: Long before the modern electric vehicle boom, GM launched the EV1 in 1996—the first mass-produced electric car from a major automaker.
