Chevrolet celebrates 100 years of existence with a host of events

By any standards, a hundred years is a long time. In that sense, Chevrolet has had a really long history, one that dates back to 3rd of November, 1911. That was when Louis Chevrolet and former GM founder William C. Durant founded the bowtie brand in Detroit, USA. Since then, Chevrolet, or 'Chevy' as it is fondly referred to by its fans, has really expanded its base and is now well and truly a global brand with presence in over 140 countries and an annual sales of about 4.25 million vehicles. To mark its 100th year, Chevrolet celebrated with a series of events across America and around the world on Thursday (Nov-03), the day in which the brand was founded.



The activities marked the end of a year-long celebration of Chevrolet's Centennial that kicked off in January at the 2011 North American International Auto Show in Detroit and included events in Chevrolet hometowns across the world. Speaking on the occasion, Chris Perry, VP, Chevrolet Global Marketing and Strategy, said "We understand Chevrolet is more than a brand - it belongs to everyone who owns, designs, builds, sells or loves Chevrolets. The past 100 years wouldn't have been possible without millions of people who have each made Chevrolet a part of their life's journey". A Centennial Edition of Chevrolet's flagship Corvette sports car was also launched this year as part of the celebrations.



Though Chevrolet has now become globally popular, the heartland of GM's mainstay brand is still the USA where 'Chevy' is more than an automobile brand. It would be no exaggeration to state that 'Chevy' and the 'bowtie' logo have formed a sort of emotional connect with thousands of Americans. To thank the customers, Chevrolet dealers across America would sponsor open houses and a number of promotional events until Nov-07. The passion and loyalty that many feel for the brand is going to be the subject of a documentary titled "Chevy 100 - An American Story". Produced by award-winning filmmaker Roger Sherman, this documentary will be aired on Nov-21 on the Velocity Channel.



The celebrations are not just consigned to USA alone. Chevrolet Europe will be erecting a monument at La Chaux-de-Fonds in Switzerland which is the birthplace of Louis Chevrolet, the founder of the iconic brand. That's not all. In Korea, where GM has ditched the Daewoo brand in favor of Chevrolet early in the year, Chevrolet customers set a Guinness World Record by creating the world's largest car logo. 1143 customers owning Chevrolet cars that included the Spark, Aveo, Cruze, Orlando and Captiva gathered in Pyeongchang to form a huge car mosaic. In tune with the celebrations across the globe, it's time for owners of Spark, Aveo, Beat, Optra, Cruze, Captiva and Tavera in India to rejoice as, every 7.4 seconds, someone in the world are entering the Chevy family!