As Chevrolet, the popular automobile brand owned by General Motors, completes its 100 remarkable years in the automobile arena, one can possibly take note of the power with which the company performed, right from the start.
Currently, Chevrolet accounts for seven out of every 10 General Motors vehicles running on the U.S. roads, with precision and innovation playing a key role in raising the bars for the car maker at regular intervals.
"Having a popularly priced, made-in-America vehicle is important for the country. Some element of national pride is involved," says Jack Nerad, Executive Editorial Director and Market Analyst for Kelley Blue Book's kbb.com.
The success story of the giant has been penned down using the class and perfection of its best and most significant cars and trucks, offered during the long uneven journey of the car maker.
In 1911, Chevrolet came into being with much assurance, aiming to compete with new highs and setting up a noticeable market trend that is led by its products. However, it was in 1914 that Chevy started bringing out considerable numbers of cars. The two-seater Royal Mail and the four-seater Grand were the two cars that provided a breakthrough to the car maker, through the use of unmatched engineering skills. Both the vehicles were considered quite well-equipped and the standard equipment included a horn and a speedometer.
In 1932, Chevrolet introduced the Roadster that was probably the first car to carry luxurious looks along with an affordable price. The1932 Roadster allowed Chevrolet to attain the required momentum and positioned the company at the top of the charts in terms of automotive design.
The year 1935 saw the production of Chevrolet's Suburban that is irrefutably the longest surviving automotive brand name as is still present in the market in the form of the advanced 2011 Suburban. With Suburban, Chevy worked upon the formula of occupying a number of people and heavy trailers by bringing out the car.
In 1948, 3100 pickup, a capacious truck was introduced by Chevrolet, which marked an all-new model type after the WWII hiatus in civilian vehicle production. With the heavy vehicle, the car maker was able to provide a new definition to its pickups that comprise colourful interiors, locking doors and a radio.
The time period of 1955-57 proved to be a landmark in the history of Chevy as the three-model-year run saw the launch of Bel Air, which had plethora of options in store, satiating the needs of different users. Its model line ranged from basic transportation to luxurious and stylish V-8 convertibles and the two-door Nomad station wagon. During 1955 itself, a new small-block V-8 engine that was lighter and sleeker, with improved handling, innovative styling and shades.
During 1999, Chevrolet's Silverado produced the GMT800 that emerged out as the most efficient vehicle platforms in the auto industry's history. The GMT800 offered a variety of vehicles, from trucks to Cadillac SUVs.
In 2008, the company worked upon the style and value quotient that produced stalwarts for Chevy in the past and generated the Malibu, which was the first mainstream General Motors sedan in decades that overshadowed top Japanese models.
Currently, the company has been making interminable efforts to solve issues like short circuits in electric cars for a long period of time, range and charging time. Subsequently it has come out with Volt whose drive train can cover about 40 miles on batteries only.
Thus, Chevrolet has seen number of ups and down through its 100 years long journey, with the unsuccessful productions like Vega and Chevette unable to curb the fast pace at which it is moving ahead of its rivals today.
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