Let’s be real for a second. If you’ve been following General Motors for a while, you know it’s basically been a rollercoaster ride through a hurricane. Most people look at the ticker and see a "legacy" car company, but the GM stock historical prices tell a much weirder, more resilient story than that.
The GM we trade today isn't even the "original" GM. That company died in the 2009 bankruptcy. What we’re looking at is the "New GM," which hit the New York Stock Exchange in November 2010. It’s been sixteen years since that IPO, and honestly, the price action has finally started to get interesting.
For a decade, this stock was basically "dead money." It sat in a range that felt like it would never end. But as of mid-January 2026, the narrative has shifted so hard it’s giving investors whiplash.
The $33 Launch and the Decade of Boredom
When GM went public again on November 17, 2010, the price was set at $33 per share. There was so much hype. People thought the "Government Motors" era was over and it was time to fly. It didn't.
It actually took years just to stay consistently above that IPO price. If you bought $1,000 worth of shares on day one, you’d only have about $2,344 today. That sounds decent until you realize it’s been 15 years. That’s a compound annual growth rate of roughly 8.38%. Not terrible, but compared to the tech world? It was a snooze fest.
The stock spent most of the 2010s bouncing between $25 and $40. Analysts like David Whiston from Morningstar have long pointed out that GM’s breakeven point is way lower now than the "Old GM" ever dreamed of. They’re leaner. They’re meaner. But the market didn’t care for a long time.
2026: The Year Everything Broke (In a Good Way)
Fast forward to right now. On January 8, 2026, GM hit an all-time closing high of $85.13.
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Think about that. For years, people wondered if the stock would ever see $50 again. Now, it’s flirting with $90. What changed?
Basically, the "EV or bust" panic from a couple of years ago calmed down. GM got smart. They realized that while EVs are the future, people still love their Yukons and Tahoes. Those big, gas-guzzling SUVs are essentially money printers. In 2025, they delivered over 114,000 Chevy Tahoes alone. That cash flow is what’s funding the high-tech stuff.
The Recent Numbers (As of Jan 15, 2026)
- Current Price: Roughly $81.23.
- 52-Week High: $85.18.
- 52-Week Low: $41.60.
- Market Cap: Holding steady around $75.78 billion.
It's been a wild swing. If you caught that low at $41.60 sometime last year, you’ve essentially doubled your money in months. That’s not "boring legacy auto" behavior. That’s a growth stock move.
Why the GM Stock Historical Prices Look Like a Saw Blade
If you look at a long-term chart, you see massive dips. The 2020 pandemic sent it into the teens. Then the 2023-2024 period was a mess of "Will they? Won't they?" regarding electric vehicles.
GM just wrote down $7.1 billion in special charges on January 8, 2026. Normally, that would kill a stock. $6 billion of that was just for EV impairments because demand didn't hit the crazy high targets everyone set in 2021. But here’s the kicker: the stock actually stayed strong.
Why? Because the market likes honesty. Investors are tired of the "we'll be all-electric by Tuesday" promises. GM basically said, "Look, we overshot on EVs, we're fixing it, and our gas trucks are still selling like hotcakes."
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The China Factor and the "New" Narrative
China used to be GM’s golden goose. Now? It’s a headache. They just spent over a billion dollars restructuring their China joint ventures.
You’ve got to understand that the GM stock historical prices are tied to this global tug-of-war. They’re closing plants in places like Shenyang to cut costs. It’s painful. It’s ugly. But it’s making the balance sheet look like something a person would actually want to own.
They’ve also gotten aggressive with share buybacks. A $6 billion repurchase plan in 2025 did wonders for the EPS (Earnings Per Share). When there are fewer shares to go around, each one becomes more valuable. Simple math, right?
What Most People Get Wrong About GM
Most folks think Tesla is the only EV play. They’re wrong.
In 2025, the Chevy Equinox EV became the best-selling non-Tesla EV in America. GM sold nearly 58,000 of them. They are currently the No. 2 EV seller in the U.S.
- Tesla: Still king, but losing share.
- GM: No. 2 and growing.
- Ford: Third place, but struggling with half the sales of GM.
This is why the stock is hitting new highs. It’s the "Legacy Survival" story. They didn't go the way of the dinosaur. They evolved. Sorta like how those old flip phones turned into smartphones, GM is trying to turn a Silverado into a computer on wheels.
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Is the Current Price Sustainable?
Analyst targets are all over the place. Some guys at Wells Fargo are super bearish, calling for $28. Then you have bulls at HSBC and other firms eyeing $100.
The P/E ratio is currently sitting around 8.10 (normalized). That is incredibly cheap compared to the rest of the market. If GM can prove that its 2026 earnings won't crater because of "Liberation Day" tariffs or whatever political drama is happening this week, there’s room to run.
Hard Truths to Watch:
- Warranty Costs: They hit $1.1 billion in Q2 2025. Recalls are the silent killer of auto stocks.
- Interest Rates: If it's too expensive to get a car loan, nobody buys Silverados.
- The Dividend: They’ve been raising it (up to $0.15 a quarter now), which keeps the "income" investors happy.
Actionable Steps for the "GM Curious"
If you’re looking at the GM stock historical prices and wondering if you missed the boat, stop. Don't look at the $85 high and panic. Look at the earnings.
- Check the Cash Flow: If GM is still generating billions in free cash (it did about $8.3B recently), they can keep buying back stock.
- Monitor the $75 Support: The stock recently broke out past its old 10-year highs. Technicians usually look at the $73-$75 range as the "new floor." If it stays above that, the trend is your friend.
- Watch the Inventory: If dealer lots start overflowing with unsold trucks, that’s your signal to exit.
The bottom line? GM isn't your grandpa's car company anymore. It’s a massive, complex machine that finally learned how to make money in a digital world. It’s volatile, it’s frustrating, but for the first time in fifteen years, it’s actually moving.
Keep an eye on the January 27th earnings report. That's going to tell us if this $80+ price level is a permanent home or just a nice vacation. Check the debt-to-equity ratio specifically—it’s high (about 2:1), but typical for a company that has its own bank (GM Financial). If that debt starts creeping up while sales slow, that's when you worry. For now, the momentum is undeniably there.