Chevrolet (automobile company)

Company Information

• Date founded: 1911
• Industry: Automobile
• Corporate headquarters: Detroit, Michigan
• Type: Public

Chevrolet (often known as "Chevy") was founded as Chevrolet Motor Company on November 3, 1911, when automobiles were still in their relative infancy and were generally considered luxury items beyond the reach of ordinary Americans. The name of the company came from co-founder Louis Chevrolet (1878–1941), a Swiss-born racer and engineer who had broken the world record in 1906 by driving nearly 119 miles per hour (mph). However, it was William "Billy" Durant (1861–1947), a co-founder of General Motors (GM), who provided the financial and business expertise for Chevrolet after being forced out of GM in 1910. Chevrolet’s first offering was the Series C Classic Six, which came equipped with an electric starter and electric headlamps and sold for $2,150. With six cylinders, the vehicle could go up to 60 mph. Chevrolet also debuted a cheaper automobile, which became known as the "Little," which evolved into the Model L, and was succeeded by the Model H. Chevrolet is one of only four of some 270 automobile manufacturers operating in 1911 that has survived into the twenty-first century.

Louis Chevrolet and Billy Durant dissolved their partnership due to differences in their views of the company’s future, and Durant bought Chevrolet out in 1915. The company was so successful that Durant was able to purchase a controlling interest in General Motors in 1916; he became GM’s president, and Chevrolet became a division of GM in 1918. Chevrolet entered the global market in 1924.

History

Durant left General Motors for the final time in 1920, and the Great Depression destroyed his fortune. Nevertheless, World War II and the postwar years turned the United States into a booming economy, and Chevrolet continued to prosper. The Chevrolet "bowtie" logo was introduced in 1913 and appeared on the 1914 two-seater Royal Mail Roadster and the four-seater Grade. Both vehicles included such innovations as horns and speedometers. The first Series 490 in 1916 sold for only $490. The 1932 Sport Roadster, with six cylinders and a "rumble seat" in the far back, as well as the 1936 Suburban, a forerunner of the sport utility vehicle, were notable successes of the 1930s. World War II saw an industry-wide suspension of car manufacturing, but the postwar years led to unprecedented success.

General Motors pioneered the importance of design in automobile manufacturing, departing from the early emphasis in the industry on utility over appearance. Harley Earl became vice president of design at GM, the first executive-level design position in the industry, and was responsible for the design of such iconic vehicles as the Corvette and numerous Cadillac models. Earl was succeeded as head of design in 1958 by Bill Mitchell, who turned the company, including its Chevrolet division, in the direction of sleeker and more powerful cars. Mitchell was responsible for the design of the Chevrolet Bel Air, the Corvette Stingray, and the Camaro before his retirement in 1977.

In 1950, Chevrolet debuted the first cars with GM’s Powerglide automatic transmissions, the first automatic transmissions available in lower-priced vehicles. By 1955, the company had updated its truck designs with the Cameo Carrier pickup, featuring a more carlike design. That same year, Chevrolet transitioned from the traditional four- and six-cylinder engines to the small-block V-8 engine, establishing a new performance standard. The 1950s also saw the explosion of television, and Chevrolet sponsored such popular shows as The Dinah Shore Chevy Show (1956–63). Shore’s singing of the theme song, "See the USA in Your Chevrolet," became part of the public consciousness and helped to seal Chevrolet’s image as totally American. The 1957 Chevrolet Bel Air became one of the most highly imitated of all cars, and Chevrolet surpassed rival Ford by selling 1,522,536 vehicles in that year alone. The V-8 engines made popular by the Bel Air convertible and the Nomad station wagon are still used in twenty-first-century models such as the Camaro SS and the Corvette. Chevrolet also made its way into television shows such as Route 66 (1960–64) and into songs such as the Beach Boys’ "409."

The 1950s also saw a sharp rise in interest in stock car racing, and Chevrolet became an active participant on the circuit, proudly establishing a record for winning more NASCAR races and more NHRA Pro Stock Manufacturers Cups than any other automobile company. In the 1970s, Chevrolet challenged the growing success of foreign-made cars by emphasizing its American roots and durability. By that time, Chevrolet accounted for more than half of all sales of General Motors vehicles.

In 1979, Chevrolet sold its 100 millionth vehicle. The 1970s and 1980s saw growing competition in the car market from smaller, more fuel-efficient Japanese cars; smaller Chevrolet models such as the Corvair, Vega, Chevette, and Citation proved relatively unsuccessful. Yet Chevrolet also debuted a landmark redesign of its pickup trucks in 1988, including the option of a bigger extended cab. In 1997 Chevrolet trucks began to outsell the brand's cars.

In 2005, the Chevrolet brand relaunched in Europe, where General Motors had mainly marketed its Opel and Vauxhall brands. The initial range of European models were mostly vehicles manufactured by the South Korean automaker Daewoo rebadged as Chevrolets. In 2011, General Motors completed its acquisition of Daewoo, and subsequently, the Daewoo brand was discontinued even in South Korea, with most of its vehicles branded Chevrolet. By the end of 2013, General Motors announced it would withdraw most Chevrolet models, aside from flagship products such as the Corvette, from the European market in favor of Opel and Vauxhall. Similarly, most models were taken out of the Russian market over several years.

Despite phenomenal successes throughout its history, General Motors faced bankruptcy in 2009 during the Great Recession. CEO Fritz Henderson convinced President Barack Obama that it was in the government’s interest to rescue GM, and government bailouts involving both the United States and Canada, as well as massive reorganization and retrenchment, helped the company to survive.

In 2017, it was announced that the Chevrolet brand would be relaunched in Australia and New Zealand for the first time since the 1980s. The move accompanied General Motors' revamping of its Holden brand in the Oceania region. In the 2020s, Chevrolet began focusing on alternatively powered vehicles releasing a comprehensive line of electric vehicles that were accessible to all buyers.

Impact

In the twenty-first century, Chevrolets are marketed in more than 130 countries, and the brand remains one of the highest-profile badges in the automobile industry. It is perhaps the best-known of all General Motors brands, with its name often being used synonymously with the company itself. It produces models in virtually every category, from commercial-grade trucks to subcompact cars, and it continues to respond to changes over time. Environmental consciousness led Chevrolet to introduce the Volt concept car in 2007 as the first mass-produced plug-in hybrid automobile. With its gasoline-extended range, the Volt can run up to 380 miles before needing a recharge. The Volt was introduced to the market in 2011 and has won numerous awards, including Motor Trend Car of the Year. It was followed in 2016 by the Bolt, an affordable fully-electric model that also won several awards.

In 2016, Motor Trend named the Camaro the Car of the Year, and the Colorado diesel was chosen as the Truck of the Year. The Silverado, along with its chief competitor, Ford Motor Company's F-150, has long set the standard for American-made trucks, and it continues to be Chevrolet’s best-selling truck. The Silverado 1500, along with the Malibu, the Sonic, the Cruze, the Volt, the Impala, the Traverse, and the Camaro, have been ranked among the safest vehicles on the road by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. In 2018, Chevrolet began production of its first medium-duty Silverados to meet customer demand. That same year, Holden Special Vehicles began producing Camaros that had been imported and converted for right-hand driving, meaning that the Chevrolet brand would have a presence in Australia once more. Capitalizing on the success of the Bolt, Chevy introduced an entire line of electric vehicles in 2023, many of which are popular Chevy products like the Blazer and Equinox modified to become electric vehicles.

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