Formed in 1902 from the remnants of the Henry Ford Corporation, Cadillac was purchased by General Motors in 1909. Named after the 17th century French explorer Antoine Laumet de La Mothe, sieur de Cadillac, who founded Detroit. Cadillac built its reputation by making quality engineered and built automobiles. This led them to become synonymous with quality, a reputation which was widely questioned during the end of the last century.