General Motors is a company of the sector of the automotive engineering, based with the the United States with Detroit (Michigan) and Multinationale. It markets under many marks: Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, Daewoo, GMC, Holden, Hummer, Opel, Pontiac, Saturn, Saab, and Vauxhall. GM also produces Camion S under the marks Chevrolet and GMC. This one was founded in 1908 by William Lasting who will make of it the largest manufacturer of car in the world. In the past, GM also marketed under the marks Geo, Passport, Asuna and Oldsmobile. The branch Oldsmobile (senior of the American marks, founded in 1897) is closed since March 2004, whereas the products Geo were integrated in the range Chevrolet in 1998. The marks Passport and Asuna as for them were used only with the Canada, with the whole beginning of the year 1990. GM has also an agreement of production with Auto Vaz (Lada) in Russia. Until recently, GM had participations in Isuzu, Suzuki, Subaru (Japan) and FIAT (Italy). The bad financial position of the group has constrained this last to sell its shares.

Other divisions of General Motors are: ACDelco, Allison Transmission, and General Motors Electro-Justifies Division. GM has also participations in Delta in South Africa.

GM produced 15  % of all the cars and trucks sold in the world, employing more 327  000 people.

Group GM is also present since 1930, via its subsidiary company General Motors also Electro-Justifies Division in the construction of diesel-electric locomotive, but of engines marine and electrogenerators groups. GLM made known in January 2005 its intention to sell this division with a group of investors.

In addition, its subsidiary company GMAC is present since 1919 in the service sector financial and of the insurance.

In 2000, GM ties an strategic alliance with the Italian group FIAT. Italian yields 20  % of its capital, in exchange of 6,1  % of GM, American profiting from a clause of purchase of the 80  % until 2006. The difficulties of FIAT encouraged it to be disengaged, although GM had to pay a compensation for 1,5 billion dollars to the Italian manufacturer.

A group in difficulty

The decision of the Credit rating agency Standard & Poor' S to retrogress GM on the level of the Junk jump S in May 2005 showed the great brittleness of a group which fights for its survival. Competed with hard by Japanese on his national market, the group suffers from surplus production capacities, a low commercial reactivity and high fixed costs (cover health of its many pensioners). In spite of its 193 billion dollars of turnover, 324  000 paid, or its 8 million vehicles sold in the world in 2004, the group posted 3,3 billion losses over the first three quarters 2005 and has a market cap of only 17,2 billion, the debts of the group reaching 292 billion. Its market share with the the United States, which could reach 50  %, approaches a floor of 25  %.

To avoid having to put under the protection of the Chapitre 11 of the American law on the bankruptcies, like its old subsidiary company the equipment supplier Delphi, GM announced the October 17th 2005 of radical measurements:

• sale of the majority of the capital of its financial subsidiary company GMAC, which was its independent source of profit and had a quoted value doubles that of GM, but which was handicapped in its liftings of funds by the notation of the group.
• reduction of employment: 25  000 departures over the period 2005-2008
• agreement with the trade union United Auto Workers (UAW) to reduce the medical expenses of its 750  000 paid and reprocessed
• the group announced shortly after a reorganization of certain participations, in particular the sale of its participation Subaru (group Fuji Heavy) in Toyota.

An alliance with Renault - Nissan was discussed then given up, during the year 2006.

In 2006, the net loss of General Motors rose to two billion dollars. The company invested 7 billion dollars in research and carried out a benefit at the last quarters of 2006 with 950 million dollars. An agreement in principle is found between the trade union UAW after two days of strike. It envisages the creation of a structure of management of the social protection of the pensioners, baptized " Voluntary Employed Beneficiary Association" (VEBA) and managed by the trade unions. The financial contribution of General Motors would amount to 70%. The trade union would have the load of the 30% remainders.

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