Oldsmobile

Oldsmobile

Oldsmobile building, pictured in 2008
Formerly	Olds Motor Vehicle Company (1897–1899) Olds Motor Works (1899–1942)
Company type	Division
Industry	Automotive
Founded	August 21, 1897; 126 years ago (1897-08-21)
Founder	Ransom E. Olds
Defunct	April 29, 2004; 20 years ago (2004-04-29)
Fate	Dissolved
Headquarters	Lansing, Michigan, U.S.
Key people	Frederic L. Smith Angus Smith Irving Jacob Reuter A. B. C. Hardy John Beltz C. L. McCuen
Products	Standard and luxury automobiles
Parent	General Motors

Oldsmobile (formally the Oldsmobile Division of General Motors) was a brand of American automobiles, produced for most of its existence by General Motors. Originally established as "Olds Motor Vehicle Company" by Ransom E. Olds in 1897, it produced over 35 million vehicles, including at least 14 million built at its Lansing, Michigan factory alone.

During its time as a division of General Motors, Oldsmobile slotted into the middle of GM's five passenger car divisions (above Chevrolet and Pontiac, but below Buick and Cadillac). It was also noted for several groundbreaking technologies and designs.

Oldsmobile's sales peaked at over one million annually from 1983 to 1986, but by the 1990s the division faced growing competition from premium import brands, and sales steadily declined. When it shut down in 2004, Oldsmobile was the oldest surviving American automobile brand, and one of the oldest in the world, after Peugeot, Renault, Fiat, and Opel.