History of Chevrolet in Timeline

Chevrolet is an American automobile division of General Motors (GM). It manufactures and sells a wide variety of vehicles in North America, ranging from subcompact cars to medium-duty trucks. Its brand recognition is so strong that 'Chevrolet' or 'Chevy' is often used as a synonym for General Motors or its products, such as the GM LS1 engine, which is related to the Chevrolet small-block engine.

1904: Durant Takes Over Buick

In 1904, William C. Durant took over the Flint Wagon Works and Buick Motor Company of Flint, Michigan.

1908: Durant Founded General Motors

William C. Durant founded General Motors in 1908.

1910: Durant Dismissed from General Motors

In 1910, William C. Durant was dismissed from his senior management position at General Motors, a company he had founded in 1908.

November 3, 1911: Chevrolet Motor Car Company Founded

On November 3, 1911, Louis Chevrolet, Arthur Chevrolet, and William C. Durant founded the Chevrolet Motor Car Company.

November 8, 1911: Chevrolet Motor Car Company Incorporated

On November 8, 1911, the Chevrolet Motor Car Company was officially incorporated. It was founded by Louis Chevrolet, Arthur Chevrolet, William C. Durant, and other investment partners.

November 12, 1911: Coalettes Advertisement

An advertisement for Coalettes appeared in the Atlanta Constitution on November 12, 1911.

1911: Design work for the first Chevy

Actual design work for the first Chevy, the costly Series C Classic Six, was drawn up by Etienne Planche, following instructions from Louis in 1911.

1912: R. S. McLaughlin Joins Chevrolet

In 1912, R. S. McLaughlin, CEO of General Motors in Canada, joined the Chevrolet Motor Car Company as an investment partner.

1912: First C Prototype Ready

The first prototype of the Chevrolet Series C Classic Six was ready months before Chevrolet was incorporated in 1912.

1913: First Chevrolet Production Model

In 1913, the first actual production model of Chevrolet, the Series C Classic Six, was introduced at the New York Auto Show.

1914: First Use of Bowtie Emblem

In 1914, Chevrolet first used the "bowtie emblem" logo on the H series models (Royal Mail and Baby Grand) and The L Series Model (Light Six).

1914: Louis Chevrolet Sells Share

In 1914, Louis Chevrolet sold Durant his share in the company due to design differences.

1916: Durant Repurchases Controlling Interest

By 1916, Chevrolet's profitability allowed Durant to repurchase a controlling interest in General Motors.

May 2, 1918: Reverse Merger with General Motors

On May 2, 1918, a reverse merger occurred between Chevrolet Motor Car Company and General Motors, allowing Durant to regain the GM presidency.

1918: Chevrolet Merged into GM

In 1918, after Durant became president of General Motors, Chevrolet was merged into GM as a separate division and Chevrolet introduced the Series D, a V8-powered model.

1919: GMC Trucks Rebranded as Chevrolet

Beginning in 1919, GMC commercial grade trucks were rebranded as Chevrolet, utilizing the same chassis as Chevrolet passenger cars for light-duty trucks.

1919: Chevrolet Competes with Ford Model T

In 1919, Chevrolet began competing with Ford's Model T, aiming to become the volume leader in the General Motors family.

1919: Chevrolet Factories and Sales of Series D

In 1919, Chevrolet's factories were located at various locations and sales were poor for the Series D, and it was dropped.

1919: Campbell Ewald Serves Chevrolet

Since 1919, Campbell-Ewald served Chevrolet.

January 1921: Management Survey and Sloan Recommendation

In January 1921, a General Motors management survey recommended the Chevrolet Division be cancelled, but Alfred P. Sloan Jr. recommended it be saved.

May 1925: Chevrolet Export Boxing Plant

In May 1925, the Chevrolet Export Boxing plant at Bloomfield, New Jersey was repurposed for Knock-down kits for Chevrolet, Oakland, Oldsmobile, Buick and Cadillac passenger cars, and both Chevrolet and G. M. C. truck parts are crated and shipped by railroad to the docks at Weehawken, New Jersey for overseas GM assembly factories.

1928: Plymouth Forms, "Low-Priced Three"

In 1928, the Chrysler Corporation formed Plymouth, leading to Plymouth, Ford, and Chevrolet being known as the "Low-priced three".

1929: Chevrolet Overtakes Ford

By 1929, Chevrolet overtook Ford, becoming the best-selling car in the United States with the Chevrolet International.

1929: Introduction of Stovebolt Engine

In 1929, Chevrolet introduced the "Stovebolt" overhead-valve inline six-cylinder engine, giving them a marketing edge over Ford.

September 23, 1933: GM Corporation Stock Given to McLaughlins

On September 23, 1933, McLaughlins were given GM Corporation stock for the proprietorship of their Company.

1933: Launch of the Standard Six

In 1933, Chevrolet launched the Standard Six, advertised as the cheapest six-cylinder car on sale in the United States.

1941: Death of Louis Chevrolet

Louis Chevrolet, one of the founders of the Chevrolet Motor Car Company, passed away in 1941.

1946: Death of Arthur Chevrolet

Arthur Chevrolet, one of the founders of the Chevrolet Motor Car Company, passed away in 1946.

1947: Death of William C. Durant

William C. Durant, one of the founders of the Chevrolet Motor Car Company and General Motors, passed away in 1947.

1953: Production of the Corvette

In 1953, Chevrolet produced the Corvette, a two-seater sports car with a fiberglass body.

1955: Debut of Small-Block V8 Design

In 1955, the basic Chevrolet small-block V8 design debuted, which has remained in continuous production longer than any other mass-produced engine in the world.

1957: Fuel Injected Engine Introduced

In 1957, Chevrolet introduced its first fuel injected engine, the Rochester Ramjet option, on the Corvette and Chevrolet Bel Air passenger cars.

1960: Introduction of the Corvair

In 1960, Chevrolet introduced the Corvair, a compact car with a rear-mounted air-cooled engine.

1963: Chevrolet's Market Share

In 1963, one out of every ten cars sold in the United States was a Chevrolet.

2000: Return of the Impala

In 2000, Chevrolet brought back the iconic Impala, although it was now a mid-sized front-wheel drive four door sedan.

2000: FutureBrand Works with General Motors

In 2000, FutureBrand began working with General Motors.

2004: Unified Gold Bowtie Logo

In 2004, Chevrolet unified all vehicle models with the gold bowtie logo for brand cohesion.

2005: Chevrolet Relaunched in Europe

In 2005, Chevrolet was relaunched in Europe, primarily selling vehicles built by GM Daewoo of South Korea with the tagline "Daewoo has grown up enough to become Chevrolet".

2006: Re-design of Chevrolet

In 2006, FutureBrand worked with General Motors, and involved commissioning of a font that was later sold as Klavika Condensed, as part of re-design of Chevrolet.

2007: Economic Downturn

Chevrolet division went through economic downturn of 2007.

2007: Louis Chevrolet Trademark for Swiss Watches

In 2007, General Motors allowed AJS-Production SA to register the Louis Chevrolet trademark for a line of premium quality Swiss watches watch marketed under the Louis Chevrolet brand name.

2009: China as Third-Largest Market

In 2009, China became Chevrolet's third-largest market, with sales of 332,774 vehicles.

May 2010: Chevrolet's Advertising Account Awarded to Goodby, Silverstein and Partners

In May 2010, General Motors replaced Campbell Ewald with Publicis Worldwide, and Chevrolet's advertising account was awarded to Goodby, Silverstein and Partners.

2010: Operations in 140 Countries

As of 2010, Chevrolet had operations in over 140 countries.

2010: Chevrolet Sales in China

By 2010, Chevrolet sold just over half a million vehicles in China, with the Cruze being its best seller there.

2010: Chevrolet Brand Usage Memo

In 2010, Chevrolet instructed employees to only use 'Chevrolet' instead of 'Chevy' when addressing the brand, and placed a 'Chevy' can for employees to put a quarter in every time someone uses 'Chevy'.

2010: General Motors Addresses Chevy Nickname Usage

In 2010, following the memo incident, General Motors stated that the note was not discouraging customers or fans from using the Chevy name. Chevy Runs Deep campaign continued to use the 'Chevy' name, while Driving Our World Forward and Find New Roads campaigns used the 'Chevrolet' name.

2010: Production of Chevrolet Volt Begins

In late 2010, General Motors began production of the plug-in hybrid Chevrolet Volt, also sold as the Opel/Vauxhall Ampera in Europe.

2011: Record Global Sales

In 2011, Chevrolet set a record with 4.76 million vehicles sold worldwide.

2011: GM Fully Acquired GM Daewoo

In 2011, General Motors fully acquired GM Daewoo, creating GM Korea. The Daewoo automotive brand was then discontinued in South Korea and succeeded by Chevrolet.

March 2012: Commonwealth Joint Venture Formed

In March 2012, Goodby, Silverstein and Partners, and McCann Erickson Worldwide formed Commonwealth, a joint venture company, to handle most of Chevrolet's ads worldwide, excluding China, India and Uzbekistan.

2012: Awards for Chevrolet Volt/Ampera

In 2012, the Chevrolet Volt/Ampera received multiple awards, including the 2012 North American Car of the Year, European Car of the Year, and World Green Car of the Year. It was also the world's best selling plug-in electric car in 2012.

2013: Withdrawal from Europe Announced

In late 2013, GM announced that the Chevrolet brand would be withdrawn from Europe from 2016 onward, except for the Camaro and Corvette models.

2014: Last Generation of Impala

The last generation (2014-2020) of Impala was larger and classified as a full-size passenger car.

October 2015: Global Volt/Ampera Sales Milestone

In October 2015, combined global Chevrolet Volt/Ampera sales passed the 100,000 unit milestone.

2015: Chevrolet's Reliability Claims Based on 2015 Models

In 2015, Chevrolet's "Real People. Not Actors" campaign claimed Chevy was more reliable than Toyota, Honda, and Ford based on a nationwide survey. However, this claim was challenged by competitors and Consumer World due to the survey being based on 2015 models that have since been updated, and independent studies contradicting the claims.

June 2016: Volt Family Top Selling Plug-in Hybrid

As of June 2016, the Chevrolet Volt family of vehicles ranked as the world's all-time top selling plug-in hybrid.

July 2016: Volt Sales in American Market

Chevrolet Volt sales in the American market passed the 100,000 milestone in July 2016.

October 2016: Production of Chevrolet Bolt EV Begins

In October 2016, GM began production of the Chevrolet Bolt EV, the first ever affordable mass market all-electric car with a range over 200 mi (320 km).

2016: Chevrolet Withdraws from Europe

In 2016, Chevrolet officially withdrew from the European market, with the exception of the Camaro and Corvette models which continued to be sold.

2017: Awards for Chevrolet Bolt EV

In 2017, the Chevrolet Bolt EV won several awards including the 2017 Motor Trend Car of the Year award, the 2017 AutoGuide.com Reader's Choice Green Car of the Year, and Green Car Journal's 2017 Green Car of the Year.

2018: Chevrolet Returns to Oceania

In 2018, Chevrolet returned to Oceania after a 50-year absence, represented by Holden Special Vehicles (HSV), with the launch of the Camaro and Silverado pickup truck.

December 2019: AvtoVAZ Acquires GM-AvtoVAZ Stake

In December 2019, AvtoVAZ acquired General Motors' stake in their former GM-AvtoVAZ joint venture and continued using the Chevrolet branding for the Niva models as part of the deal.

August 2020: Chevrolet Branding Replaced by Lada for Niva Models

In August 2020, AvtoVAZ replaced Chevrolet branding with Lada for the Niva models.

2020: Production End of the Impala

Production of the Chevrolet Impala ended in 2020.

February 14, 2021: Unveiling of 2022 Bolt EUV and Redesigned Bolt EV

On February 14, 2021, Chevrolet unveiled the 2022 Bolt EUV and redesigned Bolt EV.

2021: GMSV Takes Over Distribution in Oceania

In 2021, General Motors Specialty Vehicles (GMSV) took over the distribution and sales of Chevrolet vehicles in Oceania, starting with the Silverado.

2022: Release of the Bolt EUV and redesigned Bolt EV

Chevrolet released the 2022 Bolt EUV and redesigned Bolt EV in 2022.

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