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Chevrolet ( ) is an American automobile division of the manufacturer General Motors (GM). In North America, Chevrolet produces and sells a wide range of vehicles, from subcompact automobiles to medium-duty commercial trucks. Due to the prominence and name recognition of Chevrolet as one of General Motors' global marques, "Chevrolet" or its affectionate nickname Chevy or is used at times as a synonym for General Motors or its products, one example being the GM LS1 engine, commonly known by the name or a variant thereof of its progenitor, the Chevrolet small-block engine.
Louis Chevrolet (1878–1941), Arthur Chevrolet (1884–1946) and ousted General Motors founder William C. Durant (1861–1947) started the company on November 3, 1911 as the Chevrolet Motor Car Company. Durant used the Chevrolet Motor Car Company to acquire a controlling stake in General Motors with a reverse takeover occurring on May 2, 1918, and propelled himself back to the GM presidency. After Durant's second ousting in 1919, Alfred Sloan, with his maxim "a car for every purse and purpose", picked the Chevrolet brand to become the volume leader in the General Motors family, selling mainstream vehicles to compete with Henry Ford's Model T in 1919 and overtaking Ford as the best-selling car in the United States by 1929 with the Chevrolet International.
Chevrolet-branded vehicles are sold in most automotive markets worldwide. In Oceania, Chevrolet was represented by Holden Special Vehicles, having returned to the region in 2018 after a 50-year absence with the launching of the Chevrolet Camaro and Silverado pickup truck (HSV was partially and formerly owned by GM subsidiary Holden, which GM retired in 2021). In 2021, General Motors Specialty Vehicles took over the distribution and sales of Chevrolet vehicles in Oceania, starting with the Silverado. In 2005, Chevrolet Europe, primarily selling vehicles built by GM Daewoo of South Korea with the tagline "Daewoo has grown up enough to become Chevrolet", a move rooted in General Motors' attempt to build a global brand around Chevrolet. With the reintroduction of Chevrolet to Europe, GM intended Chevrolet to be a mainstream value brand, while GM's traditional European standard-bearers, Opel of Germany and Vauxhall Motors of the United Kingdom, were to be moved upmarket. However, GM reversed this move in late 2013, announcing that the brand would be withdrawn from Europe from 2016 onward, with the exception of the Chevrolet Camaro and Corvette. Chevrolet vehicles were to continue to be marketed in the CIS states, including Russia. After General Motors fully acquired GM Daewoo Motors in 2011 to create GM Korea, the last usage of the Daewoo automotive brand was discontinued in its native South Korea and succeeded by Chevrolet.
Durant was dismissed from his senior management position at General Motors in 1910, a company that he had founded in 1908.
In 1904 he had taken over the Flint Wagon Works and Buick of Flint, Michigan. He also incorporated the Mason and Little companies. As head of Buick, Durant had hired Louis Chevrolet to drive Buicks in promotional races. Durant planned to use Chevrolet's reputation as a racer as the foundation for his new automobile company. The first factory location was in Flint, Michigan at the corner of Wilcox and Kearsley Street, now known as "Chevy Commons" at coordinates , along the Flint River, across the street from Kettering University.One of the technical advancements Chevrolet benefited from was the implementation of an overhead valve engine from the very beginning, as the company was developed by the former owner of Buick, which had patented the overhead valve and cross-flow cylinder design as being more efficient than the conventional use of the flathead engine.
Actual design work for the first Chevy, the costly Series C Classic Six, was drawn up by Etienne Planche, following instructions from Louis. The first C prototype was ready months before Chevrolet was actually incorporated. However, the first actual production was not until the 1913 model. So in essence there were no 1911 or 1912 production models, only one pre-production model was made and fine tuned throughout the early part of 1912. Then in the fall of that year the new 1913 model was introduced at the New York auto show.
Chevrolet first used the "bowtie emblem" logo in 1914 on the H series models (Royal Mail and Baby Grand) and The L Series Model (Light Six). It may have been designed from wallpaper Durant once saw in a French hotel room. More recent research by historian Ken Kaufmann presents a case that the logo is based on a logo of the "Coalettes" coal company.
An example of this logo as it appeared in an advertisement for Coalettes appeared in the Atlanta Constitution on November 12, 1911. Others claim that the design was a stylized Swiss cross, in tribute to Chevrolet's home country. Over time, Chevrolet used several different iterations of the bowtie logo at the same time, often using blue for passenger cars, gold for trucks, and an outline (often in red) for cars that had performance packages. Chevrolet eventually unified all vehicle models with the gold bowtie in 2004, for both brand cohesion as well as to differentiate itself from Ford (with its blue oval logo) and Dodge (who has often used red for its imaging), its two primary domestic rivals.Louis Chevrolet had differences with Durant over design and in 1914 sold Durant his share in the company. By 1916, Chevrolet was profitable enough with successful sales of the cheaper Series 490 to allow Durant to repurchase a controlling interest in General Motors. After the deal was completed in 1918, 2 May 1918 - GM buys Chevrolet at the History Channel Durant became president of General Motors, and Chevrolet was merged into GM as a separate division. In 1919, Chevrolet's factories were located at Flint, Michigan; branch assembly locations were sited in Tarrytown, N.Y., Norwood Assembly, St. Louis, Missouri, Oakland Assembly, Ft. Worth, Texas, and Oshawa, Ontario General Motors of Canada Limited. McLaughlin's were given GM Corporation stock for the proprietorship of their Company article September 23, 1933 Financial Post page 9. The Sun, Baltimore, January 21, 1917 and GM archives ad for 1915 Chevrolet, Part 6, Page 14. In the 1918 model year, Chevrolet introduced the Series D, a V8-powered model in four-passenger roadster and five-passenger touring car models. Sales were poor and it was dropped in 1919.
Beginning also in 1919, GMC commercial grade trucks were rebranded as Chevrolet, and using the same chassis of Chevrolet passenger cars and building light-duty trucks, sharing an almost identical appearance with GMC products.
Until 1921, Chevrolet Corporate headquarters were located at 57th and Broadway in New York City until April when the office was relocated to the General Motors Building at Cadillac Place in Detroit.
Chevrolet continued into the 1920s, 1930s, and 1940s competing with Ford, and after the Chrysler Corporation formed Plymouth in 1928, Plymouth, Ford, and Chevrolet were known as the "Low-priced three". In 1929 they introduced the famous "Stovebolt" overhead-valve inline six-cylinder engine, giving Chevrolet a marketing edge over Ford, which was still offering a lone flathead four ("A Six at the price of a Four"). In 1933 Chevrolet launched the Standard Six, which was advertised in the United States as the cheapest six-cylinder car on sale. The Tuscaloosa News, March 12, 1933 pg11 During the Great Depression the Chevrolet Master introduced a streamlined appearance, showing Art Deco influences and before and after the World War II era, the Chevrolet Deluxe and Chevrolet Fleetline found many buyers.
Chevrolet had a great influence on the American automobile market during the 1950s and 1960s. In 1953 it produced the Corvette, a two-seater sports car with a fiberglass body. In 1957 Chevy introduced its first fuel injected engine, Springfield Union, February 17, 1957, Page 75. the Rochester Ramjet option on Corvette and Chevrolet Bel Air passenger cars, priced at $484 ($ today). Dallas Morning News, November 22, 1956, Part 1, Page 12. In 1960 Chevrolet joined the newly popular "compact car" market by introducing the Corvair, with a rear-mounted air-cooled engine. In 1963 one out of every ten cars sold in the United States was a Chevrolet.
During the 1960s and early 1970s, the standard Chevrolet, particularly the deluxe Chevrolet Impala series, became one of the United States' best-selling lines of automobiles in history. During that era, the mid-sized Chevrolet Chevelle which was used to introduce the Chevrolet Monte Carlo, and the economically priced Chevrolet Nova, which was the basis for the Chevrolet Camaro, all were commercially successful and included family sedans, practical station wagons, and sporty coupes and convertibles. As the popularity of small, fuel efficient imported vehicles began to find buyers in the US during the 1970s and 1980s, the Chevrolet Vega was introduced while the Chevrolet Chevette was the result of international collaboration. By the mid-1980s, the Vega was gone and the Chevette was about to be discontinued.
Lacking a line of competitive small cars, Chevrolet imported several Japanese models and re-badged them as Chevrolets. The Suzuki-sourced Chevrolet Sprint and the Isuzu-supplied Chevrolet Spectrum were a better match to compete against the popular Toyota Corolla and Honda Civic. The Chevrolet Citation was the division's first compact sized front-wheel-drive car along with the Chevrolet Cavalier, followed up by the Chevrolet Celebrity. Chevrolet during the 1990s formed a partnership with Toyota and introduced the Geo Prizm while also offering the domestically produced Chevrolet Corsica. As mid-sized family sedans began to gain popularity, the Chevrolet Lumina found many buyers and as minivans began to find buyers, the Chevrolet Venture followed the popular selling Chevrolet Trailblazer and Chevrolet Traverse SUV's.
The basic Chevrolet small-block V8 design has remained in continuous production since its debut in 1955, longer than any other mass-produced engine in the world, although current versions share few if any parts interchangeable with the original. Descendants of the basic small-block OHV V8 design platform in production today have been much modified with advances such as aluminium block and heads, electronic engine management, and sequential port fuel injection. Depending on the vehicle type, Chevrolet V8s are built in displacements from 4.3 to 9.4 litres with outputs ranging from to as installed at the factory. The engine design has also been used over the years in GM products built and sold under the Pontiac, Oldsmobile, Buick, Hummer, Opel (Germany), and Holden (Australia) nameplates.
In 2000, Chevrolet brought back the iconic chevrolet Impala, although unlike its predecessors, this car was a mid-sized front-wheel drive four door sedan. It was produced until 2020, and the last generation (2014-2020) was larger and classified as a full-size passenger car.
In 2005, General Motors re-launched the Chevrolet marque in European Union, using rebadged versions of the Daewoo cars produced by GM Korea.
The Chevrolet division largely recovered from the economic downturn of 2007–2010 through launching new vehicles and improving existing lines. General Motors began developing more fuel efficient cars and trucks to compete with foreign automakers. In late 2010 General Motors began production of the plug-in hybrid Chevrolet Volt, sold as the Opel/Vauxhall Ampera in European Union, which received multiple awards including the 2012 Car of the Year, European Car of the Year, and World Green Car of the Year. The Volt/Ampera family was the world's best selling plug-in electric car in 2012 with 31,400 units sold. The Opel/Vauxhall Motors Ampera was Europe top selling plug-in electric car in 2012 with 5,268 units, representing a market share of 21.5% of the region's plug-in electric passenger car segment. Ampera sales in Europe totaled 5,268 units in 2012 and 304 in 2011. Combined global Volt/Ampera sales passed the 100,000 unit milestone in October 2015. About 102,000 units of the Volt/Ampera family have been sold worldwide by the end of October 2015. , the Volt family of vehicles ranks as the world's all-time top selling plug-in hybrid, and it is also the third-best-selling plug-in electric car ever, after the Nissan Leaf and the Tesla Model S. , cumulative global sales of the top selling plug-in electric cars were led by the Nissan Leaf (over 228,000), followed by theTesla Model S (129,393), Votl/Ampera family (about 117,300), Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV (about 107,400), Toyota Prius PHV (over 75,400), BYD Qin (56,191), Renault Zoe (51,193), BMW i3 (around 49,500), Mitsubishi i-MiEV family (about 37,600) and BYD Tang (37,509). Volt sales in the American market passed the 100,000 milestone in July 2016. , around 117,000 units of the Volt/Ampera family have been sold globally, including close to 10,000 Opel/Vauxhall Ampera variants sold in Europe. Volt sales in the American market passed the 100,000 milestone in July 2016.
In October 2016, GM began production of the Chevrolet Bolt EV, the first ever affordable mass market all-electric car with a range over . The Chevrolet Bolt won several awards including the 2017 Motor Trend Car of the Year award, the 2017 AutoGuide.com Reader's Choice Green vehicle of the Year, Green Car Reports Best Car To Buy 2017, Green Car Journal's 2017 Green Car of the Year, and was listed in Time magazine's Best 25 Inventions of the Year of 2016.
On February 14, 2021, Chevrolet unveiled the 2022 Chevrolet Bolt and redesigned Chevrolet Bolt.
| +Top ten Chevrolet sales markets 2011 |
| +Chevrolet sales 2021 |
| 1,437,604 |
| 242,108 |
| 229,600 |
| 118,969 |
| 108,786 |
| > 100,000 |
| 54,292 |
| 38,657 |
| 34,624 |
| > 28,500 |
Chevrolet had operations in over 140 countries, and global sales in 2011 set a record with 4.76 million vehicles sold worldwide.
A total of 673,376 locally-manufactured Chevrolets were sold in China in 2018 (down from a record of 767,001 in 2014). In 2018, Chevrolet held just 2.90% share of the Chinese market (down from a record market share of 5.33% in 2012).
The best-selling Chevrolet models in China by 2019 were the Cavalier (~ 10 000 units per month). Malibu (~ 3500 units per month), Equinox (~ 2000 units per month), Cruze - at one time the best-selling model (~ 1500 units per month), Sail (~ 1200 units per month), new Orlando (~ 1000 units per month), Malibu XL (~ 800 units per month), Trax (~ 100 units per month), Lova RV (~ 100 units per month), representing just 9 of the staggering total of 628 (sic) models of passenger cars being produced in China by February 2019.
Chevrolet sold the Chevrolet Cruze, Chevrolet Spark, Chevrolet Optra, Chevrolet Aveo, Chevrolet Tavera, Chevrolet Captiva, Chevrolet SRV, Chevrolet Beat, Chevrolet Sail and Chevrolet Aveo U-VA. The Chevrolet Forester, a rebadged Subaru, was imported directly from Fuji Heavy Industries in Japan until 2005. The Cruze and Tavera were built at the Halol plant. Chevrolet also was the sole engine supplier for the Formula Rolon single-seater series in India. In 2017, GM ceased the production and sale of Chevrolet cars in India, but it continues to run service centers.
Chevrolet stopped selling cars and ceased production in Indonesia by the end of March 2020.
In the 2010s, General Motors Japan Limited distributed and marketed the Chevrolet Sonic, Captiva, Chevrolet Camaro, and Corvette in limited numbers through an agreement with Yanase Co., Ltd. dealerships. In the 2000s, General Motors Asia Pacific (Japan) had distributed and marketed the TrailBlazer also. , Mitsui Bussan Automotive distributes and markets the Chevrolet Tahoe, Chevrolet Express, Chevrolet HHR, Silverado, and Traverse.
Previously, it had also marketed the Starcraft versions of the G-Van and Chevrolet TrailBlazer. Mitsui Bussan Automotive had been importing and distributing certain GM models since 1992, but will cease their GM import business in November 2011, as GM Japan wants to consolidate the distribution channels. The Chevrolet models that have been imported by Mitsui will no longer be sold once existing inventories are depleted. As of 2022, General Motors Japan imports and distributes the Camaro and right-hand-drive Corvette in Japan.
In 2018, Naza Quest Sdn Bhd ceased to distribute new Chevrolet vehicles in Malaysia, but continues to provide warranty support and aftersales service for existing Chevrolet customers.
GM withdrew from the Philippines in 1985 and returned in 2000. During Chevrolet's absence in the market, many cars like the Chevrolet Suburban and the Chevrolet Astro have been imported new in the country via grey-market and sold to retailers.
Chevrolet's current Philippine operations are under the control of The Covenant Car Company Inc. The company was officially incorporated on July 1, 2009 and assumed business operations on October 1, 2009.
There are at least 24 dealerships around the country as of 2020. Its current lineup include the Chevrolet Spark, Chevrolet Sail, Chevrolet Cruze, Chevrolet Malibu, Isuzu D-Max, Chevrolet Trax, Chevrolet Trailblazer, Chevrolet Suburban, and the Chevrolet Tahoe.
In 2018, the Corvette was added to the roster, making it the most expensive vehicle in the lineup. It is legally imported, as the government has seized and destroyed expensive vehicles that were bought into the country illegally. “You Can Now Buy A C7 Chevrolet Corvette In The Philippines” from GM Authority (November 23, 2018)
In 2019, the Camaro returned to the Philippines with a 2.0-liter turbo engine at 275 hp and 398Nm to compete with the Ford Mustang ever since it was introduced in 2010.
General Motors is currently exploring cost-cutting options as part of its restructuring plan. One of these options involves expanding the Rayong, Thailand plant to add additional capacity to export Colorados to the US. This would allow the Shreveport, Louisiana plant to be closed (where the Colorado is also produced). This scenario is plausible only if a free-trade agreement is signed between the U.S. and Thailand, as the American tariff on imported pickup trucks from non-FTA countries is currently 25%. The United Auto Workers is the most vocal opponent to a change in the tariff structure.
In addition to the Colorado pickup trucks, General Motors began assembling Chevrolet Captiva sport utility vehicle in its Rayong plant during June 2007. The Thai-assembled Captiva is based on THETA platform under the program code C100. Also produced at the General Motors' Rayong plant are the Chevrolet Aveo (launched in September 2009 under the platform T100) and Chevrolet Cruze (launched in November 2010 under the platform GLOBAL DELTA).
Chevrolet stopped selling its vehicles throughout Thailand in 2020, and sold the Rayong plant to Great Wall. Aftermarket sales, repairs and warranties will be honored for its Thai customers through authorized shops.
General Motors Uzbekistan, or GM Uzbekistan, became the new name of Uz-Daewoo Auto in March 2008 as part of a new joint venture owned by Uzavtosanoat JSC (75%) and General Motors Corporation (25%) with a factory in Asaka producing a variety of Chevrolet models. In the 2010s, the Damas (N150), Matiz (M150), Nexia (N150), Spark (M300), Epica, Malibu, and Captiva were assembled at the plant.
Bodies for the local assembly of Chevrolets were built in Australia as early as 1918
and by 1926 the newly created General Motors (Australia) Pty Ltd had established assembly plants in five Australian states to produce Chevrolet and other GM vehicles using bodies supplied by Holden. The Holden Heritage – page 5 Retrieved from media.gm.com on July 25, 2009 The merger of General Motors (Australia) Pty Ltd with the troubled Holden Motor Body Builders in 1931 saw the creation of General Motors-Holden and the ongoing production of various GM products including Chevrolet. GMH departed from traditional US body styles with the release of the Chevrolet Coupe Utility in 1934 and the Chevrolet "Sloper" Coupe in 1935. Post-war production recommenced in 1946. The Holden Heritage – page 23 Retrieved from media.gm.com on July 24, 2009 From 1949 Australian Chevrolets were to be locally assembled from components imported from Chevrolet in Canada although local production of the Coupe Utility body continued until 1952.The Macquarie Dictionary of Motoring, 1986, page 84 1968 was the last full year of Chevrolet assembly in Australia.RHD versions of Chevrolet C20 and C50 cab chassis were also assembled by GMH up until 1981. The Australian Story – Chevrolet Retrieved from www.ozgm.com on July 24, 2009Classic car Chevrolet models such as Bel Air, Biscayne, Chevrolet Impala etc., are still found in many states around Australia. From the early 1970s to the early 1980s the Chevrolet name was also used on various light commercials in Australia. These ranged from the LUV (a rebadged Isuzu KB) to the third-generation C-series trucks. From 1998 to 2001 the Chevrolet Suburban was sold in Australia as the Holden Suburban, which is expected to return under the Chevrolet badge with the twelfth generation models.
Chevrolet and Holden share a number of models and model names including Malibu, Caprice, Colorado, Volt, Spark/Barina Spark, Sonic/Barina, Cruze, Equinox, and VF Commodore/Chevrolet SS. The Holden VF Commodore was exported from Australia to the United States as the Chevrolet SS until Holden ended production in May 2017 during its transition to a distribution platform of vehicles that are sourced from GM's American and international plants that is expected to badge as Holden vehicles. "Holden Produces Final Chevrolet SS Sedan" from GM Authority (May 25, 2017)
In 2018, the Chevrolet brand returned to Australia and New Zealand with the launch of the Camaro 2SS Coupe and the Silverado 2500HD/3500HD. These vehicles retained the Chevrolet badge and nameplate, and converted to RHD in Australia. In addition to the relaunch, Holden Special Vehicles added the Camaro and Silverado to their performance lineup. “Official: Chevrolet Camaro Heading To Australia Via HSV In July 2018 from GM Authority (December 7, 2017)
With the Holden brand retired in 2021, GM continues to export Chevrolet models to the region under the "General Motors Specialty Vehicles" network, in order to expand more American models in that region. “Holden Axed In Australia as General Motors Gets Out Of Right Hand Drive Globally” from Car Advice (February 17, 2020) The imported Silverado pickup trucks are re-manufactured as right-hand-drive vehicles in Australia before distribution. Chevrolet is also looking at making the Camaro part of the V8 Supercar Series in 2023, where it would succeed the Holden ZB Commodore after its contracts with both Holden and the teams involved with the series expire in 2022. “Chevrolet Camaro May Be Back On Cards For Australian Supercars Championship” from GM Authority (February 18, 2020)
In Australia and New Zealand Chevrolets are often called Chevs as well as Chevys.
By the 1970s, larger South African Chevrolets were based on Australian General Motors-Holden's models, the Kommando being based on the Holden Kingswood and the Constantia on the Statesman, while the smaller Firenza was based on the Vauxhall Viva. The Chevrolet Nomad sold in South Africa was entirely different from the Nomad sold in the US; whereas the American Nomad was originally conceived as a station wagon version of the Corvette and eventually became the station wagon version of the Bel Air, the South African Nomad was an SUV of truck proportions before SUVs were popular. Due to local content laws the cars usually received different engines than in their home markets.
However, these were replaced by Opel models like the Opel Rekord, Holden Commodore, and Opel Senator, and in 1982 the Chevrolet brand name was dropped in favour of Opel. Because of the political climate at the time, GM decided to divest from South Africa in 1986, and a local group eventually bought out GM's South African operations (including the Port Elizabeth plant) and renamed the company Delta Motor Corporation, which concentrated on Opels, Isuzus, and Suzukis, built under licence.
However, thanks to an improved political climate in the 1990s, GM decided to reenter South Africa, eventually buying out the whole of Delta. In 2001, the Chevrolet name made a comeback, used on the Chevrolet Lumina, a rebadged Holden Commodore, and later on, on the Daewoo range of cars. Current Chevrolets (2013) include the Spark Lite (a rebadged Daewoo Matiz), Spark (a third-generation Matiz based on the 2007 Chevrolet Beat), Aveo Sedan and Hatch, the Sonic Sedan and Hatch (the second generation Aveo), Cruze Sedan and Hatch (underpinned by the front-wheel drive GM Delta II platform), the Lumina Sedan (including the Holden Ute model), the Chevrolet Orlando (a five-door, seven-seat compact MPV manufactured by GM Korea under the Chevrolet division for worldwide markets), the Chevrolet Captiva a mid-size sport utility vehicle (SUV) developed by GM Daewoo (now GM Korea) the South Korean subsidiary of General Motors (GM) and sold under the Chevrolet brand, the Chevrolet TrailBlazer (a mid-size sport utility vehicle produced by the Chevrolet division of American automaker General Motors and based on a pickup truck chassis in this case the 2012 Chevrolet Colorado), and a pick-up version which was previously based on the Opel Corsa known as the Corsa Ute; but the current model which in collaboration with GM Brazil who developed it, is the Chevrolet Utility which is based on the Chevrolet Agila platform (a vehicle developed in Brazil and built in Argentina).
In 2017, GM withdrew from South Africa, with its truck division and its plant changing hands to Isuzu while at the same time ending all sales and the dealership network of the Chevrolet brand. GM worked with both Isuzu and PSA (the new owners of Opel, which GM spun off the division to) to ensure existing customers receive parts and technical support during and after the company exit the country. "General Motors Restructures International Business Unit" from GM Authority (May 19, 2017) "Here's How General Motors Plans To Withdraw From South Africa" from GM Authority (May 26, 2017)
From 2005 all models from GM Daewoo were rebranded as Chevrolet in Europe. In the rest of the world, most Daewoo models have worn the Chevrolet badge since 2003. Exceptions include the use of the Suzuki badge in the United States and Canada, the Pontiac badge in Canada, the Holden badge in Australia and New Zealand, and the Buick badge in China.
During the mid-2000s, the Corvette and Cadillac range were marketed in Europe through a separate distribution channel operated by Netherlands-based Kroymans Corporation Group but following its bankruptcy in 2010, General Motors established a new Swiss based subsidiary to relaunch Chevrolet in Europe and add the Corvette, Camaro and Malibu models to the European range.
From the beginning of 2016, General Motors reduced its presence in Europe only to its iconic models, such as the Corvette, in order to strengthen its Opel and Vauxhall Motors brands. Although announcing that they will maintain a broad presence in Russia and the Commonwealth of Independent States, General Motors later reduced their line-up to the iconic models in Russia, and more, the Opel division also exited the Russian market in 2015, while also abandoning production at their Saint Petersburg plant. As of March 2016, only the US-built Corvette Stingray and Chevrolet Tahoe, as well as the Russian-built Chevrolet Niva, were being offered on the Russian market.
Chevrolet sales in Western and Central Europe ranged around 200,000 units per year since 2005, peaking at 216,160 units in 2007, while the market share achieved its highest of 1.28 percent in 2012. In Russia, sales grew constantly over the same period, from 67,000 units in 2005 to 205,040 units in 2012, Chevrolet holding a market share of 6.84 percent and being the top import car brand. In 2012, the top markets for Chevrolet in Europe, by the number of registrations, were Italy (31,150), Germany (29,694), France (24,613), Turkey (18,492) and Spain (15,165). The best selling model during the same year was the Chevrolet Aveo (54,800), followed by the Chevrolet Spark (47,600) and the Chevrolet Cruze (40,500).
Currently, as of 2022, only the Corvette Stingray is available in most countries in Europe. In the Commonwealth of Independent States countries where Chevrolet vehicles are officially sold, the vehicles are mostly or wholly sourced from Uzbekistan-based UzAuto Motors, a former General Motors-Uzbekistan joint venture. UzAuto Motors is now a state-owned enterprise with a license to assemble and sell Chevrolet-branded vehicles in several CIS member nations. Chevrolet vehicles are also assembled in Kazakhstan from Knock-down kit supplied by UzAuto Motors.
Between the autumn of 2007 and the beginning of 2011, the Chevrolet Aveo was produced at the FSO plant in Warsaw, in collaboration with the Ukrainian company UkrAVTO, in both hatchback and sedan body styles. Between 2005 and 2014 GM sold some 60,000 cars under Chevrolet brand that represented 0.5–1% market share compere to Opel's 7% market share each year.
General Motors also operated the GM Avto factory, located in Saint Petersburg and opened in 2008. It was upgraded in 2012 and has produced the Opel Antara and Chevrolet Captiva SUVs, the Chevrolet Cruze from late 2009, and the TrailBlazer from semi-knocked down kits. It ceased production in July 2015, before Chevrolet's exit from the Russian market at the end of the year.
In collaboration with the Russian company GAZ, the second generation Chevrolet Aveo was produced at the plant in Nizhny Novgorod for the Russian market, starting from the beginning of 2013, until 2015.
Chevrolet vehicles were also produced at the Avtotor plant, located in Kaliningrad. The models produced here were the Lacetti, Chevrolet Aveo, Chevrolet Epica, Captiva, Orlando and Chevrolet Tahoe.
As of December 2017, the Chevrolet Tahoe, Chevrolet Camaro, Chevrolet Corvette, and Chevrolet Niva were officially available for sale in Russia.
In the first quarter of 2022, there were two distinct sales channels in Russia for Chevrolet vehicles. The first, operated by General Motors, sold the Tahoe and the Trailblazer. The second sales channel sold economical mass-market Chevrolet-branded vehicles assembled by UzAuto Motors in Uzbekistan. Both sales channels stopped selling Chevrolet vehicles in Russia in April 2022 due to U.S. and South Korean sanctions resulting from the Russo-Ukrainian War.
When the Second World War broke out the operations were complicated. In 1941 the Chevrolet number 250,000 was made, but the shortage of products made car production impossible. The last Chevrolet went out of the plant in August 1942. In order to avoid the total stoppage, the company made electrical and portable refrigerators and car accessories amongst other items. After the war, GM started producing the Oldsmobile and Pontiac lines and later Chevrolet was added.
In 1959, manufacturing plants are enlarged and set up to produce cars, pick-ups and trucks. On January 25, 1960, the first Argentine Chevrolet pick-up was introduced. The following year the national government approves the investment plan for 45 million dollars which included a plant of 12,000 m2. On March 12, 1962, the first Chevrolet 400 was made based on the North American Chevy II. The original plan considered a national integration of 50% during the first year of production; this amount had to be 90% in 1964 with a production of 15,000 units. By 1969, the Chevy line, derived from the American Chevy Nova, was presented.
In the middle of the seventies, General Motors market share was reduced sharply from 9% in 1976 to 2% in 1978. Losses exceeded $30 million and the head company in the USA decided to halt production activities in Argentina.
The Chevrolet trademark reappeared in 1985 for the production of the pick-up in its versions C-20 and D-20. In 1995, a plan for the manufacturing destined for export specially to Brazil and other countries of Mercosur materialized with the building of a new facility near Rosario, Santa Fe, for the production of the Opel-based Chevrolet Corsa and the Suzuki-based Chevrolet Grand Vitara 4x4.
By 2010, the range was based on a variety of GM Korea based cars, together with the Brazilian Chevrolet Celta.
Chevrolet's product line-up in Brazil comprised some exclusive designs like the Corsa "B" based Chevrolet Celta, which was sold in Argentina under the Suzuki brand, the Opel Astra, and a Brazilian-designed Opel Vectra based on the Opel Astra H. The passenger car range currently includes the Cruze, the Captiva, the Agile hatchback, Chevrolet Onix. The latest home-grown product is the Chevrolet Prisma MKII, released in 2013.
Utility and four-wheel drive vehicles line-up includes the S-10, the Blazer, and the Montana. The Montana is a compact pickup truck, based on the Agile, that is also sold in other Latin American markets. From the 1960s to the mid-1980s, there was also a large station wagon, derived from the C10 truck (somewhat similar to the Suburban), called the Veraneio.
During the period 1998–2001, Southern Sales Ltd. imported the Chevy Monza and Joy. Based on the Opel Corsa platform and assembled in Mexico, these were the cheapest new cars available. Poor build quality, unprofessional dealer service, and a limited spare parts supply saw these cars exit the market with only a few units being sold.
In 2003, the local Renault dealer marketed the Aveo sedan and hatchback, as well as the Optra sedan (a rebadged Suzuki Forenza), with limited success.
A more intensive marketing campaign by a subsequent Chevrolet dealer, Lifestyle Motors, met with moderately more success. The models available were the Chevrolet Colorado (Isuzu D-Max twin), Spark (micro-car based on the Daewoo Matiz), Aveo sedan and hatchback, Optra sedan, hatchback and wagon, the Captiva SUV, and the Epica large saloon. In March 2011, the Cruze was added to the lineup and features a 1.8 litre gasoline engine. It bridged the gap between Optra and Epica models. Once the Optra was phased out, a 1.6 litre Cruze was made available.
Chevrolet teams in the NASCAR Cup Series currently use the Camaro ZL1 1LE, while Xfinity teams run the Camaro SS and NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series organizations race with the Silverado.
Chevrolet replaced Oldsmobile as the General Motor brand at the IndyCar Series from 2002 to 2005. Hélio Castroneves won the Indianapolis 500 and Sam Hornish Jr. the championship, but the American brand had little success the next years.
Chevrolet returned to IndyCar in 2012. After several years of Honda being the only engine provider, Chevrolet rejoined the series in 2012. Major teams include Team Penske, KV Racing, Chip Ganassi Racing and CFH Racing who all use Chevy engines. Chevrolet won several races including the Indianapolis 500 in 2013, 2015, 2018–2019, 2023–2024, as well as seven drivers championships.
In July 2012, Chevrolet and English Premier League football team Liverpool F.C. announced a four-year partnership that made Chevrolet the official automotive partner of the club. The deal ended two years prematurely, in 2014, following GM pulling the Chevrolet brand out of Europe. GM's subsidiary in the UK, Vauxhall Motors, took over from Chevrolet as the club's automotive sponsor.
| 1955 | Chevrolet Impala | NASCAR Gen 1 | |
| 1966 | Chevrolet Corvair | Group 2 | |
| 1967 | Chevrolet Camaro | Group 2 | |
| Chevrolet Chevelle | NASCAR Gen 2 | ||
| Chevrolet Malibu | NASCAR Gen 2 | ||
| 1971 | Chevrolet Corvette | IMSA GTO | |
| Chevrolet Monte Carlo | NASCAR Gen 2 | ||
| 1973 | Chevrolet Chevelle Laguna | NASCAR Gen 2 | |
| 1976 | Chevrolet Monza | Group 5 | |
| 1977 | Chevrolet Monza | IMSA GTO | |
| 1979 | Chevrolet Camaro Z28 | Group C | |
| 1980 | Chevrolet Corvette C2 Sting Ray | IMSA GTO | |
| Chevrolet Corvette C3 | IMSA GTO | ||
| Chevrolet Nova | IMSA GTO | ||
| 1981 | Chevrolet Malibu | NASCAR Gen 3 | |
| Chevrolet Monte Carlo | NASCAR Gen 3 | ||
| 1984 | Chevrolet Corvette GTP | IMSA GTP | |
| 1987 | Chevrolet Opala | Stock Car Brazil | |
| 1988 | Chevrolet Corvette C4 | IMSA GTO | |
| 1989 | Chevrolet Lumina | NASCAR Gen 3 | |
| 1990 | Chevrolet Opala | Stock Car Brazil | |
| 1991 | Chevrolet Corvette ZR-1 | IMSA GTO | |
| 1992 | Chevrolet Lumina | NASCAR Gen 4 | |
| 1994 | Chevrolet Omega | Stock Car Brazil | |
| 1995 | Chevrolet C/K | NASCAR Truck | |
| Chevrolet Monte Carlo | NASCAR Gen 4 | ||
| 1998 | Chevrolet Silverado | NASCAR Truck | |
| 2000 | Chevrolet Vectra | Stock Car Brazil | |
| 2001 | Chevrolet Corvette LM-GT (C5) | LM GTE | |
| 2004 | Chevrolet Astra | Stock Car Brazil | |
| 2006 | Chevrolet Monte Carlo SS | NASCAR Gen 4 | |
| 2007 | Chevrolet Corvette Z06.R GT3 | Group GT3 | |
| Chevrolet Impala | NASCAR CoT | ||
| 2008 | Chevrolet Cruze | Super 2000 | |
| 2009 | Chevrolet Corvette ZR1 C6.R | LM GTE | |
| Chevrolet Impala | NASCAR Gen 4 | ||
| Chevrolet Vectra | Stock Car Brazil | ||
| 2010 | Chevrolet Callaway Corvette Z06.R GT3 | Group GT3 | |
| Chevrolet Impala | NASCAR CoT | ||
| 2012 | Chevrolet Camaro GT3 | Group GT3 | |
| Chevrolet Corvette DP | Daytona Prototype | ||
| Chevrolet Sonic | Stock Car Brazil | ||
| 2013 | Chevrolet SS | NASCAR Gen 6 | |
| 2014 | Chevrolet Corvette C7.R | LM GTE | |
| 2016 | Chevrolet Callaway Corvette C7 GT3-R | Group GT3 | |
| Chevrolet Cruze | Stock Car Brazil | ||
| 2018 | Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 | NASCAR Gen 6 | |
| 2020 | Chevrolet Corvette C8.R | LM GTE | |
| 2022 | Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 | Next Gen NASCAR | |
| 2023 | Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3.R | Group GT3 | |
| 2025 | Chevrolet Tracker | Stock Car Brazil |
The first bowtie logo without embedded text first appeared in 1985, as part of the Heartbeat of America ad campaign. In 2004, Chevrolet began to phase-in the gold bowtie that serves as the brand identity for all of its cars and trucks marketed globally, where previously the logo was blue for passenger cars and gold for trucks.
A feature-length documentary titled 'Chevy100, An American Story', produced by Roger Sherman, was premiered on November 3, 2011 at Detroit Institute of Arts in downtown Detroit, featuring drivers, collectors, restorers, racers and journalists with a passion for cars and trucks. In honor of the 100th birthday of Chevrolet, Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Chevrolet and Indianapolis businessman David Ring have arranged to properly mark the grave of Arthur Chevrolet, brother of Chevrolet co-founder Louis Chevrolet.
target="_blank" rel="nofollow"> Chevrolet website (archived 5 Dec 2024)
A selection of Chevrolet's more recent marketing campaigns includes the following:
In 2010, General Motors replaced the advertising agency Campbell Ewald, also of Interpublic Group of Companies, with Publicis Worldwide. Campbell-Ewald had served Chevrolet since 1919." GM dumps Chevrolet's longtime ad agency -- like a rock ", USA Today, April 26, 2010. In May 2010 Chevrolet's advertising account was awarded to Goodby, Silverstein and Partners.
As part of the attempt to attract 18- to 24-year-old drivers, General Motors hired MTV Scratch. Some of the collaboration results include Chevy ads showing their cars skydiving, bungee jumping, doing other stunts. The commercial was produced with consultations from students from UCLA, Pepperdyne and high schools. Some of the footage was later used in Chevrolet Sonic ad titled 'Stunt Anthem' during Super Bowl XLVI.
In March 2012, two competing agencies, San Francisco-based Goodby, Silverstein and Partners (part of Omnicom Group), and New York-based McCann Erickson Worldwide (part of Interpublic Group), joined to form an equal joint venture company called Commonwealth to handle most of Chevrolet's ads. Prior to the joint venture, Goodby, Silverstein and Partners performed marketing in the US, including the "Chevy Runs Deep" campaign; McCann handled Chevrolet ads in China, Latin America, Mexico, Canada and other markets. Commonwealth handled and supervised creative work worldwide out of Detroit for all markets except China, India and Uzbekistan, where GM has joint auto-making ventures. McCann continued to handle ads in China and India, and Uzbekistan will be contracted as needed. MacLaren McCann continued on as AOR for the entire GM brand in Canada, but the Chevrolet brand will act as a "spoke" to Detroit's creative hub, with content and messaging flowing through Commonwealth, but adapted for the Canadian market.
Performance Marketing Group Incorporated manages Chevrolet Racing's experiential marketing properties for its at-track activation platforms in conjunction with the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, the IZOD IndyCar Series, and the American Le Mans Series with Team Corvette.
Ian Beavis of Nielsen Automotive Group said that marketers cannot control what consumers call their products, but nicknames do not work in new markets where Chevrolet is trying to get a start. Following the release of the memo, General Motors published a statement claiming the note was in no way discouraging customers or fans from using the Chevy name. Following the 2010 memo incident, Chevy Runs Deep campaign remains to use the 'Chevy' name, while Driving Our World Forward and Find New Roads campaigns uses the 'Chevrolet' name.
The watch brand pays tribute to Louis Chevrolet, co-founder of the Chevrolet automobile company, whose father was a watchmaker and in his childhood helped his father at the workbench. The collection was called Frontenac, the name inherited from the race car company founded by Louis Chevrolet. The Chevrolet watch collection comprises automatic, manually wound and quartz models, equipped with ETA SA and Ronda movements.
The Louis Chevrolet Frontenac watches, manufactured in Porrentruy, the Swiss Jura region, feature the styling cues suggested by the Chevrolet cars. The collection was developed while applying the same materials as used in the car industry. Pearled appliques on the Chevrolet watches' dials remind the metal forms of the old dashboards. The number "8", Chevrolet's racing number, is sported on the case back.
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