Chevrolet – the Story of a Global Brand - GM Media Site

Chevrolet – the Story of a Global Brand
A. Louis Chevrolet and the Legend of Beaune
Like many inventors and pioneers, Louis Chevrolet (1878-1941),
the racing driver and automobile designer, represents a
challenge for any historian or biographer. Myths and legends
surround him and his life. Numerous anecdotes have been told
about his career. Today, it has become very difficult to
differentiate between fact and fiction.
Chevrolet's childhood and youth are well documented. In 1878,
he was born on Christmas day in the town of La Chaux-deFonds in the French-speaking part of Switzerland. He spent his
early childhood nearby in the sleepy little village of Bonfol. Even
today, Bonfol remains a small town where the only reminder of
its famous son is a memorial plaque on Place Louis Chevrolet.
When Louis was nine years old, his family moved to Beaune in
France. There, Louis' father owned a watch store, but the
Baby Louis Chevrolet
venture was not successful. As a
result, Louis started working at the age of eleven to support his
family. He found employment in the Robin bicycle workshop,
where he learned the fundamentals of mechanics. He repaired
coaches and bicycles, until one day he was sent to the "Hôtel de la
Poste" to repair a steam-driven tricycle belonging to an American.
This must have been the moment when Chevrolet fell in love
twice. He fell in love with automobiles, and also with the idea of
emigrating to America. The American, whose tricycle Chevrolet
had skillfully repaired was none other than the multimillionaire
Vanderbilt. Taken with the talent demonstrated by the young
mechanic, Vanderbilt encouraged Louis to come to America: "We
have work for you there!"
The truth in this rumor cannot be confirmed. However, the young
Swiss did follow the call from across the Atlantic to fulfill his very
own "American dream".
Louis Chevrolet in 1895
B. The American Dream
Initially, Chevrolet went to Paris – then the European center of automobile production. In
the workshop of Darracq, Louis learnt the basics of the internal combustion engine.
Subsequently, he may have also worked for Hotchkiss and Mors. His earnings paid for his
trip to Canada where he found employment as a chauffeur and mechanic for a few months.
From there, he moved to New York and was employed as a mechanic by a fellow Swiss
migrant, William Walter. A short time later, Chevrolet joined the American subsidiary of the
famous automobile company, De Dion-Bouton.
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In 1902, the De Dion-Bouton subsidiary was
shut down and Chevrolet was out of a job.
What was clearly a setback in his career
proved to be a bonus on a personal level: as a
chauffeur for the Treyvoux family he met his
future wife, Suzanne. Wedding bells rang in
New York in July 1905, and the couple was to
be blessed with two sons, Charles born in
1906 and Alfred in 1912.
In 1905, Chevrolet started work with Fiat, but
again he did not stay long. A year later he
moved to Philadelphia to work for Walter
Christie.
In the meantime, Louis' fascination with
engines had reached yet another dimension
– carried away with the notion of speed, he
became a racing driver.
Louis Chevrolet in a De Dion-Bouton in Brooklyn
in 1901
In the Christie factory he was appointed first assistant in the development of a new race car
based on a completely new concept: front-wheel drive.
C. "The Dare-Devil Frenchman"
As early as July 16, 1895, the "Journal de Beaune" reported a
cycling race whose winner was the fearless Louis Chevrolet.
Some ten years later Chevrolet participated in his first motorized
race, the "Three Miles" in New York, during which he reached a
top speed of 109.7 km/h – a world record.
In the same year, Louis Chevrolet built his first race car in which
he was clocked at 191.5 km/h – yet another world record.
Subsequently, his
successes as a
race car driver grew
and grew.
While his brothers
Arthur and Gaston
also competed, Louis generally
came in first.
Louis Chevrolet
Despite all of the spectacular successes,
Chevrolet paid a price for his race career.
Celebrated in the American press as "the daredevil Frenchman", he spent nearly three years
in hospital beds as the result of various
accidents. When his youngest brother, Gaston,
died after a racing accident, Louis never again
set foot in a race car.
Louis Chevrolet in 1905
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D. Establishing the Company
Chevrolet's successes as a race car driver influenced his career. The
booming automobile market and its cunning investors began to
notice the daring and innovative Swiss, and among them was William
"Billy" Durant (1861-1947), the financier from Boston. The two met
while Chevrolet drove race cars for Buick.
Only a short while later, in 1911, Durant and Chevrolet founded the
"Chevrolet Motor Car Company" in Detroit.
Durant who previously had founded General Motors in 1908 was an
enigmatic character. His biographers portrayed him as a charismatic
industrialist in the
spirit of the early 20th century, both charming
Billy Durant
and smart, an
enthusiast and an adventurer - not just in
terms of finance. Walter Chrysler once said of him that he could charm a bird off a tree.
Durant's interest focused not only on
Chevrolet's performance as a race car
driver. It was much more his fine Frenchsounding family name that rang in the
financier's ears. Just as in 1904, when
Durant bought up David Dunbar's ailing
automobile manufacturing company
"Buick", it was the name that clinched the
deal.
One year after establishing the "Chevrolet
Motor Car Company", the first "Classic
Six" rolled off the factory floor in Detroit.
The four-cylinder "Baby Grand" and the
two-seater "Royal Mail" and the "L Light
Six" followed.
Louis Chevrolet and Billy Durant
In the meantime, Louis Chevrolet proved
to be a gifted designer. All four automobiles displayed the distinctive Chevrolet signature,
and if it hadn't been for the legendary "cigar fight" between Chevrolet and Durant in 1914,
the Swiss would have probably helped design numerous other automobiles for the company.
But sadly the motor cars produced between 1911 and 1914 were to be the only ones
personally inspired by Chevrolet.
E. The Decision to Build Mass-Produced Vehicles
When the two headstrong founders of the
company, Durant and Chevrolet, aimed at
positioning their company in 1914, an argument
developed. During a vacation taken by Chevrolet,
Durant had restructured the company to focus on
more affordable cars which would compete with
those manufactured by Ford. Chevrolet
considered this an insult, as he himself had
always been interested in building "high-powered
speed cars" and other exclusive models.
If we are to believe the declarations made by
Durant's widow and Chevrolet's sister decades
Chevrolet Classic Six
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after the argument, it was a laconic comment made by Durant which caused the break-up of
the partnership. Durant had suggested that Chevrolet, now an executive in the automotive
industry, should change from smoking his cheap "blue collar" cigarettes to more exclusive
cigars.
Catherine Durant later said that her
husband did not so much dislike the brand
of the cigarettes, but the way in which
Chevrolet stuck them in the corner of his
mouth. In any case, this suggestion must
have hurt Louis Chevrolet so much that he
countered: "I sold you my automobile, I
sold you my name, but I shall not sell my
personality to you." He then packed up his
cigarettes and left the company.
Durant had made a fundamental decision
which has influenced the Chevrolet brand
to this day. He institutionalized the brand
as a synonym for good quality yet affordable
automobiles.
Production milestone
While the Chevrolet brand developed quickly along the lines established by Durant, Louis
Chevrolet returned to his passion.
His motto was to design modern automobiles and participate in races. In fulfillment of this
goal he founded the "Frontenac Motor Corporation" in 1914. In a difficult economic
environment he manufactured the first serially produced Frontenac - the showpiece of the
American automobile industry in the 1920s. In 1926, he and his brother Arthur established a
new company, "Chevrolair 333", and began developing a light aircraft
engine. The company was liquidated after a fight between the two
brothers.
Without further ado, Louis then founded the "Chevrolet Air Car
Company" in Indianapolis, which had to close shortly thereafter as a
result of the ensuing economic crisis. His last major engineering coup
took place in 1932 when he developed a 10-cylinder star engine.
Chevrolet applied for a patent for the engine, but by the time the
patent registration came through in 1935, Louis Chevrolet no longer
had the strength to build up another company. Instead, he again
worked as a mechanic, just as he did at the beginning of his career,
in the Chevrolet production plant in Detroit.
He died on June 6, 1941, at the age of 63 at his home in Lakewood,
east of Detroit – years after he had fallen seriously ill with a brain
hemorrhage.
Louis Chevrolet
F. The Bowtie Logo
After parting with Louis Chevrolet, William Durant worked on his various companies.
Following the loss of control over General Motors, he registered the "Chevrolet Motor
Company of Delaware". The new company incorporated the old Chevrolet Motor Company
and functioned as a holding company for his various automobile interests.
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In 1916, he pulled off a coup: he announced that Chevrolet owned a 54.5% shareholding in
GM, and he took over the chairmanship of the company from Charles W. Nash, who had
served at the helm of GM since 1912.
In May 1918, Durant bought up the assets of the Chevrolet Motor Company and integrated
the brand into the General Motors Corporation.
The name Chevrolet had become inseparable from its bowtie logo, even if the origin of the
bowtie has never been clear. In one version of the story, Chevrolet had been inspired by the
pattern of the wallpaper in a Paris hotel room. His own family has always disputed this.
Durant's wife apparently saw how her husband in 1911 discovered the sign in a newspaper
advertisement for a coal company. His daughter wrote in the Durant biography that her
father had drawn up the logo during dinner one evening. However, it is confirmed that the
bowtie logo – one of the best known logos in the U.S.A. and around the world – appeared for
the first time on a vehicle in 1914.
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G. Early Innovations (1914-1940)
Following the acquisition by General Motors in 1918 and under the wing of the parent
company Chevrolet developed into one of the most popular companies in the U.S. In 1922,
the one-millionth vehicle was produced. In 1927, Chevrolet sold one million automobiles per
year in the United States alone. Chevrolet had become the market leader. The key to this
fast upsurge was seen not only in the booming market for automobiles or in the "value for
money" philosophy embedded by Durant in the company's guiding principles. A large share
of the company's success in this period was due to the engineers and designers who
provided Chevrolet with a series of breakthroughs and sweeping innovations and who had
the courage to introduce these innovations in moderately priced automobiles.
Chevrolet was one of the first automobile manufacturers to replace the awkward and
dangerous hand crank with a self-starter. Chevrolet was also the first company to
standardize electric headlamps for "low-priced" vehicles.
In addition, Chevrolet offered numerous popular options, such as a built-in car radio (1924),
or a brake shoe (1930) connected with a joint to improve the insufficient braking power
common in automobiles of the time. In 1929, Chevrolet introduced a six-cylinder engine in
commercial vehicles which soon became known as the "cast-iron wonder" due to its
performance and durability. In 1934, Chevrolet introduced yet another automotive innovation
– the independent front-wheel suspension – which made driving infinitely more comfortable.
The real breakthrough for Chevrolet came as a result of a few models that remained
uncontested bestsellers for several years, due to the fact that certain ultra-modern concepts
in chassis construction had been introduced and implemented consistently. The prime
example of this was the development and marketing of the "Suburban".
H. A Dane and the Discovery of the SUV
Billy Durant had lost control over Chevrolet and General Motors in the course of the 1920's
depression. His company and personal finances were ruined. He used to say: "Money?
What is money? It's only a passing pleasure. Human beings are born with nothing, and they
leave this world with nothing." Thanks to this attitude he regained courage and reactivated
his business acumen and founded "Durant Motors".
After a turbulent period at the helm of General Motors, William S. Knudsen was able to
establish himself as the head of the company. Knudsen had formerly worked for Henry Ford,
a cause for concern among GM's workforce. He had to make assurances not to employ any
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Ford workers in the Flint plant, and at the
same time his task was to vie with his former
employer for supremacy in the domestic
automobile market.
Despite the rough times the down-to-earth
Dane was successful. In 1924, he started
production of the "Super Series K Pick-Up",
and the small van immediately hit a market
niche. The "K" stands for Knudsen. Knudsen
cultivated a very jovial relationship with his
staff in contrast to the rigid hierarchy known in
Larry Fisher, Alfred P. Sloan Jr, William S. Knudsen
American organizations at the time. He used
to say: "If you want to see me, come to my
office and take a seat". He signed documents with a simple "K".
In May 1926, Knudsen announced a 10-million dollar expansion program, which was
impressively reflected in that year's sales figures. In 1926, Chevrolet sold 692,000 vehicles,
some 200,000 more than in the previous year. In the same year, Ford had sold 1,550,000
vehicles, down some 500,000 from the year before. Chevrolet had already become a leader
in the low-priced segment of the American market.
Chevrolet introduced in 1936 the
"Suburban", a vehicle that fundamentally
changed the automobile market. With a
focus on functionality, the credo of the
new concept was "to carry all". At long
last, the whole family was to find sufficient
space in one car – and preferably the
fishing equipment too. To build this
automobile, Knudsen's engineers used a
conventional truck chassis, but instead of
installing a loading floor, as in the case of
pick-ups, they had designed a generous
passenger compartment in which up to 8
persons found sufficient seating space
on three rows of seats. A sound 90
horse-power engine provided the
necessary power, and the world's first
station wagon was born. The "Suburban"
had changed only very little by the time
production was stopped in World War II.
After the war, the "Suburban" underwent
continuous improvements.
In 1955, the basic model was delivered
with a 100 horse-power engine, and in
1956 a V8 became the standard. In 1957, the "Suburban" was available for the first time with
4-wheel drive, which made it a truly practical vehicle. It was no longer defined a station
wagon, but a car, and as such the prototype of the SUVs seen on our roads today.
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1939 Suburban, 1974 Suburban, 2013 Trax, 2002 Suburban (clockwise from top left)
I. A Permanent Link to Europe
The two Europeans, Louis Chevrolet and William S. Knudsen, were decisive figures in the
development of the Chevrolet brand. It is not surprising that the company cultivated close
contacts with the "old continent". Although the largest share of the production was sold in
booming America, nearly a quarter million cars were assembled between 1924 and the late
1960s from completely knocked-down (CKD) assembly kits for local markets in Belgium,
Denmark, Germany, Poland, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom.
The first "European" Chevrolet, a truck model, was assembled in Copenhagen on January 7,
1924. By 1951, the Danish subsidiary established in 1923 as General Motors International
A/S had assembled a total of 122,737 Chevrolet models - about half of which (58,894) were
passenger cars. These Chevrolets were sold in the Scandinavian and Baltic countries as
well as in Germany, Poland, Czechoslovakia, Austria, Hungary and Russia. At the
beginning, the Copenhagen plant received the CKD parts from a Chevrolet plant in
Tarrytown near New York City and as from 1925 from the Bloomfield plant in New Jersey.
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Chevrolet's second overseas assembly plant was named "General Motors Continental" and
was established in Belgium. The company was set up in an old abbey in Antwerp. The first
Chevrolet to be assembled there left the plant on April 2, 1925. Soon, demand grew faster
than the daily production of 25 vehicles could supply. In July 1926, the assembly was
relocated to the Antwerp cycle stadium. It is unsure how many of the 178,072 vehicles
assembled in Antwerp between 1925 and 1940 actually carried the bowtie logo. However,
the exact number of Chevrolets produced there after the war was recorded at 78,162
vehicles.
In the fall of 1934, the establishment of the General
Motors assembly plant in Switzerland started with a
Plant in Copenhagen, Denmark
scene fit for the stage: with a handful of mud and the
words "Here I bring to you the earth on which we shall
build our factory", Alfred P. Sloan (1875-1966), GM's
chairman at the time, signaled to Swiss President Guido
Müller his agreement to establishing a plant in Biel.
Between 1936 and 1968, a total of 26,858 vehicles were
assembled in Switzerland for sale in Switzerland,
First Chevrolet built in Biel, Switzerland
Germany and Austria, adorned with a logo depicting
Switzerland's three most famous mountains, Eiger, Mönch and Jungfrau, and the slogan
"Montage Suisse".
In Poland, General Motors manufactured Chevrolet models at two locations: from the fall of
1929 in a plant at 103 Wolska Street in Warsaw and from 1937 in a second plant in the Wola
district of Warsaw. In 1936, General Motors signed an agreement with a local company,
Lilop Rau & Loewenstein S.A., concerning the production of Cadillac, La Salle, Buick,
Oakland, Oldsmobile, Pontiac, Chevrolet, GMC, Opel and Vauxhall brand automobiles.
Before start of production, the local employees were trained at General Motors International
A/S in Copenhagen. The Chevrolet models produced in Wola included the four-door Master
Sedan, Master De Luxe, Master Touring Sedan and the Imperial limousine.
Increasingly, parts were no longer imported but rather manufactured locally. The start was
made with paint colors from Wloclawek, batteries from the "Tudor" plant in Piastów and
Stomil brand tires from Poznán. At the same time, the company cooperated with other Polish
manufacturers such as headlamp manufacturers "A. Marciniak" and the transmission
specialist "John" from Lódz. The Lublin engine plant which opened in 1938 supplied sixcylinder engines for the Chevrolet production. In 1939, a total of 159 parts of Polish origin
were used in production. With the start of World War II, production in Poland was stopped.
In Germany, Chevrolets were manufactured
in plants in Berlin-Wittenau and in BerlinBorsigwalde. In September 1927, the
5,000th Chevrolet assembled in Germany
left the plant. Capacity was increased to
some 2,000 vehicles per month in 1929.
Unfortunately, the demand for Chevrolet
models 11/30 and 6 was unstable. With the
onset of the Depression, sales declined and
the plant was closed effective October 31,
1931.
In the United Kingdom, General Motors
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cooperated with Vauxhall Motors Ltd. from 1925 onward. GM considered the deal
(£650,000) to be a favorable overseas investment to avoid high import duties which in the
UK depended on the weight of the vehicles. At the beginning, the 10cwt and 1-ton vehicles
were manufactured in Hendon. When demand rose in 1928 and Chevrolet had already
become a serious competitor for Ford, production was transferred to a factory in Luton.
When the truck boom collapsed, Chevrolet largely withdrew from the UK. Only a small
number of vehicles made in the U.S.A. were sold via specialists.
J. The Birth of a Wildcat (Chevrolet in the post-war years)
Until the start of World War II, Chevrolet reported good sales and in this sense it was on a
par with Ford, the "perpetual" and strongest competitor. The shock of the war and the social
and economic vacuum it created set the market clock back to zero.
When the economy finally took an upswing at the
beginning of the 1950s, the first post-war trends
became apparent: the new generation of consumers
demanded a fresh look, freedom and more driving
pleasure. Chevrolet's general manager, Thomas
Keating, reacted with the introduction of the powerglide transmission (1950), the first fully automatic
transmission as an option in the low-priced segment.
Chevrolet launched the Corvette in 1953 in response
to the demand for more speed. It was the first massproduced sports car ever!
First-ever Corvette, built in Flint, Michigan,
U.S.A. on June 30, 1953
While engineers captured the mood of the time with
the launch of the Corvette, they had not yet updated
the popular models. Keating sensed that a style revolution would hit Ford hardest. He
convinced GM's board that Chevrolet was too focused on the V6, and he instructed former
Cadillac engineer Edward N. Cole to develop a new V8 engine. At the same time he had the
body completely redesigned. The new car was to look entirely different, but still be
identifiable as a Chevrolet.
In 1955, Chevrolet presented the "pièce
de resistance" of its designers and
engineers – and the success was
unbelievable. "Mechanix Illustrated"
compared the V8 with a wildcat: "A wildcat
– truly sensational". In an acceleration
test, the vehicle reached a top speed of
181 km/h, and critic Tom McCahill
considered it "one of the biggest
sensations of the year".
Chevrolet's post-war masterpiece was
then introduced with a gigantic marketing
blitz. When the 1955 Chevrolet models
1953 Corvette
came into the showrooms, dealers
distributed 2,131,000 balloons, 1,016,920 perfume bottles and innumerable ballpoint pens
and key rings.
For Chevrolet, 1955 was the best year the company had experienced to date. The number of
vehicles sold rose to 1,646,681 and beat Ford's sales of 1,573,276 automobiles, and in the
NASCAR race the Chevrolet Race Team won 13 out of 25 short-track races.
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Until the early 1970s the company experienced a wave of success which brought to market
such innovations as the gasoline injected engine (1957) and the four-wheel independent
suspension (1959). In 1958, Chevrolet combined the functions of a pick-up with the comfort
of a large passenger car in the El Camino model. In 1962, Chevrolet introduced a new line of
smaller vehicles, the Chevy II models. The Malibu and Camaro models, considered classic
cars today, were launched in 1963 and 1966 respectively.
K. The Crisis of the 1970s
Towards the end of the 1960s, the sales figures of American automobile manufacturers
began to stagnate. The reason for this was the growing number of imported vehicles from
Japan – Japanese imports had doubled between 1967 and 1968 and Chevrolet was
struggling with responding to the new competition. In addition, Chevrolet slid ever deeper
into a legal dispute concerning the technical quality of earlier models, mainly the "Corvair".
Moreover, Ralph Nader, a lawyer and consumer
advocate in the U.S.A., published a book in which
he claimed that many U.S.-American automobiles
(and especially those manufactured by General
Motors) had structural weaknesses. The book,
"Unsafe at Any Speed", resulted in Congressional
hearings and in new legislation to ensure improved
motor vehicle safety.
When Nader claimed that there was a risk of a gas
leak and a sudden engine collapse of
1967 Vega
some
Chevrolet models, Chevrolet had to announce the largest recall in automobile history. On
December 5, 1971, 6.7 million Chevrolet Nova, Camaro and V-8 trucks built between 1965
and 1969 were recalled.
John de Lorean, GM's new Chief Executive Officer, was to
revitalize Chevrolet and bring it back on course with the Monte
Carlo and Vega models. "We need to sell more cars," was the
core message from his first speech as GM's CEO, and he set a
target of 30% market share in the U.S.A., which in 1968 had fallen
to 24.7%.
The Monte Carlo was considered somewhat of a transition model,
a forerunner of the Chevrolet Vega.
But watchdog Ralph Nader criticized the Vega
1967 Vega in Death Valley test drive
spark plug adjustment, and Chevy manager
Anderson got into a clinch with the unions which resulted in a strike.
In spite of tests executed by the EPA (Environment Protection Authority), which had
assessed the Vega in an overall rating as the best American automobile, ultimately,
Chevrolet withdrew some of its Vega series.
By means of a spectacular vehicle test carried out in Death Valley, Chevrolet delivered a
further argument in favor of the car. However, the Vega's image had been severely
tarnished, and in 1977 the model was withdrawn from the market.
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L. A Turnaround: Success with the Chevette (1980s)
In the late 70s and early 80s, the political situation intensified, and everybody was discussing
the "energy problem". While Japanese manufacturers so far had covered only a small
segment with their affordable and energy-saving compact cars, they became attractive to the
whole nation.
Chevrolet was one of the first American
manufacturers to react. In the 1960s, the Chevy II
line was a success, now the Chevette was to
follow. When GM announced a downsize strategy
for the whole company, the Chevette had already
been built. The smaller family car was a winner.
"Car and Driver" magazine called it "the most
trouble-free machine we've ever encountered".
Managers considered it "the vanguard of the future
American automobile". The Chevette was small,
light, fuel efficient, and it sold well.
Chevette
Sales figures declined in the 1980s, a trend that
was not limited to Chevrolet and GM, but rather prevalent throughout the U.S. automobile
industry. The trend toward smaller vehicles made the design of American cars similar to that
of non-U.S. brands. The home market became more competitive. The company had great
success in the 1980s with its SUV line (Blazer), such models as the Malibu, Impala/Caprice,
Cavalier and the super-seller Citation (180,000 vehicles in the first 6 months alone).
Chevrolet again focused on its international roots and prepared to finally launch the label as
an international brand.
M. Chevrolet's Engineering & Manufacturing Base
With strategic partnerships with Isuzu, Suzuki and Fuji
Heavy Industries and a joint venture with Toyota
signed in 1983, GM consistently developed its position
in the Asian market. Right-hand-drive Cavaliers were
sold in Japan, and the foothold in Asia was further
strengthened. In 2001, Chevrolet introduced its
"Cruze" in Japan, which was developed in cooperation
with GM's partner Suzuki. The Cruze, therefore,
became the first GM vehicle since the 1930s to be
manufactured in Japan.
After months of negotiations, General Motors in the fall of 2002 finally purchased key assets
of the ailing Korean group, Daewoo Motors. Originally, Daewoo was established as a textile
company and over decades developed into one of the largest industrial corporations. Its
"Auto and Technology" unit was founded in 1937, first as National Motor, then renamed
Saenara Motor (1962) followed by Shinjin Motor (1965), manufacturing vehicles mainly
based on GM automobiles. In 2002, GM and partners set up a new company with the name
of GM Daewoo Auto & Technology (GM DAT), renamed to GM Korea in March 2011, which
includes production plants in Korea and Vietnam as well as the technical development and
design center in Bupyeong and an advanced design center in Seoul. It serves Chevrolet as
an engineering and manufacturing base for a range of mini, small and mid-size cars
designed for customers in international markets. The Chevrolet cars sold in Europe today
were developed at international GM Design and Engineering Centers in North and South
America, Europe, Asia and Australia and built in the U.S., Canada, Korea and Russia.
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N. Chevrolet – A Popular Brand Around the World
Since the beginning of its success story, Chevrolet had an international DNA, and despite
the success in its home markets, it never lost sight of territories far outside the U.S. In
Europe, it had a firm production base through the 1960s. In countries like Brazil, Argentina
and Mexico, various Chevrolet models reached cult status. In South Africa, Chevrolet was
GM's main brand until 1982. And the brand also had a presence in Thailand and the Middle
East.
Today, Chevrolet is General Motors' best-selling global brand, accounting for more than 50
percent of the company's global sales. In 2013, Chevrolet sold almost 5 million vehicles in
140 countries for a global market share of 5.9 percent. It is the fourth biggest global car
brand in terms of sales and also one of the fastest growing brands in the world. In fact: every
6.3 seconds a Chevrolet is bought somewhere in the world. It is growing particularly fast in
the world's emerging markets of China, Brazil, India and Russia.
Chevrolet cars combine bold design, performance, innovation and practicality. They provide
outstanding value for money. Established in the U.S. by Swiss émigré Louis Chevrolet in
1911, the brand celebrated its centenary in 2011. The European Chevrolet line-up currently
includes the Spark city car; the small Aveo sedan and hatchback; the Trax small SUV, the
compact Cruze sedan, hatchback and station wagon; the Orlando family van; the Captiva
SUV; the Malibu midsize sedan; the legendary Camaro and Corvette sports cars; and the
extended-range Volt electric car.
Chevrolet's bestselling models in Europe in 2013: Spark, Cruze, Aveo, Trax (clockwise
from top left)
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New Chevrolets in 2014: Corvette Stingray coupe and convertible
O. Chevrolet's WTCC Race Team (2005-2012): A success story
In 2005, exactly 100 years after the first race
successes by the company's founder, Chevrolet
entered its own race team in the FIA World
Touring Car Championship (WTCC). The
Chevrolet team successfully established itself in
its first season and reached the podium already
in November 2005.
Over the years, Chevrolet climbed to the helm of
the series. It became WTCC double world
champion three times in a row by winning both
the drivers' and the manufacturers' titles in 2010, 2011 and 2012.
In 2012, its last season in the series as a team, Chevrolet
dominated the WTCC with 20 wins from 24 races and the three
Chevrolet drivers, Rob Huff, Yvan Muller and Alain Menu,
claiming the three top spots in the championship.
Chevrolet cars will continue to be present in the WTCC with six
Chevrolet Cruzes being driven by three private racing teams in
2014.
P. Corvette: Born to Race
When the Chevrolet Corvette was launched in
1953, racing was already a part of its DNA. Road
racing and the most popular endurance races,
such as the 24 Hours of Le Mans, are still
Corvette's natural environment today.
Founded in 1999, Corvette Racing, America's
premier production sports car racing team, has
won 82 races in the American Le Mans Series, 10
ALMS manufacturers' and team championships,
and nine driver's championships. Corvette Racing
has enjoyed international success in the 24 Hours of Le Mans, the world's biggest sports car
race, with seven class victories since 2001. Add in an overall victory in the 2001 Daytona 24
Hours, and Corvette Racing has an impressive total of 90 victories around the world.
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Q. The Power of Football
In 2012, Chevrolet became the Official Automotive Sponsor of
U.K. Premier League club Manchester United and will also be its
shirt sponsor beginning with the 2014/2015 season. The team
has a great international appeal with hundreds of millions of
supporters globally, allowing Chevrolet to engage with fans
around the world.
In the same year, Chevrolet
became a Founding Sponsor of the
One World Futbol Project and is
helping to distribute 1.5 million
virtually indestructible footballs over the three years to
impoverished areas, refugee camps and conflict zones. By
supporting the sport, Chevrolet and One World Futbol Project
are bringing positive changes to countries around the world by
encouraging youth in need to use their passion for sport to
solve problems and inspire tolerance.
More information on Chevrolet can be found at chevroleteurope.com or
media.chevroleteurope.com.