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Davenport University
I often wonder if in 1982 when R.E olds first converted his father's naval and industrial engine factory into the Olds Motor Vehicle Company to build horseless carriages, did he know he was making way to for the largest full-line vehicle manufacturer and marketer (General Motors Corporation. 2011). The beginning of General Motors (GM) Corporation all begin from the minds of just a four innovative engineers and good businessman. When R.E. olds built his first a four-seater, with a petrol engine that could produce five horsepower and reach 18.6 mph, he was on the road to success (General Motors Corporation. 2011). With the first model he founded the first American factory in Detroit, which was devoted primarily to the production of automobiles(General Motors Corporation. 2011). A $1,200 luxury model was the first car to be produced by the American factory in Detroit. By the 1900’s, Oldsmobile was able to sell more than 1,400 automobiles (General Motors Corporation. 2011). While Olds was at the beginning of his automobile success in Detroit, Henry Leland worked for Oldsmobile, and had established the Cadillac Automobile company in the same city (General Motors Corporation. 2011). With Leland and Olds behind the manufacturing and engineering, by the end of 1902 Oldsmobile was able to reach its projected target of manufacturing 4,000 cars in one year (General Motors Corporation. 2011). During the time of the Oldsmobile success, engineer David Buick who was separate from Oldsmobile, also founded his factory in Detroit (General Motors Corporation. 2011). With both factories up and running, in addition to different manufactures at this time, William Durant stepped in. Durant believed that the only way for the automobile companies to operate at a profit was to avoid the duplication that occurred when many firms manufactured the same product (General Motors Corporation. 2011). General Motors Corporation