Chevrolet is a division of General Motors, the largest automobile manufacturer in the world. Since 1911, Chevrolet – also known as Chevy – has been a successful producer of a wide range of car models that feature annually at the top of sales lists.
Interesting Chevy Facts
Chevrolet is the best selling GM brand and the highest selling line of vehicles in the US. Chevrolet has more types of automobiles than any other GM family, currently numbering over 20 vehicles. Chevy's Silverado pickup was the second highest selling vehicle in the US for 2006, while the Impala is the number one selling US made car in the United States (including Monte Carlo sales). Chevy is the US sales leader in full size trucks and vehicles priced over $35,000, and has the largest dealer network in the United States. Chevrolet also produces a line of passenger buses and watches.
History
Chevrolet was created by Louis Chevrolet, a Swiss race car driver, and William Durant. William Durant was a founder of General Motors, but had been forced out of GM in 1910. By 1916, Chevrolet had made enough money to allow Durant to buy a majority of GM shares, upon which Durant became president of General Motors, and Chevrolet became a division of GM.
Chevrolet entered the car market with its Classic Six sedan. Other famous Chevy innovations include the Corvette, a car which needs no introduction; the Impala, introduced in 1958; the air-cooled, rear-engined Corvair; and the small-block V-8 engine, which is the world’s longest continuously mass-produced engine design, powering vehicles as diverse as the Impala sedans, light and medium Chevrolet trucks, the Corvette, and numerous other vehicle brands.
Chevy has entered into legend with such cars. Songs about the Corvette and Chevy in general exist in every popular music genre, while the Chevy bow tie logo is present in "streetwise" clothing.
Chevrolet Today
Today, Chevy sells its cars all over the world, with many versions customized for local markets. In North America, Chevrolet is currently reworking many of its designs in keeping with GM’s overall restructuring strategy. Production has ceased for famous cars such as the Monte Carlo, which first entered the market in 1970. Other cars are getting a face lift, such as the critically-acclaimed 2008 Malibu sedan. And still others are being revived, such as the Chevy Camaro, a legendary muscle car. Chevrolet also continues to innovate with various mini-cars. The Trax, the Beat, and the Groove have regular and diesel engines ranging from 1.0 to 1.2 liters, and are modeled on other Chevy cars already selling in Asia.
