Automotive Recyclers Association - Archive

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Chevrolet Cars

Chevrolet, more affectionately known in Canada and the US as Chevy, is probably the most famous and most recognized of all car brands. More than one generation grew up with the brand and everyone has a story to tell from buying their first vehicle to going on their first date. Chevrolet is as American as it comes and its undeniable iconic stature is the kind of stuff from which legends are made. Their 1975 slogan said it all. “Baseball, hotdogs, apple pie and Chevrolet.” In fact, every slogan the company created has had something to do with being a proud American.

With cars like the Bel Air, Corvette, Camaro, Blazer, Chevette and the Cavalier, there was a model for every person and every niche of the marketplace from families, to single guys, to environmentalists trying to save gas.

Founded in 1911 as the Chevrolet Motor Company, the first car off the line was the Chevy Classic Six, a five passenger touring sedan that boasted speeds of sixty-five miles per hour and a standard features list, relatively unheard of at the time. Today, replicas can be seen everywhere sold as collector items from mints and plastic miniatures as toys. In 1914, the new “bowtie' logo was adopted. In 1915, the next model, the 490, was released and like all future Chevy vehicles, the car was instantly received. They sold an incredible one-hundred thousand units. By the middle of the 1920s, Chevrolet is the highest earning division of GM.

Named after Buick race car driver, Louis Chevrolet, the company is initially controlled by expelled GM founder William Durant. By 1918, he has seen such hefty profits that he is able to buy enough shares in General Motors to regain control of that automobile company. And then Chevrolet would become yet another division of GM. Considered vehicles for the common people, Chevy was the entry-level car with all the right features. Making customers more comfortable while driving and riding and keeping the price tag low was the focus of this division. Never more apparent is this fact than in 1927 when Chevy sales far exceed those of Ford.



Interesting Points in Chevy's History:

• 1918 First Chevy truck is sold
• 1923 With the brand becoming exponentially more popular, the one-millionth car is built.
• 1923 First export assembly plant is established in Denmark
• 1930 Seven million cars are produced
• 1930 First to introduce articulate braking which allowed more controlled stopping.
• 1933 Build nine million vehicles as a result of adding more”firsts” to their features list. By 1941, the number is a whopping seventeen million.
• 1950 Power glide transmission is released and Chevy is the only company to offer automatic transmission in less expensive vehicles.
• 1953 The Corvette is the first production sports car and the first mass production fiberglass body.
• 1954 The fifty-millionth car is a 1955 Bel Air Sport Coupe
• 1955 Iconic small block Chevy V8 engine is developed
• 1983 The new Corvette is released with the first major styling change in fifteen years.
• 1986 Anti lock brakes are installed in the Corvette
• 1990 Corvette breaks three world speed and endurance records.
• 1992 One-millionth Corvette rolls off the assembly line
• 2004 For the sixth time, Corvette is chosen as pace car for Indy
• 2007 Announcement is made for the creation of 2010 Volt, a hydrogen fuel cell vehicle
• The 2008 Chevy Tahoe Hybrid was named Green Car of the Year for 2008
• 2009 Announcements indicate that GM will enter the micro car market in the US with the release of the 2011 Chevy Spark.

Names of Models and Years Introduced:

• 1911 Classic Six
• 1915 490
• 1954 Bel Air
• 1958 Impala
• 1959 Corvair, El Camino Pickup, Corvette Sting Ray, Caprice, Chevelle
• 1963 Malibu
• 1964 C10, Silverado, Sierra Pickups
• 1965 Caprice
• 1967 Camaro
• 1970 Monte Carlo
• 1971 Vega
• 1976 Chevette
• 1980 Citation
• 1981 Cavalier
• 1982 S-10 Pickup
• 1982 S-10 Blazer
• 1982 Camaro IROC-Z
• 1982 Astro Van
• 1989 Geo line
• 1995 Lumina, Geo Metro
• 2005 Aveo
• 2006 Fifth generation Camaro concept car
• 2008 Malibu Hybrid, Tahoe Hybrid
• 2008 Chevy Cruze – next generation small car
• 2009 Corvette ZR1
• 2009 Traverse
• 2009-2010 Chevy Equinox compact crossover
• 2011 Chevy Spark
• 2011 Chevy Orlando