The story of Chevrolet

Chevrolet is a brand of automobiles under General Motors (GM) in the United States of America. In the world of automobiles, few brands have enjoyed as much admiration and popularity as the Chevrolet (also nicknamed fondly as Chevy) from automobile owners worldwide. The classic ‘bow-tie’ logo used by the brand is considered to be a symbol of style and class in the world of cars.

Chevrolet Motors was founded in 1911 by two persons, Louis Chevrolet and William C. Durant. Louis was a race car driver, and Durant was the founder of GM, who left the company in 1910. Since its inception, Chevrolet has made a mark for its innovative and stylish car designs. The luxurious and spacious Impala was launched in 1958 and received satisfactory feedbacks from many owners. The Corvair, produced in 1959, was another grand success for Chevrolet that lasted for many years. Instead of following the usual vehicle mechanics, Chevrolet revolutionized the automobile industry by installing the compact aluminum engine in the back, with enough space around it to store the spare tire. This saved a lot of room under the hood and the inside of the car, allowing for more effective usage of available space.

The present Chevrolet line up features cars for all kinds of users. Compacts like Aveo, Prizm, Cobalt, Cavalier, and Heritage High Roof (HHR) serve small families effectively and are great for a shopping trip or for driving on the busy city streets, where the turning radius of a car is a cause for concern. Luxury coupes like the Monte Carlo have won the hearts of customers looking for a luxurious driving solution. The beauty, comfort and smooth handling offered by these vehicles have made these a status symbol among many affluent customers. Sports car drivers need not be disappointed either, for the Corvette was launched keeping them in mind. This stylish, 2-door coupe is perfect for customers who plan to hit the inter-state highways for a long drive. The 6-speed automatic transmission introduced in 2006 has further improved the performance of the car.

Chevrolet trucks have a history of being among the most high-performance pickup vehicles in the industry. Ironically enough, this reputation has its downsides. For nearly a decade before 2006, Chevrolet trucks topped the list the most stolen brands of pickup vehicles in the US state of Texas, according to police records there. There can hardly be any greater evidence of the sheer popularity enjoyed by these vehicles.

Chevrolet remains one of the most popular brands of automobiles in the world. According to some recent surveys, Chevrolet vehicles constitute roughly one-tenth of all automobile sold in the United States every year. The classy and useful design and the superior performance offered by these vehicles will surely rule the world of automobiles for a long time to come.

What Bugatti is all about ?

The Bugatti is a classic car that dates back to the early 1900s. It was founded in France in the year 1909 by an Italian man named Ettore Bugatti. Many people found Bugatti to be somewhat of a genius though he was also referred to as being very eccentric. Bugatti himself was born in Milan. He was a very creative man that was highly respected for his amazing engineering skills. His designs were always quite artistic, a talent that he came by naturally. His own father had been a designer of fine furniture and jewellery. The need to create and design is something that was a huge part of the Bugatti family.

The Bugatti automobile was vastly different from other cars of the time. Bugatti preferred to scrape the engine block by hand so that it was as flat as it could possibly be. This eliminated the need for gaskets, which are found on most other cars, then and now. Bugatti had a personal belief that weight was always an issue and he constantly strived to find ways to make the weight distribution of his vehicle's more efficient. He was also very dedicated to finding new and better ways of doing everything when it came to the physical construction of his cars.

One thing that makes Bugatti so unique is that only a small number of each model was made. This puts them at the top of many classic car collector lists. These cars are incredibly rare and worth a lot of money. It was just recently that a Bugatti car was discovered in the garage of a deceased man. Only seventeen of these cars were made so the discovery was a special thing as far as classic car history goes.

Bugatti is known to many as the most successful racing car of all time. The models used to race were considered to be among the best car that anyone could use in that type of event. This is the reason for much of the fame that this car now has, despite the rarity of it. Like every other car company of the time, the Second World War had a significant negative impact on sales and production. The production factory was destroyed and the property was seized during the war. Though Bugatti was determined to carry on with his work in the auto industry, he died in 1947 before he could implement any of his new design plans.

Despite a few attempts at resurrection at the hands of a family member, it just wasn't meant to be for Bugatti and the brand began to die out. Volkswagen has since bought the name Bugatti. Bugatti models have since been produced but they are not in mass production. It is unlikely that Bugatti will ever have the success or recognition that it once had. It is now more of a car collector's dream than anything else. Bugatti is so popular it was even turned into a fictional story by Salman Rushdie. This fine European car has had its day in the sun and now it is a wonderful part of history.

BMW History

BMW is one of the world's leading manufacturers of quality cars and motorbikes and is the parent company of the MINI and Rolls-Royce car brands. The acronym BMW stands for "Bayerische Motoren Werke" - or "Bavarian Motor Works" in English .

BMW models are categorised based on what "Series" the car model is, for example, the 3 Series. BMW has a long history in motor racing, having been involved in motorsport since the creation of the first BMW motorcycle.

  

BMW HISTORY

BMW was founded in 1913 to make aircraft engines, shifting to motorbike production in 1923 and cars in 1929. Its factories were damaged during WWII and machine tools were confiscated by the Allies. BMW gradually recovered and in 1967 bought company Hans Glas GmbH, one of whose plants was to become the largest BMW factory.

BMW bought the Rover Group in 1994, selling MG, Rover & Land Rover in 2000 but retaining the rights to build the new MINI, launched in 2001.

BMW FACTS

   * Type: Public company

     * Founded: 1913

     * Headquarters: Munich, Germany

     * Key People: Dr. Norbert Reithofer, Chairman

     * Industry: Automotive

     * Products: Automobiles, Motorcycles

     * Subsidiaries: MINI, Rolls-Royce

FEATURED MODELS

     * BMW 3 SERIES - a compact executive car made since 1975, the BMW 3 Series has been produced over five different generations and many different bodystyles. It is BMW's best selling car

    * BMW 5 SERIES - a mid-size luxury car made since 1972, the BMW 5 Series is now in its fifth generation and is made in both saloon and touring body styles

    * BMW M3 - a high performance version of the compact BMW 3-Series

    * BMW M5 - a high-performance version of the BMW 5-Series made by BMW Motorsport

* BMW X3 - a compact luxury SUV advertised by BMW as an SAV, or 'Sport Activity Vehicle' based on the  BMW 3-Series platform

   * BMW X5 - a mid-sized luxury SUV sold by BMW since 1999, featuring four-wheel

DID YOU KNOW ?

   * In 1956, the BMW 507 sports car was introduced but only a total of 252 were built. Most of the work was carried out by hand and the cars were individually customised to meet each buyer's wishes

   " The BMW Z3 was introduced in 1996 shortly after being featured in the James Bond film " Golden Eye *

    * In the 1990s BMW returned to making aircraft engines in a joint venture with Rolls Royce PLC

     * In 1992, BMW outsold Mercedes for the first time in Europe

     * In 2001, BMW introduced a BMW Films website, showing its sporty models being driven to extremes, but took the website offline in October 2005. The short films were directed by the likes of Guy Ritchie

Audi History

Audi traces its origins back to 1899 and August Horch.  When Horch was forced out of the company he had founded, he started a new company in 1909 called Audi which was a Latin translation of Horch (in German: 'Listen').  From the start, the company's policy was to build cars mainly for the luxury category.

Since 1932 the Audi emblem has been the 'four rings', which represent its amalgamation with DKW, Horch and Wanderer to form Auto Union AG in Chemnitz, Germany. Audi supplied a wide range of passenger vehicles during the 1930s - from motorcycles to luxury saloon cars.  Volkswagen bought the company in 1964. In the 1980s, Audi dominated world rally with the Audi Quattro, and has had huge success in the Le Mans 24 Hour with its R10 prototype racer.

Audi's progressive designs and groundbreaking technology combine to make cars which are innovative yet stylish.  The current crop of production vehicles from the Audi A3 to the Audi R8 supercar has propelled Audi to record sales during the 21st century.

Audi have produced every kind of car imaginable:  from executive cars such as the Audi A4 and Audi A6 to sports cars such as the Audi TT - from the Audi Q7 full size SUV to the Audi A2 super-mini and they show no signs of slowing down.

 

DID YOU KNOW ?

 

     * In March 1980, the introduction of the Audi Quattro four-wheel drive sports coupe caused a sensation on the Audi stand at the Geneva Motor Show. The Quattro was the first high-performance vehicle with four-wheel drive, and is regarded as the first successful application of four-wheel drive on a road car.

   * In the late 1980s, a report by the U.S. TV show, "60 Minutes" rigged an Audi to perform in an uncontrolled manner. The report impacted Audi sales badly causing the company to rename the 5000 model the 100/200 in 1989

    In 1994, the launch of the first Audi A8 with an all-aluminium body was a world first for a passenger car *

  * Audi's legendary slogan, 'Vorsprung durch Technik' means Advancement through Technology

AUDI FACTS

 

    ( Type: Public ( Xetra: NSU *

     * Founded: 1910, Zwickau, Germany

     * Headquarters: Ingolstadt, Germany

     * Key People: Rupert Stadler, Chairman

    * Industry: Automotive

   * Products: Automobiles, Engines

  * Subsidiaries: Quattro GmbH, Lamborghini S.p.A., SEAT, S.A., Cosworth Technology

 

Alfa Romeo History

Alfa Romeo is a name synonymous with performance and style. The company’s ‘cuore sportivo’ - or sporting heart - lives on to the present day, though the company has been a part of the Fiat Group since 1986. Alfas are thoroughbred cars with a racing heritage.

The fundamentals of sports car handling, performance and safety are carried over from competition to road cars. The current Alfa Romeo models include the Alfa 147, 159, Alfa GT, Alfa Brera and Alfa Spider.

ALFA ROMEO HISTORY

Founded in 1910 in Milan, Italy, Alfa came under the control of Nicola Romeo in 1915 and the company was renamed Alfa Romeo five years later. In 1920, the Torpedo 20-30 HP became the first car produced with the Alfa Romeo badge. Alfa Romeo enjoyed racing success between the wars, but still made solid road cars.

After WWII, Alfa changed to smaller mass-produced vehicles introducing the Giulietta series and classic twin cam engine. Models produced since the Fiat takeover combine Alfa's style and sporting panache with mass production.

ALFA ROMEO FACTS

    * Type: a subsidiary of Fiat
    * Founded: 1910
    * Headquarters: Turin, Italy
    * Key people: di Montezemolo - President, Luca De Meo - CEO
    * Industry: Automotive
    * Products: Cars

FEATURED MODELS

    * ALFA ROMEO 147 - The 147 is a small family car produced with three or five door versions.
    * ALFA ROMEO 156 - A compact executive car introduced in 1997 and produced until 2005
    * ALFA ROMEO GT - A Bertone-designed coupé. Engine options include two petrol and one diesel versions. It shares its he interior with the 147
    * ALFA ROMEO GTV - The GTV is a sports car produced by Alfa Romeo from 1995 to 2006. A 2+2 coupé, it was the successor to the long-discontinued Alfetta GTV coupé

DID YOU KNOW?

    * Legend has it that Henry Ford doffed his cap when an Alfa went by
    * The first time he managed to beat the Alfas, Enzo Ferrari cried like a baby. Enzo was a racing driver and team manager for Alfa in the 1920s before founding Ferrari
    * There are many myths surrounding the origins of the first Alfa Romeo badge, but it is thought that it was inspired by Milano's coat of arms, the city where the company originated, and still is
    * From Edward Fox in The Day Of The Jackal, to Dustin Hoffman in The Graduate, Alfa Romeos have always had a place in popular culture. They are often considered as fiery, temperamental Italian cars driven by likeable, interesting people less concerned with cold efficiency and much more interested in being interested

The birth of a legend called Acura

1986 was a watershed year for the automobile industry. This was when Honda, one of the world’s leading automobile manufacturers, introduced a division that would exclusively manufacture luxury cars. This enterprise, the result of ten years of research, was named Acura. Automobile luxury has never been the same ever since. This was the first ever luxury automobile from Japan. Through its introductory models, the Legend and the Integra that were sold and serviced through 60 dealerships spread across North America and 18 states in the US, Acura brand had heralded the arrival of a pioneering brand. Acura’s history makes interesting reading, because it is a history of success and innovation.

Making a habit of earning accolades
Acura had arrived with a bang, in a fashion befitting Honda. In just a year of its launch, the cars that had promised a heady mix of technological innovation; luxury and eye-catching design had won laurels. The first pages of Acura’s history were being written. The four-door Acura Legend coupe, the first Acura model to introduce an airbag, was chosen as the Import Car of the Year for 1987; the Integra figured in that year’s Ten Best List. With its three and five door models, the Integra had consumers in North America falling over each other to buy a piece of this technological marvel.

By 1988, the Legend had become the best selling imported luxury model in the US for the second year in a row, while the Integra won the International Sedan Championship. In 1992, JD Power and Associates Vehicle Performance Index gave the Acura the “Best Overall Car Line” title, while in the following year, the Legend continued its legendary run as the best selling import make for the sixth consecutive year.

Changing entrenched perceptions…for good, and forever
This brand’s entry into the market was earth-shaking. So profound was the entry of Honda’s luxury division that it shook the automobile market like few other innovations had done earlier; more than anything else, it showed that a Japanese brand too, was capable of competing with European and American brands when it came to luxury automobiles. It permanently altered the image of Japanese cars being models that were economical and targeted at the lower middle income consumer. Acura’s history was now firmly in place.

Leading the way
Taking a cue from it, other big names such as Toyota and Nissan launched their own luxury divisions. All the luxury Japanese brands we see on our roads today are the result of the bold step Honda took all those years back. Many features such as Super Handling All Wheel Drive (SH-AWD); Advanced Compatibility Engineering (ACE) and Variable Valve Timing (VVT) are entirely owed to Acura.

More innovations; more awards
The tradition of innovating and, with it, winning awards, continued unabated. The next wave to hit the market was the NSX Coupe in 1990. Short for “New Sports Experiment”, this was another first from Acura –it was the world’s first all-aluminum automobile, and the first automobile brand to integrate luxury and reliability into a sports car. It lived up to its name fully, being new in every sense of the term.

Not surprisingly, it went to on to win the supreme compliment: Motor Trend considered it the “best sports car ever built”. The innovation the NSX Coupe brought about was so overwhelming that it was billed as the “Everyday Supercar” for the kind of material it had used in packaging high technology. With this model, Acura had changed the face of sports cars, too. The year following its launch, the NSX Coupe was fitted with Honda’s path-breaking VTEC technology, taking it further up the ladder of sophistication.

With the introduction of the Vigor sedan in1992, Acura brought in another high flying model into the market. 1995 marked yet another year of innovation –this was when the TL Series was introduced in the American market, and the CL concept premiered at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit. The following year was significant for another reason –the much hallowed brand; the daringly innovative Legend was discontinued, to be replaced by the 3.5 RL. 

And the show continues…
By the mid 1990’s, the Acura brand was firmly saddled in the minds of the consumer as popular tuner cars, especially with the younger age group. Starting in 2000, there was a flurry of new models from Acura. The 3.2 TL, which has been giving the makes like Lexus; Infiniti and the BMW a good run for their money is one of them. Here, too, Acura has innovated by adding more luxury standard features than any other brand. It usually incorporates as standard features what most others give as optional ones. The MDX Crossover came to redefine the crossover SUV market, winning awards from Car and Driver and Motor Trend. Some other models that have come to occupy a prime position in the consumer’s mind are the TL; CL, RSX and the NSX.