Show Me the Car Facts #FactFridays

Did you know:

How well do you pay attention to the smaller details?

The GM "Mark of Excellence" on my 2008 Aura.
The position of this logo may change based on the
model year of your car (2007 Auras had it higher
up on the door).

From 2006 to early 2010, GM put what is known as their “Mark of Excellence” on their cars. It usually can be found in the lower front fender of cars from this era - it’s a little silver GM emblem. My 2008 Saturn Aura has it. However, I noticed a few cars from the mid-to late-2000s did not get the Mark of Excellence on the side - namely the GMT360 SUVs (Chevy Trailblazer, GMC Envoy, Buick Rainer, etc.), the Chevy Express/GMC Savana, and the Buick Rendezvous from what I remember.

After the disillusion of several brands due to the GM bankruptcy restructuring in 2009, the company dropped the emblem off their cars. The reason cited was that the four core remaining brands, Chevy, Buick, Cadillac and GMC, would build their own identities under the “New GM” and seek to remove themselves from the stigma of a “bankrupt parent company”.

I haven't had a chance to be up close on a 2024
GMC Sierra EV, but I'll be checking the front fender above
the wheel well next time I do for the little GM logo.
The Sierra EV will have an estimated 400 mile
driving range.

Fast forward to the present day, and the GM “Mark of Excellence” is still absent from all vehicles, except for one: the new GMC Sierra EV! So where is it placed at on the new Sierra EV? Not in a location you might expect… If you look closely on the front side marker lights, you will see the new GM logo in the corner. It requires a keen eye and I love small details like this! I remember Oldsmobile did this with their “Oldsmobile” script on some cars briefly in the 90s when they attempted to rebrand.

Just make sure you don’t break those lights on the new Sierra EV. Because if the Sierra EV is anything like the HUMMER EV, it’ll be really expensive to replace them if they’re broken (it costs $6,100 for taillights on the HUMMER EV).

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