Chevrolet

Chevrolet, also known as Chevy, is an American automobile brand that was founded in the United States in 1911. It is owned by General Motors and is the best-selling brand of that corporation.

History of Chevrolet

In 1908, William Durant had founded the General Motors automobile company. In 1910, Durant lost control of it to his creditors. With the help of designs by Louis Chevrolet, a well-known racing driver of Swiss origin, he wanted to re-establish his reputation in the automotive industry.

On November 3, 1911, Louis Chevrolet, William Little, and Edwin Campbell, William Durant's son-in-law, founded the Chevrolet Motor Company. The headquarters were established in Detroit, Michigan. In 1912, the brand launched the Classic Six, a sedan with a 4,9-liter six-cylinder engine that reached 104 km/h. The distinctive bowtie logo was introduced in 1913. Reportedly, the logo was based on a pattern on wallpaper that Durant had seen in a French hotel.

On September 13, 1915, William Durant founded the Chevrolet Motor Corporation as a holding company above Chevrolet and the other automobile companies Durant had founded since his departure from General Motors. By 1916, Chevrolet had become so profitable that Durant was the majority shareholder of General Motors could become. He then acquired 54,5% of GM's shares. In this way, he became director there again, and Chevrolet was incorporated into GM as a separate division. In 1918, the brand introduced its first truck, and in May of that year, GM acquired Chevrolet's assets.

1930 Chevy truck

In 1923, GM opened its first assembly plant in Europe. That factory, named GM International A/S, was located in Copenhagen, Denmark, and produced Chevrolets for the Northeast European market. It was the first time GM built vehicles outside North America. On January 7, 1924, the first Danish version, a light truck, rolled off the assembly line. Later that year, the brand offered a car radio as an option for the first time. In 1927, the brand sold more than 1 million cars. With that number, it also surpassed Ford. In 1930, the 7 millionth car was produced, and in 1941, 1,6 million cars and trucks were built. From 1942, production was halted for four years. During that period, the factories were repurposed for war production during World War II.

After the Second World War

In 1950, the brand introduced the Powerglide transmission, the first fully automatic transmission in the lower-cost car classes. 1953 saw the introduction of the Corvette. This sports car with a fiberglass body was the first American sports car to be produced in large numbers. A year later, the famous small-block V8 engine appeared for the first time. In 1958, the Chevrolet El Camino was launched. It combined the comfort of a large sedan with the convenience of a pickup truck. Before 1962, the brand introduced a line of smaller cars with the Chevy II or Nova.

First model Chevrolet Corvette from 1953

In 1975, the Chevette was introduced. The design of this compact car originated from Opel. The following year, the models of all GM brands were downsized; a consequence of the oil crisis and the subsequent increasing success of small foreign, especially Japanese, cars. In 1979, compact front-wheel-drive cars were launched for various GM brands, including Chevrolet with the Citation.

1976 Chevrolet Chevette

In 1983, GM entered into a joint venture with ToyotaThe resulting New United Motor Manufacturing (NUMM) produced a small model at a GM factory in California. In 1993, those same partners entered into an agreement whereby GM would build and sell right-hand drive Chevrolet Cavaliers to Toyota, which would sell them in Japan.