COMPANY

Oldsmobile was an American vehicle brand that was mostly produced by General Motors. The original founding happened in 1897 by the hand of Ransom E. Olds. The vehicles have a 107-year history with a production of over 35 million cars.

The main factory in Lansing, Michigan created at least 14 million of those cars. Oldsmobile was phased out in 2004, but up until that time, it was the oldest automobile brand in the entire world, just after Daimler and Peugeot. The GM Company discontinued some of the Oldsmobile vehicles and consolidated others.

Oldsmobile vehicles were first produced in Lansing, Michigan within the Olds Motor Works manufacturing plant. In 1901, the company made just over 400 cars along with high volume gasoline powered vehicles. It became the top selling car company in the country until it ran into financial difficulties a few years down the road. Between 1901 and 1904, Oldsmobile produced the Curved Dash model, the first mass-produced vehicle that was made on an assembly line. The invention of the assembly line in relation to the auto industry is often mistakenly credited to the Ford Motor Company. General Motors bought the brand in 1908.

Officially, when it first began, cars from this brand were called Oldsmobile automobiles, but people began referring to them simply as Oldsmobiles. The popular name even surfaced in a 1905 song called "In My Merry Oldsmobile". The Limited Touring in 1910 was a high point for Oldsmobile vehicles. The Limited was a prime model with a retail price of nearly $5,000, a great deal more than the cost of an average house at that time. Buyers were impressed with the space since there was room for five in the vehicle. They also received goatskin upholstery and options for clocks, full glass windshields and speedometers. Only 725 Limited vehicles sold during its three years of production, but the car was immortalized in a painting by William Hardner Foster called "Setting the Pace".

In the 1920s, the brand pioneered four speed semi-automatic transmissions. The accessory was built by Buick, however and came into the industry in those cars. The transmission had a regular clutch pedal and shifted between first and second gears in low and third and fourth gears in high.

Oldsmobile was the first to create a fully automatic transmission, which is placed in its 1940 model. During World War II, the company produced materials and items for the war effort instead of vehicles. Production of cars resumed in 1945 with a new version of the 1942 model.

Oldsmobile vehicles saw a tremendous amount of success over the years, especially in the 1980s. By 1990, however, the brand lost its place in the car market and was quickly replaced by other divisions within the GM Company. The signature cars under the Oldsmobile name were renamed and reshaped and given to other brands. In 1995, Oldsmobile came out with the Aurora, which would later become the inspiration for other cars in the industry. Oldsmobile then became an upscale import vehicle. All of the existing models have been phased out over the years including the Cutlass Supreme, the Toronado and the Custom Cruiser.