International Expansion.
In 1918, General Motors Corporation purchased the McLaughlin Motor Car Company of Oshawa, Ontario, Canada. The company would later be renamed General Motors of Canada, Ltd. The company would name R.S. "Colonel Sam" McLaughlin as their first president, and his brother George as their vice president. By 1920, DuPont Corporation Chairman, Pierre S. du Pont, removed William Durant from management from General Motors after more financial stress and a recession during that time. The helm of GM was turned over into a brilliant engineer and industrialist, Alfred Sloan. Sloan moved his way up the ranks with the company through his unique marketing attributes. His marketing genius breathed a fresh lease of life into GM that was beginning to get overshadowed by Ford. Automobiles at that time were simple and plain. Most of them were just a plain black color with a box-liked shape. Alfred Sloan provided a new feature to the public. GM began creating different styles, shapes, colors, and started to provide automobiles with more comfort inside instead of sitting on wooden benches and seats. It was "comfort" that became the new motto of the company. The 1920's brought a booming economy to the United States. GM was growing into this prosperity GM was the first company to introduce to the world of purchasing a vehicle on credit. This strategy paid off highly in dividends, which also was a sign of putting the Ford Motor Company into the rearview mirror. GM also made purchases to motor companies in England, Germany, and Australia. In 1926, Pontiac as added to the GM line as a companion to their Oakland brand, which eventually was fully replaced by Pontiac all together. Other unique features were added to GM's auto line, such as safety glass. It was an expensive item and threatened profits, but through the purchase through credit, this allowed customers to afford these automobiles.
