In 1901, Olds introduced the Curved Dash Olds which sold 425 cars, becoming the first high-volume car of the day. That same year, Oldsmobile became the first automobile manufacturer to outsource parts to third-party suppliers, this being forced upon them when a fire destroyed the main Oldsmobile plant in Lansing, MI, and crippled the company's ability to build cars using its own parts. In 1901, three Oldsmobile innovations occured. The first speedometer to be offered on a car was on an Oldsmobile, and the US Postal Service ordered its first motor vehicles from Oldsmobile. Within a few years, Oldsmobile would become the top selling car company in the United States. Ransom Olds left the company in financial difficulties and formed the REO Motor
Car Company. |