ACDelco is an American automotive parts brand owned by
General Motors (GM). Factory parts for vehicles manufactured by GM are consolidated under the ACDelco brand, which also offers aftermarket parts for non-GM vehicles. Over its long history it has been known by various names such as United Motors Corporation, United Motors Service, and United Delco. The brand "ACDelco" should not be confused with GM's former AC Delco Systems, formed in 1994 from the merger of AC Rochester Division and Delco Remy Division. In 1995
Delphi Automotive Systems
Aptiv PLC is an Irish-American automotive technology supplier with headquarters in Dublin. Aptiv grew out of the now-defunct American company, Delphi Automotive Systems, which itself was formerly a component of General Motors.
History
The com ...
absorbed AC Delco Systems.
History
United Motors Corporation was formed by
William C. Durant
William Crapo Durant (December 8, 1861 – March 18, 1947) was a leading pioneer of the United States automobile industry and co-founder of General Motors and Chevrolet. He created a system in which a company held multiple marques – each s ...
in 1916 as an automotive component and accessory holding company. Durant was the owner of
Buick and founder of
General Motors in 1908. After he lost control of General Motors in 1910, he founded
Chevrolet in 1911 with
Louis Chevrolet
Louis-Joseph Chevrolet (; December 25, 1878 – June 6, 1941) was a Swiss-American race car driver, mechanic and entrepreneur who co-founded the Chevrolet Motor Car Company in 1911.
Early life
Louis-Joseph Chevrolet was born on December 25, 18 ...
and the profits from this permitted him to regain control of GM in 1916. At approximately the same time, he assembled United Motors.
Durant's founding of United Motors has parallels in his earlier experience in the horse-drawn carriage industry in Michigan. In the late 19th century he was co-owner of the
Durant-Dort Carriage Company Durant-Dort Carriage Company was a manufacturer of horse-drawn vehicles in Flint, Michigan. Founded in 1886, by 1900 it was the largest carriage manufacturer in the country.
This very successful business made the partners rich men and it became the ...
, one of the nation's leading carriage manufacturers. Concerned that they could not source components and raw materials at affordable prices or in sufficient quantities, Durant-Dort created a vertically-integrated operation owning hardwood forests and manufacturing its own bodies, wheels, axles, upholstery, springs, varnish and whips.
United Motors initially included
Alfred P. Sloan's
Hyatt Roller Bearing Company (antifriction roller bearings), New Departure Manufacturing Company (ball bearings),
Remy Electric Company (electrical starting, lighting, and ignition equipment),
Charles Kettering
Charles Franklin Kettering (August 29, 1876 – November 25, 1958) sometimes known as Charles Fredrick Kettering was an American inventor, engineer, businessman, and the holder of 186 patents.
For the list of patents issued to Kettering, see, Le ...
and
Edward A. Deeds
Edward Andrew Deeds (March 12, 1874 – July 1, 1960) was an American engineer, inventor and industrialist prominent in the Dayton, Ohio, area. He was the president of the National Cash Register Company and, together with Charles F. Kettering, ...
'
Dayton Engineering Laboratories Company
Dayton () is the sixth-largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Montgomery County. A small part of the city extends into Greene County. The 2020 U.S. census estimate put the city population at 137,644, while Greater ...
(DELCO automotive ignition, starters and generators), and the Perlman Rim Corporation.
Durant appointed
Alfred P. Sloan, who had been president of Hyatt, as president of United Motors. In the next two years, Sloan bought the
Harrison Radiator Corporation Harrison Radiator Corporation was an early manufacturer of automotive radiators and heat exchangers for crewed spacecraft and guided missiles, as well as various cooling equipment for automotive, marine, industrial, nuclear, and aerospace applicat ...
, Lovell-McConnell Manufacturing Company (renamed Klaxon company to make
Klaxon
A horn is a sound-making device that can be equipped to motor vehicles, buses, bicycles, trains, trams (otherwise known as streetcars in North America), and other types of vehicles. The sound made usually resembles a "honk" (older vehicles) or ...
horns) in September 1916,
and organized United Motors Service to sell and service the entire line of products nationwide.
General Motors – United Motors Service
United Motors was originally independent of
General Motors, selling to all manufacturers until 1918, when the company was acquired by General Motors for $45 million (three quarters debentures and one quarter common shares)
and integrated into GM on December 31, 1918.
United Motors became United Motors Service and continued to operate essentially as it had before. However, all of its production was now devoted to GM's brands.
Alfred P. Sloan continued as the division manager, which carried with it a GM vice-president title and a position on the GM board. In 1923 he became President of General Motors and was Chairman when he retired in 1956.
Charles Kettering
Charles Franklin Kettering (August 29, 1876 – November 25, 1958) sometimes known as Charles Fredrick Kettering was an American inventor, engineer, businessman, and the holder of 186 patents.
For the list of patents issued to Kettering, see, Le ...
, co-founder of Delco, was head of research at General Motors for 27 years.
Herbert C. Harrison was President of Harrison Radiator until his death in 1927.
[NY Times Obituary March 7, 1927] William C. Durant
William Crapo Durant (December 8, 1861 – March 18, 1947) was a leading pioneer of the United States automobile industry and co-founder of General Motors and Chevrolet. He created a system in which a company held multiple marques – each s ...
lost control of GM for the final time in 1920.
United Motors Service would become a fully integrated division of General Motors in 1944.
United Delco
Around 1960, the division's name was changed to United Delco. With the Delco name becoming more well known with consumers, the “Delco” name was incorporated into all of the division's branches (Delco Remy, Delco Harrison, Delco Packard (Packard Electric), Delco Moraine).
A red and blue semicircular logo was implemented, designed by
Lance Wyman
Lance Wyman (born 1937)[Case Study: Lance Wyman](_blank)
''WebEsteem Art & Design Magazine'', 2004 ...
(who would later famously design the graphic identity for the
1968 Mexico City Olympics, among other projects).
AC Spark Plug Division
![AC Sparkplugs billboard Vancouver circa 1926](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/ad/AC_Sparkplugs_billboard_Vancouver_circa_1926.jpg)
In 1899,
Albert Champion came to the U.S. as a champion bicycle racer. He found a job with the Stranahan brothers, who had started
Champion Spark Plug Company in 1905 or 1906 and began production in 1907. Champion was not happy in his job because he had no control over his work. He already had at least one spark plug patent (from 1898) before leaving Europe. In 1908, he went to see William C. Durant of the Buick Motor Co. Durant asked to see some of his prototypes. Buick at that time was using Rajah spark plugs. Durant thought they could manufacture spark plugs to Champion's design cheaper than buying them from Rajah, and set Champion up in a workshop in
Flint, Michigan as part of the budding
auto industry there.
Champion went to work producing spark plugs to be used in Buick automobiles. Champion and Durant formed "Champion Ignition Co." Very shortly later, the Stranahan brothers ("Champion Spark Plug Co.") informed them they could not use the name "Champion" as they had it trademarked. At that time the name was changed to reflect Champion's initials. "AC Spark Plug" was trademarked in 1908. In 1927 AC became a division of General Motors.
AC-Delco
In 1974, in an effort to streamline its operations and marketing, General Motors merged AC Spark Plug's aftersales operation with United Delco to create the new AC-Delco. AC-Delco then marketed various AC and Delco-branded products.
ACDelco
1995 saw a re-branding of AC-Delco. The hyphen was dropped and ACDelco received a new logo and marketing initiative. The "AC" bullseye and semicircular Delco logo disappeared from product packaging.
See also
*
Mopar
Mopar is the parts, service, and customer care division of the former Chrysler Corporation, now owned by Netherlands-based automobile manufacturer Stellantis. It serves as a primary OEM accessory seller for Stellantis brands under the Mopar bran ...
(
Chrysler's auto parts brand)
*
Motorcraft
Motorcraft is an auto part brand owned and operated by Ford Motor Company. Products under the "Motorcraft" brand include spark plugs, batteries, brakes, fuel filter, A/C condensers and accumulators, motor oil, automatic transmission fluid, among ...
(
Ford
Ford commonly refers to:
* Ford Motor Company, an automobile manufacturer founded by Henry Ford
* Ford (crossing), a shallow crossing on a river
Ford may also refer to:
Ford Motor Company
* Henry Ford, founder of the Ford Motor Company
* Ford F ...
's auto parts brand)
References
External links
*
{{General Motors
Auto parts suppliers of the United States
General Motors subsidiaries
Companies based in Michigan
Motor vehicle battery manufacturers
Companies based in Genesee County, Michigan
Manufacturing companies established in 1916
1916 establishments in Michigan