GMC has been building trucks since 1912; Chevrolet, since 1918.

GMC's raison d'etre has long been to allow Pontiac-GMC and Buick-GMC dealers to sell the same popular trucks that Chevrolet dealers had to offer. GMC trucks are somewhat better appointed; in particular, the Denali line has been a hit in years past.

With General Motors combining Buick; Pontiac, and GMC into a single marketing and retail channel, Buick and Pontiac's vehicle portfolios have become smaller and more focused - and GMC exists, as ever, to bring in truck buyers.


In 2002, General Motors begins grouping its Buick; Pontiac, and GMC dealers into one distribution channel. By July 2008, 1,600 dealers aligned with the Buick-Pontiac-GMC channel account for approximately 80% of the sales from the trio of GM nameplates. GM says that the channel allows the automaker to optimize each brand by developing distinct and complementary vehicles that reduce overlap.


GMC's truck-building history dates to 1902, when brothers Max and Morris Grabowsky sold their first commercial model to a Detroit dry cleaner. Their Rapid Motor Vehicle Co. was absorbed by GM in 1912, along with two other Detroit-based commercial-vehicle makers.

In 1915, GM builds the first light-duty vehicle with the basic configuration of a modern pick-up.

Today, GMC is GM's 2^nd-largest brand after Chevrolet.