the 1920sReputable sourceWell documented
Alfred Sloan and the Modern Car Company
On the timeline · around the 1920s ·
What happened
As president of General Motors from 1923, Alfred P. Sloan built the template for the modern car company. Where Ford offered one unchanging Model T, Sloan organized GM's brands — Chevrolet, Pontiac, Oldsmobile, Buick, Cadillac — into a ladder 'for every purse and purpose,' and introduced the annual model change, making styling and yearly updates a reason to trade up.
Why it matters
Sloan's ideas — brand hierarchy, yearly restyling, and planned obsolescence — turned the car into a fashion good and made General Motors the world's largest industrial company. They shaped how cars have been marketed and sold ever since.
Sources
- Automotive Hall of Fame. Alfred P. Sloan, Jr. · Reputable source