Chevrolet Europe
Encyclopedia
History
Chevrolet was established in 1911 by Louis ChevroletLouis Chevrolet
Louis-Joseph Chevrolet was a Swiss-born American race car driver of French descent, co-founder of the Chevrolet Motor Car Company in 1911 and later, the Frontenac Motor Corporation in 1916 which made racing parts for Ford's Model T.-Early life:Born in 1878 in La Chaux-de-Fonds, a center of...
and Billy Durant, the founder of General Motors
General Motors
General Motors Company , commonly known as GM, formerly incorporated as General Motors Corporation, is an American multinational automotive corporation headquartered in Detroit, Michigan and the world's second-largest automaker in 2010...
. Louis Chevrolet had already built up a reputation as a mechanic and race driver, first in his native Europe and then over in the USA. He gained experience working with the largest car manufacturer of the time, de Dion-Bouton
De Dion-Bouton
De Dion-Bouton was a French automobile manufacturer and railcar manufacturer operating from 1883 to 1932. The company was founded by the Marquis Jules-Albert de Dion, Georges Bouton and his brother-in-law Charles Trépardoux....
whilst dominating the race circuits for 15 years. In 1905 he set a land speed record by covering a mile in 52.8 seconds. In 1907, Louis Chevrolet began driving for Buick
Buick
Buick is a premium brand of General Motors . Buick models are sold in the United States, Canada, Mexico, China, Taiwan, and Israel, with China being its largest market. Buick holds the distinction as the oldest active American make...
, which is where he met future GM founder Billy Durant. Seeing his passion for cars coupled with a reputation as a talented racer, Durant saw potential in creating a brand from Louis Chevrolet's name. Upon its birth, Chevrolet went on to establish a firm presence in North and South America, toppling the Ford Model T
Ford Model T
The Ford Model T is an automobile that was produced by Henry Ford's Ford Motor Company from September 1908 to May 1927...
from the top sales position. In Europe, Chevrolet also had production facilities in Denmark, Poland and Switzerland, which continued operating until 1968. In the latter half of the 20th Century Chevrolet grew as a niche European brand with imports of the two flagship models, Corvette
Chevrolet Corvette
The Chevrolet Corvette is a sports car by the Chevrolet division of General Motors that has been produced in six generations. The first model, a convertible, was designed by Harley Earl and introduced at the GM Motorama in 1953 as a concept show car. Myron Scott is credited for naming the car after...
and Camaro
Chevrolet Camaro
The Chevrolet Camaro is an automobile manufactured by General Motors under the Chevrolet brand, classified as a pony car and some versions also as a muscle car. It went on sale on September 29, 1966, for the 1967 model year and was designed as a competing model to the Ford Mustang...
as well as other Chevrolet vehicles.
At the 2004 Paris Motor Show, Chevrolet announced that it was relaunching the brand across Europe, basing its headquarters in Zurich, the capital city of founder, Louis Chevrolet's home country of Switzerland. By 2010 sales had risen from 295,000 units in 2005 to 500,000. This level of growth was in part due to the introduction of small and mid-sized cars built by GMDAT (GM Daewoo Auto & Technology). Chevrolet have recently announced plans to sell two of their most iconic cars, the Camaro and Corvette in Europe for the first time in 2011.
Chevrolet T2X Concept
Unveiled at the 2006 Seoul Motor Show, the T2X was developed in Korea by Chevrolet Europe's parent company, GM Daewoo. David Lyon, Executive Director of Design for GM Daewoo described it as a car that "exemplifies our company slogan ‘Driving Innovation’". Mixing together both elements of a Sports Utility Vehicle and a Sports Coupe, it has a wheelbase of 2,707 mm, sporty wheel arches and wheels that are positioned outside outside of the vehicle's body giving the impression of an agile and athletic car. According to Max Wolff, Deputy Director of Advanced Design, the T2x has been designed to appeal to everyone, but in particular those in their 20s and 30s looking for a sports car feel coupled with the practicality of an SUVChevrolet Sequel
The Chevrolet Sequel is GM's first hydrogen powered vehicle. Unveiled at the Detroit Motor Show in 2005, the vehicle operates via an electrochemical fuel-cell that combines hydrogen fuel with oxygen, generating electricity, the only by-product of this process being water vapour.Although former GM Vice-Chairman Bob Lutz suggested that the Sequel could go in to production by 2011, it was found the cost of producing the fuel-cells would be too expensive. Efforts were instead placed in to preparing the hybrid technology behind the Volt for roll out over 2010/11.
Aveo
A 5 seater hatchback, the Aveo is being launched throughout Europe in Summer 2011 as a competitor to the likes of the Ford Fiesta, Opel Corsa and Volkswagen Polo. The second generation Aveo was launched at the 2010 Paris Motor Show and is set to take over from the Daewoo KalosDaewoo Kalos
The Chevrolet Aveo is the first generation of the Chevrolet Aveo, a subcompact automobile manufactured since 2002 by GM Daewoo, the South Korean subsidiary of General Motors — originally marketed as the Daewoo Kalos and prominently marketed as the Aveo...
, which has been known as the Chevrolet Aveo in most European markets for a number of years now. Earlier in the year, Chevrolet had also unveiled an Aveo RS concept, featuring 19 inch wheels and the North American Cruze's 138 bhp 1.4l Turbocharged Ecotec. In contrast to the North American Sonic there will be no 4 door sedan available.
Captiva
Developed from the 2004, Chevrolet S3X concept car debuted at the 2004 Paris Motor Show, the Captiva is a crossover SUV developed in South Korea by GM Daewoo. In South Korea the car is referred to as the Daewoo Winstorm. Available in 5 and 7 seater iterations, What Car refers to the roominess and practicality of the cabin as particularly strong aspect of the car. The equipment is also rated highly with base models being equipped with air conditioning, MP3 ready CD stereo, alloy wheels and a separately opening tailgate window.Cruze
The Cruze name was initially used for a joint venture between SuzukiSuzuki
is a Japanese multinational corporation headquartered in Hamamatsu, Japan that specializes in manufacturing compact automobiles and 4x4 vehicles, a full range of motorcycles, all-terrain vehicles , outboard marine engines, wheelchairs and a variety of other small internal combustion engines...
and GM which produced both the Cruze and the Suzuki Ignis
Suzuki Ignis
The Suzuki Ignis is a subcompact car that was produced by Suzuki between 2000 and 2008, replacing the Suzuki Cultus. The Cultus retailed under various names globally, notably as the Suzuki Swift...
in 2001. In its first incarnation, it was packaged as a crossover SUV
Crossover SUV
A crossover SUV is a vehicle built on a car platform and combining, in highly variable degrees, features of a sport utility vehicle with features from a passenger vehicle, especially those of a station wagon or hatchback.Using the unibody construction typical of passenger vehicles, the crossover...
. Subaru
Subaru
; is the automobile manufacturing division of Japanese transportation conglomerate Fuji Heavy Industries .Subaru is internationally known for their use of the boxer engine layout popularized in cars by the Volkswagen Beetle and Porsche 911, in most of their vehicles above 1500 cc as well as...
also adopted the shape of the car in 2003 to create the G3X Justy, exclusively distributed around Europe. In 2008, the was resurrected as a compact sedan based on the GM Delta II platform, on which the European Opel/Vauxhall Astra also sits. The Cruze replaces the Chevrolet Cobalt
Chevrolet Cobalt
The Chevrolet Cobalt is a compact car introduced by Chevrolet in 2004 for the 2005 model year. The Cobalt replaced both the Cavalier and the Prizm as Chevrolet's compact car....
and Daewoo/Chevrolet Lacetti. The Cruze body was used as part of a test to determine electric car driving patterns and "real world" behaviour, in preparation for the launch of the Chevrolet Volt. The cars are set to be outfit with 31 kWh battery packs that are claimed to have a range of 100 miles, producing a 0-62 mph time of 8.2 seconds and a top speed of 103 mph. The battery unit itself is set to take just 8–10 hours to fully charge. In Europe a hatchback version of the Cruze is due to launch in the second half of 2011, with 1.6 and 1.8 petrol engines, accompanied by a 161bhp 2.0 diesel. As yet there is no official word on whether the 1.4 ecotec engine used in North America will make its way into the European model.
Orlando
The Orlando is a seven seater MPV being released throughout Europe in Spring 2011. Seen as a rival to the Ford S-MaxFord S-MAX
The Ford S-Max is an MPV/saloon produced by the Ford Motor Company for the European market and by Chang'an Ford Automobile Co., Ltd for the Chinese market. Introduced at the 2006 Geneva Motor Show, the S-Max went on sale alongside the new generation Galaxy in June 2006. It is intended to be...
, VW Touran and Opel Zafira
Opel Zafira
The Opel Zafira is a compact MPV engineered and produced by the German automaker Opel. The Zafira is sold under the Vauxhall marque in the United Kingdom.- Zafira A :...
, it signals another step in Chevrolet's goal of establishing itself as a European brand. The car itself will initially be available in a 1.8 litre version delivering 139 bhp and two 2.0 litre diesel versions with the most powerful of the two creating 161 bhp. In a first test of the car, UK car website, Autocar suggested that the car could compete with the Zafira and S-Max in terms of practicality. They point in particular to the size of the cabin and the 30 different seat arrangements, which help position it as a significant rival in the MPV market.
Spark
Initially unveiled as a concept under the name Beat during the New York International Auto show in 2007, the Spark is aimed at targeting a younger urban market with a need for value, fuel economy and practicality. Along with two other concepts referred to as TraxChevrolet Trax
The Chevrolet Trax is one of three small car concepts introduced on 4 April 2007 at the 2007 New York International Auto Show. The Trax showcases a new style of small car from General Motors with a two-tone exterior. The mini car was completely designed by GM Daewoo in South Korea...
and Groove
Chevrolet Groove
The Chevrolet Groove is one of three small car concepts introduced on 4 April 2007 at the 2007 New York International Auto Show. The Groove showcases a new style of small car from General Motors. The mini car was completely designed by GM Daewoo in South Korea...
, Chevrolet invited the public to vote on their site for which one they preferred. Upon winning and going in to general production, Beat was first unveiled in Europe at the 2009 Geneva Motor Show under the namebadge, Spark. Some of the revisions from the original Beat concept to the final production line Spark include a more rounded nose and larger headlights. Upon going on sale, the Spark has taken over from the Matiz
Daewoo Matiz
-M100 :The production of Daewoo Matiz started in 1998 and it was sold in South Korea and many European markets with the code name M100. The exterior design is based on the Lucciola, a Fiat Cinquecento concept by Italdesign Giugiaro which had been rejected by Fiat. The 0.8-litre gasoline engine and...
, which had been badged as a Chevrolet in recent years, and is available in 1.0 and 1.2 litre variants. The underpinnings make it a sister car to the Opel/Suzuki joint venture which produced the Suzuki Splash and latest generation Opel Agila. These cars supplement the petrol engines available in the Spark with a GM 1.3 diesel engine.
Camaro
Along with the Corvette, the Camaro has been a popular American import to Europe since it launched in 1966. Chevrolet made the announcement in March, 2010 that the Camaro was going to be made available on the European market for the first time in 2011. In a press release, Chevrolet state that a coupe and convertible version would be made available outfitted with 400 hp, 6.2-liter V8 Active Fuel Management engines.Facing up against competition from the Citroën C3
Citroën C3
The Citroën C3 is a supermini car equipped with a range of inline-four engines that has been produced by the French automaker Citroën since 2002. It was designed by Donato Coco and Jean-Pierre Ploué, previously known for designing the first generation Renault Twingo; the former has been the head of...
Picasso and the Kia Soul
Kia Soul
The Kia Soul is a compact car designed at Kia's design center in California, unveiled at the 2008 Paris Motor Show, manufactured in South Korea and marketed globally beginning with model year 2010....
, the Camaro was named the World Car Design of the Year at the 2010 World Car of the Year Awards.
Corvette
Chevrolet announced the arrival of the Corvette Grand Sport in March 2010. At the Geneva Motor Show 2010, Chevrolet showcased the Corvette Grand Sport, Coupe and Convertible announcing plans to release the Coupe and Convertible versions later in 2010.Volt
The Volt is a hybrid electric vehicle set for release in the fourth quarter of 2011 in Europe. After the Volt concept was unveiled during the 2007 Detroit Auto Show, GM former Vice-Chairman, Bob Lutz suggested that the Volt was the "first steps in the electrification of the automobile". The Volt itself runs on a lithium ion battery that Chevrolet claim can last for up to 60 miles on a single charge. After the charge has depleted, a petrol powered generator starts to charge the battery enabling a further 400 miles of range.It has been on sale in the US since December 2010 in a select number of regions where it has been met with largely positive reviews. Washington Post journalist, Gene Weingarten, renowned for his stance against American cars tested the Volt and suggested that the versatility of the engine showed insight that differentiated it from any other car before it.
The Volt has also received several awards including ‘Car of the Year’ accolades from auto magazines Motor Trend and Automobile.
External links
- Chevrolet International/USA official corporate website