What Happened to Oldsmobile?

Oldsmobile (1897–2004) was one of America’s foundational car marques and the oldest U.S. brand still in production when it was retired. Founded by Ransom E. Olds, the company helped popularize early mass production with the Curved Dash in the early 1900s. Through the postwar decades Oldsmobile became a GM pillar, known for smooth Rocket V8s and a ladder of models that fit millions of driveways. The brand’s identity peaked with nameplates like Cutlass/Cutlass Supreme, the muscle-leaning 442, the long-running 88/98, and the 1966 Toronado, a striking, powerful front-wheel-drive halo that showcased GM’s engineering swagger.

By the late 1980s and 1990s, differentiation inside GM’s multi-brand portfolio blurred. The infamous line—“This is not your father’s Oldsmobile”—captured a real problem: trying to court younger buyers while a loyal base aged. Meanwhile Buick encroached on similar territory, and marketing budgets fragmented. In 2000, GM announced a phase-out of Oldsmobile, citing overlap, dealer realities, and declining demand. The final car, an Alero built in 2004, closed a run of more than a century. Today Oldsmobile is remembered for democratizing technology—automatic transmissions, FWD sophistication—and for models that defined American family and performance motoring across generations.