Monday 26th August 1940

The last LaSalle, manufactured by Cadillac, was built. Alfred P. Sloan developed the LaSalle brand as a companion marque for Cadillac in order to fill pricing gaps he perceived in the General Motors product portfolio. LaSalle vehicles were manufactured by Cadillac, but were priced lower than Cadillac-branded automobiles and were marketed as the second-most prestigious marque in the General Motors portfolio. Like Cadillac, the LaSalle brand name was based on that of a French explorer, René-Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle.