August 26, 1940 – The Last LaSalle

Why does a 5 cent nickel exist? Simply, it fills the gap between a penny and a dime. Would you rather carry five pennies or a single coin? Make that nine pennies or a single coin? The nickel saved room in our pockets while still looking nice and shiny. This, in a sense, is why the LaSalle ever existed as a luxury automaker, starting in 1927. LaSalle was the nickel between Cadillac and Buick, filling a price point that General Motors CEO Alfred’s Sloan’s market segmentation program neglected. Of course, it’d be more fitting to say that it’s the 50 cent piece, with Cadillac being the dollar, Oldsmobile the quarter, Buick the dime, Pontiac the nickel and Chevrolet the penny. (Depending on the years in question, you may have to fit Viking or Marquette in there somewhere). The idea at General Motors would be a new buyer starts with a Chevrolet and works their way up the line as they make more money and improve their social stature. As Cadillac’s companion brand, LaSalle set second from the top for 13 years, until it was discontinued on this day in 1940.

What were companion brands?

Up through the 1920s, it was common practice for automakers to build only a single vehicle for a marque, though the chassis would carry different body styles. If you desired to own a fancier car, you’d need to pay more for a more expensive model. Instead of Chevrolet having a line up of vehicles that ranged from cheap to expensive, you basically had one or two options. If a buyer wanted to upgrade, one would move up to Pontiac, and then to Buick, and then to LaSalle. They would ultimately land on Cadillac, assuming their life was going to plan, or at least the plan of Sloan.

The origins of LaSalle automobiles

Introduced in 1927, the original LaSalle 303 was penned by Harley Earl, who would go on to have a three decades long career at GM. Inspired by Hispano-Suiza, the first LaSalle was shorter and more agile than the larger Cadillac’s of the era, yet remained luxurious. A Caddy V8 did power the LaS,

The marque underwent routine upgrades inline with its big brother, Cadillac. When Cadillacs got new engines, so to would LaSalle. Yearly style updates became commonplace, a new trend in the industry where engineering formerly ruled all. Then of course the Great Depression hit. By 1935 no V8 could be had in a LaSalle, instead it being powered by a Buick straight 8. LaSalle actually began to take sales away from the more luxurious line as once dedicated Cadillac buyers tried to save their pennies.

End of LaSalle cars

Despite LaSalles more closely relating to Buicks, the marque saw an increase in sales, reaching a high of 32,000 in 1937. In the following years, LaSalle returned to its roots, even offering more luxurious, and semi customizable body options with designs overseen by Harley Earl. However, as marques received more models, it became apparent the companion brands were no longer a necessity for acquiring sales. In addition, it became more evident that Cadillac buyers were downgrading, given the minimal gap between brands. The writing was on the wall.

On August 26, 1942 the final LaSalle rolled off its dedicated assembly line. In total, some 24,000 left the factory in 1940, the second best year for the marque. Too good, in some people’s opinion, given the dwindling Cadillac sales.