The History of Chevrolet Vehicles | Mark Christopher Auto Center
History of Chevrolet
Chevrolet has been a staple in the United States automotive industry for over 100 years. Its brand, along with its signature bowtie emblem makes each and every one of their vehicles easily recognizable and synonymous with the automobile giant. The history of this company is extensively decorated with many firsts of the industry as well as the creation of multiple vehicles that became top-sellers in their class. With the original mission statement of the company, ‘a car for every purse and purpose,’ its no wonder that the Chevrolet brand became a leader in vehicle production and sales out of all the different divisions of the General Motors Company.
For the original ownership of Chevrolet, their beginnings are somewhat of a success story among the beginnings of the automotive industry. Founded by William Durant and Louis Chevrolet in 1911, Durant used the company to gain majority control of the General Motors Company. By 1919 and after a series of oustings and reinstatements, Durant became president of GM and Chevrolet went on to quickly become leader in sales as a General Motors Subdivision. Although Chevrolet and GMC Vehicles shared vehicle platforms by the 1920’s, GMC vehicles were primarily intended for commercial use, while Chevrolet went on to be extremely successful with private consumers.
The first original Chevrolet Model was the Series C Classic Six. The design was drawn up by Etienne Planch under direction from Louis Chevrolet and released in 1913. The vehicle proved to be extremely expensive to assemble and the cost for consumers was too great, so they quickly discontinued the line in favor of the much cheaper Series 490. The 490 was ultimately the game-changer for Chevrolet. The vehicle engine had an excellent price point and capability that took a major chunk of sales from Ford’s Model T and placed Chevrolet on the map as a major player in the industry. The 490 had a four-cylinder, 24 horsepower engine that would be Chevrolet’s standard engine used in its vehicles until it was replaced by a similar six-cylinder engine by 1930.
As Chevrolet moved into the mid-century, their success gave way into being one of the more exciting and influential players among automotive enthusiasts and the industry as a whole. With the introduction of the six-cylinder engine, they steamed ahead of Ford vehicles as the better performing, better priced option. In 1953, Chevrolet introduced the soon to be world-famous model the Corvette, and soon after that released the first fuel injected engine. Soon after, it introduced the Chevrolet Corvair, the first vehicle with a rear-mounted air-cooled engine. Other models released in the 60’s and 70’s such as the Impala, the Monte Carlo, and many more oriented the industry in such a way that one of every ten cars sold was a Chevrolet.
Chevrolet continues to be a major brand that caters to every lifestyle. From trucks, SUVs, sports cars, and more, Chevrolet continues to serve an expansive global market. Chevrolet never ceases to look ahead, and as time goes on the company is increasing its high-efficiency vehicle lineup to best serve their communities.
