Chevrolet

Chevrolet , called Chevy, is a mark of American car which became a division of the company General Motors officially in May 1918. One of the founders of Chevrolet, Louis Chevrolet, was a champion of races to bicycle and racing driver, born on December 25th, 1878 with the Chaux-de-Fonds, in the canton of Neuchâtel, in Suisse. The other founder, William C. During, had founded General Motors a few years before.

Beginnings of Chevrolet

The creation of Chevrolet

Louis Chevrolet had obtained much success as a racing driver in the United States. Its exploits had made so that it had become celebrates, which enabled him to obtain the required funds in order to create its own brand of cars. Before creating Chevrolet, Louis Chevrolet had been mechanic and pilot for FIAT and Buick with New York. It is however an event with the head of General Motors which will give place to the birth of the Chevrolet mark. The president and founder of GM, William Crapo Lasting, had been évincé of his seat following financial problems (he remained member of the board of directors). As he knew Louis Chevrolet, having engaged it for her Buick division, William C. During contacted in order to help it to build a private car, and especially aim of using her name, Chevrolet, which was already famous in the United States. William C. During, shining businessman, wanted to take her revenge against General Motors.

William C. During and Louis Chevrolet thus settled in a garage with Detroit, Michigan, and Chevrolet had as role to build a prototype for a private car which would bear their names. Louis Chevrolet received the assistance of the French engineer Etienne Board, American engineer John Trumbull and the carriage-builder Franck Monroe. They first of all designed two engines, that is to say an engine of four cylinder and one of six cylinders. William C. During had then chosen the six cylinder to equip her new cars.

May 30th, 1911, the advertisement was made that a factory of the During-Chevrolet company was going to be built. Some time later, in November 1911, the name of the company changed for Chevrolet Motor Company off Michigan, date on which the first four prototypes were presented to the public. The Chevrolet Classic Six 1911 was the first Chevrolet vehicle with being sold, and it cost 2.150$, that is to say much more than the model T of Ford with 850$.

Louis Chevrolet leaves Chevrolet

William C. During controlled the Chevrolet company and him and Louis Chevrolet were often of adverse opinion on several things. For example, Louis Chevrolet went on a journey in France in 1913, and William C. During benefitted from the occasion to transfer the factory from Detroit to Flint, in Michigan. The goal of this removal was to amalgamate Chevrolet with the Little company (that William C. During had also created), that Louis Chevrolet hated. Fusion was made and the company became Little-Chevrolet. There were also litigations on the design of the new models. It was as known as as William C. During did not support the neglected behavior of Louis Chevrolet and the fact that it smoked the Cigarette, whereas people of its class were to smoke the Cigare. As of his return of France in December 1913, Louis Chevrolet left the company which it had helped to found two years earlier, and as the contract which had been signed with the creation of the company made so that if Louis Chevrolet left, it was to leave with During his name and its cars, Louis Chevrolet left the empty handeds, which deprived it a few years later of an incredible fortune. But the descendants of the mark are always there and live today in the USA but also in Switzerland from where Louis Chevrolet was originating (originating in Bonfol in the Jura but born with La Chaux-de-Fonds. A Museum is devoted to Louis Chevrolet in the Jura in Switzerland. Few people know in fact that this famous mark is actually much more Swiss than American!

Integration in General Motors

Once the departure of Louis Chevrolet, William C. During decided to amalgamate all the firms that it had with Little-Chevrolet, and the name changed for Chevrolet. In 1915, the new model Chevrolet 490 (for its price, 490$) came to compete with the model T of Ford, and in three years, the production increased by almost ten, passing from 13.500 to 111.500 between 1915 and 1917. Chevrolet was henceforth a major actor in the American motor-car industry.

In 1917, William C. During exchanged part of her actions of Chevrolet against actions of General Motors. This transaction, not very advantageous monétairement for During, enabled him all the same to take again the control of General Motors, and in May 1918, Chevrolet had become a division of GM, in spite of the fact that Chevrolet had a great autonomy. The economic crisis of the years 1920 made so that General Motors lost much value, and William C. During was once again évincé of the presidency of the company, for good this time.

The logo of Chevrolet

That a person knows the cars or not, the Chevrolet logo is recognized by everyone in North America, the mark being established for a long time. In fact, the logo of Chevrolet, known as being the bowtie (bow tie) appeared in 1913 on the Chevrolet vehicles. There are several theories as for its origin.

The most popular theory is that William C. During would have visited a hotel with Paris in 1908 and that he would have seen a form similar to the current logo on paper-painted. It then would have torn part of paper-painted and would have brought it with him to the United States, where it would have said to friends that would make a beautiful plate to put a name of make of car.

Another version, that of the girl of William C. During, known as that During often drew plates for its cars on bits of paper during the supper. It would be between soup and fried chicken that it would have drawn the logo of Chevrolet.

Another version, this time coming from the woman of William C. During, known as that it is when they were on vacation in Virginia that During the logo in a newspaper would have seen, and that he would have said to his wife that would make beautiful an emblem for the Chevrolet cars. His wife did not remember how the logo in the newspaper was used however.

Finally, a company which sold coal briquettes had made a publicity in 1911 when its logo resembled that of Chevrolet curiously, but with the word Coalettes written in the bow tie. It is possible that William C. During copied this logo (source in English).

Or whereas Louis Chevrolet wanted simply to take again the cross of his country of origin, the Suisse cross. (to be finished)

The Chevrolet vehicles

Various marks and models

In 2005, Chevrolet was the mark of vehicle most sold in the United States and Canada. The Chevrolet vehicles are available in the majority of the areas of the world and since 2005, with the acquisition of Daewoo by General Motors a few years before, Chevrolet is present in Europe, since the vehicles GM Daewoo are now sold under the Chevrolet mark. In the medium term, the goal is to sell vehicles Chevrolet North-Americans in Europe and maintaining models GM Daewoo are also sold in North America under the mark Chevrolet (Aveo, Optra and Epica).

Apart from North America, Chevrolet sells also vehicles produced by subsidiary companies of GM or business partners, such as for example Opel, Holden, Subaru, Avto-Vaz (Lada), Daewoo, etc

In 1989 in the United States, General Motors decided to compete with the small Asian vehicles by rebadgeant models Suzuki, Isuzu and Opel under the marks Geo and Asüna. Geo made their appearance in Canada in 1992. Asüna were sold in the dealers Pontiac (who sold also Buick and GMC) whereas Geo were sold in the dealers Chevrolet (who sold also Oldsmobile). The most popular model was Geo Metro, a Suzuki Swift in the facts, and Geo Tracker, Suzuki Sidekick (named also Escudo in Japan and Vitara in Europe). The mark was not hoped success and in 1997 it was the end for Geo. Certain Geo vehicles became of the Chevrolet (like the Chevrolet Metro and the Chevrolet Tracker) but today it does not exist about it more. Today, Suzuki Swift+ is a Chevrolet Aveo (named Kalos in Europe) rebadgée Suzuki.

The most popular models

Chevrolet sold several models of vehicles, but some of between-them remained in imaginary people more than of others. The first models truly popular of Chevrolet was the 490. The years passed and people had the means of treating to cars: years 1950 transfer the appearance of the Beautiful-Air, of the Impala, whereas the Malibu (Chevelle) appeared in the years 1960. To these models Corvair, Chevelle, Nova are added. The Chevrolet Cavalier is better known for its sales figures than for the vehicle itself (which did not have anything particularly remarkable), but all know it in North America.

There are obviously the vehicles a little more muscular, like the Chevrolet Camaro, direct competitor of Ford Mustang until 2002, and the Chevrolet Corvette, the North-American racing racing car.

Current models

  • Chevrolet Matiz, Korean model, small car with 5 doors called Spark on certain markets (China in particular). Not diffused in the United States.
  • Chevrolet Aveo, small truck called Kalos in Europe until the end 2007.
  • Chevrolet Tacuma, monospace compact Korean, called Rezzo in France. Not diffused in the United States.
  • Chevrolet Optra, called average truck Nubira in Europe; diffused in the United States by Suzuki us it name Forenza.
  • Chevrolet Cobalt, average truck reserved for the American continent.
  • Chevrolet HHR, semi-station-wagon of retro appearance. Response of Chevrolet to Pt Cruiser of Chrysler.
  • Chevrolet Malibu and Malibu Maxx, average truck for the US market. Last renewal in 2007 (version two Maxx volumes not taken back).
  • Chevrolet Impala, higher average truck intended for the US market.
  • Chevrolet Monte Carlo, crossed based on Impala.
  • Chevrolet Uplander, large monospace launched in 2004 also sold a moment at Saturn (Relay), Pontiac (Montana SV6) and Buick (Terraza).
  • Chevrolet Captivated, SUV of intermediate size, launched in 2006 and manufactured in Korea. Not diffused in the United States.
  • Chevrolet Equinox, compact SUV intended for the US market.
  • Chevrolet TrailBlazer, 4x4 of the category higher than that of Equinox.
  • Chevrolet Colorado, record player of intermediate size intended for the American continent.
  • Chevrolet Silverado, large record player. Best seller of the General group Motors in the United States.
  • Chevrolet Tahoe, large break/SUV. Last renewal in 2006.
  • Chevrolet Suburban, lengthened version of Tahoe.
  • Chevrolet Avalanche, large SUV 4 doors with end-dump body.
  • Chevrolet SR, pick-up-convertible with retractable rigid roof launched in 2003; commercial failure, production stopped in 2006.
  • Chevrolet Express train, large van.

(to that the trucks and the vehicles of fleet are added).

Certain models with the wire of time

Sources

  • Trucks (Chevrolet trucks)

  • This page in English
  • Chevalley Jacques, Chevrolet, a name… a family, Editor Jacques Chevalley, Beaune, France, 1992, p.65-87
  • http://home.earthlink.net/~scrippsbooth/chevbowtiehistory.html

Simple: Chevrolet

Random links:World cup of Rugby at XV 1999 | Woodland Ustazade of Sacy | Parisot (Tarn) | County of Haskell (Texas) | Cùn (寸) | Les_frères_de_bleus