William C. Durant established the General Motors Company in 1908. He was a successful investor who realized the potential of the car industry in its early stages. From the beginning, GM was a parent company that included some of the most influential names in the American car industry. With Cadillac, Buick, Oldsmobile, Pontiac, and La Salle, among others, under its wing, GM was soon the biggest car company in the world, a position it retained for decades until just recently.
Even though the last couple of decades wasn’t kind to the once-mighty GM with the global recession, bankruptcy, and government bailout, the truth is, this gigantic company is still relevant to the global market. This list is not about the problems and challenges GM has encountered in the last 20 years. It’s about the cars that made it so big, becoming popular and influential.
These are 30 of the most memorable GM models regardless of the model year, market segment, production numbers, or price. The cars showed the world that General Motors is the biggest company in the world. They also serve as monuments to the forward-thinking and American engineering of General Motors.
30. Chevrolet Impala
Introduced in 1958 as the top-of-the-line trim on full-size Chevrolet models, the Impala is one of the most legendary car nameplates. For decades it was synonymous with big four-door sedans and even today, Impala is a classic sedan with lots of space and power. Despite the fact that SUVs have killed sedans, the Impala is still on the market.
GM sold over 14 million of them, which is an extraordinary achievement. Over the years, the Impala traveled from a top of the line model to a base full-size sedan. It was a muscle car with the legendary SS version, a NASCAR racer, and a police cruiser, too. It endured all the recessions and market changes and is still going strong.