The company was started on November 3, 1911, as the Chevrolet Motor Car Company by Swiss race car driver and automotive engineer Louis Chevrolet, his brother Arthur Chevrolet, and ousted General Motors founder William C. Durant. Durant had previously hired Louis Chevrolet to drive Buicks in promotional races and planned to use Chevrolet's reputation as a racer as the foundation for the new venture. Other investment partners included William Little, James H. Whiting, Edwin R. Campbell, and R. S. McLaughlin. Durant used the company to acquire a controlling stake in General Motors, leading to a reverse merger on May 2, 1918, which propelled him back to the GM presidency.
The first factory location was in Flint, Michigan, at the corner of Wilcox and Kearsley Street, now known as "Chevy Commons" (43.00863°N 83.70991°W). A key technical advancement for the company was the use of an overhead valve engine from its inception. This design, which was more efficient than conventional flathead engines, was patented by the former owner of Buick, who was among Chevrolet's founders. While design work for the first model, the Series C Classic Six, began before incorporation, the first actual production did not occur until the 1913 model year.
By 1916, the success of the cheaper Series 490 made Chevrolet profitable enough for Durant to repurchase a controlling interest in General Motors. After the 1918 merger, Chevrolet became a separate division within GM. By 1919, the brand had established factories in Flint and assembly locations in Tarrytown, New York; Norwood, Ohio; St. Louis, Missouri; Oakland, California; Ft. Worth, Texas; and Oshawa, Ontario.
In 1929, Chevrolet introduced the "Stovebolt" overhead-valve inline six-cylinder engine. This gave the brand a marketing edge over Ford, which was still offering a flathead four-cylinder engine, allowing Chevrolet to advertise "A Six at the price of a Four." During the 1950s and 1960s, the brand had a significant influence on the American market, producing the Corvette sports car in 1953 and introducing the Rochester Ramjet fuel-injected engine in 1957. By 1963, one out of every ten cars sold in the United States was a Chevrolet.
The "bowtie emblem" was first used in 1914 on the H and L Series models. Its origin is subject to various accounts: Durant claimed he saw the design on wallpaper in a French hotel in 1908, while his wife later recalled him spotting a motif in a Virginia newspaper in 1912. Research by historian Ken Kaufmann presents a case that the logo is based on a logo of the "Coalettes" coal company, which appeared in an advertisement in the Atlanta Constitution on November 12, 1911. Others suggest the design is a stylized Swiss cross in honor of Louis Chevrolet's home country.
In 1960, Chevrolet entered the compact car market with the Corvair, which featured a rear-mounted air-cooled engine. In the 21st century, the brand moved toward electrification with the 2010 launch of the plug-in hybrid Chevrolet Volt and the 2016 production of the Bolt EV, the first affordable mass-market all-electric car with a range over 200 miles.
Chevrolet is a prominent participant in global motorsports, particularly NASCAR, where it is the most successful manufacturer with thirty-nine titles. Major teams such as Hendrick Motorsports and Richard Childress Racing currently utilize the Camaro ZL1 1LE. In IndyCar, Chevrolet provided engines for six consecutive Indianapolis 500 wins from 1988 to 1993 and returned to the series in 2012, securing further victories in 2013, 2015, 2018–2019, and 2023–2024. The brand also achieved success in the FIA World Touring Car Championship, winning both driver and manufacturer titles from 2010 to 2012 with the Cruze.
Chevrolet-branded vehicles are sold in most automotive markets worldwide. In 2005, the brand was relaunched in Europe, primarily selling vehicles built by GM Daewoo of South Korea. However, GM announced in 2013 that it would withdraw the brand from Europe by 2016, with the exception of the Corvette and Camaro, to focus on the Opel and Vauxhall brands. In Oceania, Chevrolet returned in 2018 via Holden Special Vehicles after a 50-year absence. Following the retirement of the Holden brand in 2021, General Motors Specialty Vehicles took over the distribution of Chevrolet models like the Silverado in the region.
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