Beginning.The company was established in 1911 by Louis Chevrolet, a racing driver, and William Durant, the founder of General Motors, who left it in 1910. Six years later, Chevrolet became profitable and Durant bought the majority of shares in the GM group and took control of the company. At that time Chevrolet was included in GM.
Development.The expansion of General Motors in Europe resulted in the first Chevrolet branch being opened on the Old Continent. It took place in 1923 in Copenhagen. Next, the brand arrived in the Scandinavian countries, the Baltic countries, Germany, Austria, Russia, Hungary, the Czech Republic and also in Poland. In 1928, the first assembly shop of GM cars was opened in Warsaw. Its opening ceremony took place on 10 September 1928, and this date can be officially regarded as the beginning of GM's operations in Poland. Together with the assembly shop, the first passenger cars also appeared. During the Cold War period, Chevrolet withdrew from Poland. Chevrolet had an enormous influence on the American automotive market in the 1950s and 1960s. In 1963, one in ten cars sold in the United States was a Chevrolet.
Present.In 2004, GM started selling Daewoo cars under the Chevrolet brand in certain Eastern European countries as it did not have the right to use the Daewoo brand in those countries (including Poland). That year, together with Daewoo, GM bought the FSO plant in Żerań in Warsaw. The production of Chevrolet models—former Daewoo models—was relaunched. Those cars were exported to numerous Central and Eastern European countries. It was at that time that the position of the Chevrolet make became slightly weaker due to lower sales of the GM group on the American market and greater competition.
Contribution to the automotive industry.Chevrolet has had considerable achievements in sports. Chevrolet cars have won numerous NASCAR races. The Corvette model, which has become an icon of motor sports and a cult object of numerous car lovers, is a great achievement of Chevrolet.
Trivia.The Chevrolet small-block engine has been manufactured on a continuous basis since 1955 with only slight changes. Each of the GM companies (Buick, Cadillac, Oldsmobile and Pontiac) has used it in its constructions. Chevrolet has also appeared in numerous songs, including: The Beach Boys, Elton John, Prince and Don McLean (in "American Pie"). In 2010, the company requested that only the name "Chevrolet" should be used instead of "Chevy". This instruction applied to the company's employees, their families and dealers.
Popular models:Chevrolet Aveo, Chevrolet Captiva, Chevrolet Corvette, Chevrolet Cruze, Chevrolet Epica, Chevrolet HHR, Chevrolet Lacetti / Chevrolet Nubira, Chevrolet Spark II, Chevrolet Matiz, Chevrolet Camaro.
Tyres.Chevrolet has manufactured many different vehicles; from passenger cars, through pick-ups to sports cars. Models typically intended for the American market are usually equipped with Bridgestone and Yokohama tyres. The Chevrolet Tiltmaster W4 and GMC Forward W4 are originally equipped with Yokohama TY213A tyres while the Chevrolet Tiltmaster W5500 and GMC Forward W5500 models are equipped with the RY023A model. The Chevrolet Lumina is equipped with Bridgestone tyres (depending on the size — EG3, E92P, ER30, B530 Z). Chevrolet models which are offered in Europe are available in popular tyre sizes: 155/65 R13, 155/80 R13, 195/55 R15 and 205/55 R16. Chevrolet cooperates with numerous tyre companies, including: the Korean Hankook company (Chevrolet Aveo with Hankook K702 155/80 R13 tyres, Chevrolet Lacetti with Hankook K406 tyres, size 185/65 R14) or the French Michelin company (Chevrolet Aveo: Michelin Energy 185/60 R14; Chevrolet Lacetti: Michelin Energy 175/70 R14).