Chevrolet

Chevrolet ( colloquially Chevy ) is a trademark that belongs to General Motors Corporation ( GM) since 1918. Previously it was an independent automobile factory.

History

The company founder Louis Chevrolet was a December 25, 1878 in La Chaux -de-Fonds, Switzerland, born racer. On November 3, 1911, the company was founded to compete mainly against the Ford Model T. In 1912, the Classic Six was introduced, a car for five persons, which reached 105 km / h. GM bought the company Chevrolet Motor Company on May 2, 1918.

In the 1920s, Chevrolet became the main rivals of the then market leader Ford 1927 Chevrolet even reached the top spot; also because Ford had much held too long outdated model T.

The following decades been experiencing continuous competition between Chevrolet and Ford to # 1 in the sales statistics. In most years, Chevrolet was the winner, although the cars offered offered no special technical features. The standard models and master show the product philosophy of the 1930s: simple, solid used car at an affordable price. In a response to the Ford V8 was waived; was considered its own six-cylinder good enough - and rightly so, as the sales figures proved.

After the United States had entered World War II, in 1942 the construction of passenger cars was discontinued in the next three years, Chevrolet produced exclusively military vehicles. 1945, car production resumed with only slightly modernized pre-war models. 1949 appeared a new generation model with pontoon body.

1953 Chevrolet Corvette was introduced, the first sports car of the brand. Initially the car was not a sales success, until he then nevertheless prevailed and was until now the most successful American sports car.

Late, but just in time, Chevrolet followed the U.S. trend toward a V8 engine. The eight-cylinder engine was introduced in the fall of 1954 and immediately became a success. The Chevrolet Bel Air is the model years 1955 to 1957 is still regarded as almost ideal typical example of an American family car of the 1950s.

In the following years, the strong competitive pressure towards ever larger and ever more extreme car body shapes. Culmination of this development were the models 1959 and 1960 with their spectacular, reshaped to butterfly wings tail fins.

With the introduced end of 1959 Chevrolet Corvair Chevrolet offered an American alternative to the VW Beetle. He was the only American production car with air-cooled rear engine. He should prepare Chevrolet lot of grief when his getting used to driving came to talk.

In the 1960s, Chevrolet became the Wretched. Archrival Ford introduced a new multiple models and thus opened up new market segments. Chevrolet followed reluctantly and with some years of delay. In the compact car Ford Falcon 1959 was followed by the Chevrolet Nova (1961 ), on the midsize car Ford Fairlane 1961 the Chevrolet Chevelle (1963) and the Sport Coupe Ford Mustang 1964 the Chevrolet Camaro ( 1966). In the latter case, the delay was particularly embarrassing because the Mustang was in his early years a great sales success, and Chevrolet had nothing to oppose him.

The 1970s were dominated by the oil crisis. Gasoline was scarce and expensive in the USA. The demand for smaller cars grew; Chevrolet expanded its program to the models of Vega and Chevette, which were significantly smaller than the cars offered so far.

Big changes were made in the years 1979 to 1982: Chevrolet introduced several new model series with front wheel drive and thus followed a development that took place in Europe since the 1960s. In rapid succession, the models Citation, Cavalier and Celebrity were introduced. Only the big wagon ( Caprice ) and the sporty models ( Camaro, Corvette ) kept the rear wheel drive.

At this time the competition grew through the Japanese manufacturers who sold their vehicles with great success in the United States. In cooperation with Toyota Chevrolet built a new factory in California that not only the Toyota Corolla produced, but also a sister model of the Chevrolet. This was the traditional name Nova.

As a further measure led General Motors in 1988 and 1990, the brands Geo and Saturn one to compete with low-cost vehicles against the importers can. This Chevrolet lost its decades-long position as the cheapest brand in the General Motors Group. The two new brands talked for a while, but could in the long run but not established. Since the end of Saturn in 2009, Chevrolet is again the entry-level brand of General Motors.

Since the 1980s, the demand in North America has shifted significantly in the direction of light commercial vehicles. The Transporter Express and Astro, Colorado and Silverado pickups and SUVs Blazer Tahoe and sell in large numbers and are consequently responsible for the success of Chevrolet of great importance. Correspondingly, the proportion of pure cars in the past 30 years has declined significantly.

Since 2005, vehicles are offered as a Chevrolet on the European market, which were formerly sold under the brand name Daewoo. Apart from the Chevrolet logo, the vehicles based initially continue to Daewoo technique. In the following years these models were as also gradually replaced the American Chevrolet models by new, developed in the USA, Germany and South Korea models, which are now offered in largely the same form worldwide. Since 2011 the name has disappeared Daewoo in South Korea.

On December 5, 2013 to Chevrolet announced itself in 2016 from the Western European market to pull back. This is to strengthen the European market the Opel brand.

Models

GM has the Chevrolet brand used to restructure the group in 2009 for regionally very different model ranges, in which there were often parallel developments, different names of the same models or badge - engineering older Opel models. Since 2009, the brand has become increasingly a worldwide uniform model range in which only sporadically models are offered in certain markets. Only in South America, there are still a number of local peculiarities. In this context, the South Korean GM Daewoo brand was fully integrated and whose name deleted.

Assumed models by Chevrolet USA
Assumed models from GM Daewoo

Trucks in North America

As trucks in North American nomenclature all SUVs, vans and commercial vehicles apply. These are not yet available outside the U.S..

Historic car models

North America

Manufactured rebadged Toyota NUMMI plant or in the common model
Rebadged Isuzu
Rebadged Suzuki
GM Daewoo

Europe

License reproduction or development of an Opel
As the " Daewoo " marketed Suzuki, or further development of a Suzuki
In South Korea as the " Daewoo " marketed Honda
In South Korea as the " Daewoo " marketed SsangYong (1997-2004 part of Daewoo )
In South Korea as the " Daewoo " marketed GM model ( Buick, Holden or Saturn)

Models for other markets ( largely historical )

Chevrolet Niva (Russia, GM - AvtoVAZ )
Chevrolet Viva (Russia, GM - AvtoVAZ )
Chevrolet Tavera (India, Indonesia)
Chevrolet Agile (Brazil, Argentina) Since 2009
Chevrolet Astra ( Mexico, Chile)
Chevrolet Blazer (Brazil )
Chevrolet Captiva (Brazil )
Chevrolet Celta (Brazil )
Classic Chevrolet (Brazil )
Chevrolet Chevette (Brazil )
Chevrolet Corsa / Corsa Classic / Classic / Corsa Wagon ( Argentina, Brazil, Uruguay, Chile)
Chevrolet C2 (Colombia, Mexico)
Chevrolet Corsa Pick-Up, Sedan & Station Wagon ( Brazil)
Chevrolet Kadett (Brazil )
Chevrolet Ipanema (Brazil )
Chevrolet 400 and Chevy (Argentina )
Chevrolet Meriva (Brazil )
Chevrolet Monza (Brazil )
Chevrolet Montana ( Brazil)
Chevrolet Omega (Brazil )
Chevrolet Opala (Brazil )
Chevrolet Prisma ( Brazil)
Chevrolet S10 ( Brazil)
Chevrolet Veraneio (Brazil )
Chevrolet Vectra (Chile)
Chevrolet Vectra (Brazil )
Chevrolet Vectra GT (Brazil )
Chevrolet Zafira (Brazil )