Chevrolet

Chevrolet, or Chevy for short, is a division of General Motors. It is one of the most popular GM marques. In the North American market in 2005, Chevrolet outsold its main American rival, Ford, for the first time in 19 years, making it once again the top-selling marque in the United States.

History[]

Chevrolet was co-founded by Louis Chevrolet and William C. Durant. Louis Chevrolet was born on December 25, 1878, in La Chaux de Fonds, Switzerland. William Durant, founder of General Motors, had been forced out of GM in 1910 and wanted to use Louis Chevrolet's designs to rebuild his own reputation as a force in the automobile industry.

On November 3, 1911, Chevrolet entered the automobile market to compete with the Ford Model T. A year later, the "Classic Six" was introduced. The Classic Six was a 5-passenger touring sedan equipped with a 299 in³ (4.9 L), 6-cylinder engine capable of taking the car to a top speed of 15 miles per hour (25 km/h.)

Chevrolet first used its "bowtie" logo in 1913.

In 1916, Chevrolet was profitable enough to allow Durant to buy a majority of shares in GM. After the deal was complete in 1917, Durant was president of General Motors, and Chevrolet was merged into GM, becoming a separate division.

Famous Chevy models include the large and luxurious Impala (1958) and the innovative air cooled rear-engined Corvair (1960 - 1969.) Chevrolet had a great influence on the American automobile market during the 1950s and 1960s. In 1963, one out of every ten cars sold in the United States was a Chevrolet.

Chevrolet outside North America[]

In markets outside North America, the Chevrolet brand name has been used on other GM models.

Europe[]

Chevrolet Europe is a Swiss based firm (in Zurich) that sells the rebranded products of GM Daewoo.

Until 2005, Chevrolet Europe sold a few models, mostly USDM models modified to suit European regulations. Among them were the Chevrolet Alero (which was a rebadged Oldsmobile Alero) and the Chevrolet Trans Sport (which was a Chevrolet Venture with the front end of the Pontiac Trans Sport). Among other models sold by Chevrolet Europe were the Camaro, the Corvette, and the Blazer.

It was in 2005 that all the mainstream models from Daewoo were rebranded as Chevrolet in Europe (The ownership of the SUV models in the former Daewoo range had reverted back to ownership of Ssangyong by this time). However the Daewoo name was retained in South Korea and Vietnam. In the rest of the world, most Daewoo models wore the Chevrolet badge since 2003. Exceptions include the use of the Suzuki badge in the US and Canada, the Pontiac badge in Canada, the Holden badge in Australia and New Zealand, and the Buick badge in China for certain Daewoo models. The 2007 Chevrolet Captiva crossover SUV will be the first Europe-only model for the marque.

One of the songs by The Fine Young Cannibals is used in all UK Chevrolet television commercials.

The North American-assembled Tahoe and TrailBlazer are also officially marketed in very limited numbers in Western Europe by Kroymans Corporation, based in the Netherlands. The TrailBlazer is also officially marketed in limited numbers in Japan by Suzuki, which also markets the Chevrolet Optra wagon. The Trailblazer is sold through Chevrolet in Russia.

Since 2005, Corvette is its own premium brand in Western Europe, sold alongside Cadillacs.