General Motors owns Chevrolet, a great American car manufacturer. W.C. Durant in Detroit, Michigan started the company. The cars produced were first brought out by racecar driver, Louis Chevrolet. He established an automobile for $2150, which were six cylinders and 4.9 litres. The first big car produced on the market was the Baby Grand, which was sold for $875. Electrics were optional on Chevrolets until 1917. With the first real boost in production and innovation cars were sold at a standard price increasing sales to 70,701 from 13,600.
In 1917 General Motors acquired Chevrolet. In 1920 Ford and Dodge were the only leaders above Chevrolet’s marque. As competition rose Chevrolet began preparation for new models as well as styles. They came up with a few standard automobiles, which were no different than competitors until their 1925 Superior. This coach had disc wheels and “Duco cellulose finish (refer to source 6)” selling for only $650. This allowed for Chevrolet to outsell Ford for the first time, even though Ford was switching over from the Model T to A. One big development came in 1929 with the “Cast Iron Wonder” which sold more than a million cars in its first year at $595.
In 1931 Chevrolet finally surpassed Ford for a matter of 3 years. During the 1930’s Chevy became aware of the need to improvise. They came up with many new styles adding to their collection of automobiles. Thy created V-grilles, hydraulic brakes, large engines, column shifts, along with convertibles. They also manufactured a station wagon in 1939. While in 1940 they offered a power top convertible with low prices. Also during the coming months Juan Manuel Fangio won a race in Argentina using one of the new coupes.
As years passed the company increased sales, production, and opportunities. In 1949 they underwent surgery on their cars by extensively restyling to produce a sedan costing $1460. A major impact came in 1950 with the offering of a 2 speed fully automatic transmission. In 1953 the Corvette sports car was produced with a V-6 and fiberglass body.
The Corvette was a spectacular automobile. It needed more so it was reassembled to acquire an 8-cylinder engine with options such as air suspension. Another breakthrough car was the 1960 Corvair, which was reproduced to include a turbo-supercharged engine.
The Chevrolet Company has produced many new models over the years. They have become a leader in the industry under General Motors. With newer models of sports cars, full size pickup trucks, sedans, and coupes the company has grown with immense popularity. The company proved the need of American manufacturers to diversify their products. They improved using new styles such as disc brakes, headlamps, engine size, faster, as well as more reliable cars. Some of their greatest accomplishments were the Camaro, Corvette, the luxurious Caprice, Chevelle, and the Impala. Chevrolet has always been a competitor; they produce in order to satisfy the needs of the consumer by offering great automobiles at low prices.
About the Author
Sue Smith
