The LaSalle had its beginnings when GM’s CEO Alfred P. Sloan noticed that his carefully crafted market segmentation program was beginning to develop price gaps in which General Motors had no product to sell.
As originally developed by Sloan, GM’s market segmentation placed each of the company’s individual automobile makes into specific price points. Sloan designated the Chevrolet as the entry level product. Next (in ascending order) came Oakland, Oldsmobile, Buick and ultimately, Cadillac. However during the robust 1920s, certain GM products began to shift out of the plan as the products improved and engine advances were made.
In an era where automotive brands were somewhat restricted to building a specific car per model year, Sloan surmised that the best way to bridge the gaps was to develop “companion” marques that could be sold through the current sales network.
Under the plan, the gap between the Chevrolet and the Oakland would be filled by a new marque named Pontiac, a quality 6cyl. car designed to sell for the price of a 4cyl. The wide gap between Oldsmobile and Buick would be filled by two companion marques; Oldsmobile was assigned the up-market V8 Viking, and Buick was assigned the more compact 6cyl. Marquette. Cadillac, which had seen it base prices soar in the heady 1920s, was assigned LaSalle as a companion car to fill the gap that existed between itself and Buick.
