100 years of Chevy: An improbable journey to American icon

— -- DETROIT — Chevrolet. Later just Chevy. Even, sometimes, Shivalay or Shivvy. By any name, it's a brand with a remarkable history. Begun in 1911, based on a car by French race driver Louis Chevrolet, Chevy now is so insinuated into American culture that ads comparing it to hot dogs and apple pie go unchallenged.

As Chevy and parent General Motors celebrate its 100th anniversary — the documents establishing Chevrolet were completed Nov. 3, 1911 — it's sometimes easy to overlook how truly remarkable it is that Chevy survived this long, given its early uphill battles with richer Ford, and a century of other trials.

It's much harder to squint ahead for hints whether the old, traditional car brand that makes seven of every 10 GM vehicles sold in the U.S. will be nimble and innovative enough to survive another 100 years.

And it's enlightening to remember why that matters. "Having a popularly priced, made-in-America vehicle is important for the country. Some element of national pride is involved," says Jack Nerad, executive editorial director and market analyst for Kelley Blue Book's kbb.com.

In fact, there'd be no Chevrolet without Ford. Chevy was started 100 years ago as a rival to the Model T, the original "popularly priced, made-in-America vehicle" that Henry Ford had rolled out in 1908.

Now Chevy, Ford and Toyota perennially battle to be the best-selling vehicle brand in the U.S. Chevy last was tops in 2005. The three, plus Nissan, are the four truly full-line brands sold in the U.S., offering the widest ranges of vehicle types, sizes, models and sizes.

Chevy is a full-line brand that sells everything from very small cars (Sonic, Spark) through specialty models (Corvette) to big trucks (Suburban SUV, Silverado pickup).

With high sales volumes and diverse lineups, the full-line brands make it practical for their parent companies to maintain products in many segments, any of which might explode into popularity — as SUVs did in the 1990s when buyers suddenly tired of minivans. Jeep and Ford were SUV pioneers, but late-arriving GM got traction because its Chevrolet brand was able to create credible competing models quickly.

Always innovating

GM CEO Dan Akerson says the latter-day GM "failed because we failed to innovate" and wound up in a government-scripted bankruptcy reorganization in 2009. He sees Chevrolet as GM's innovation platform. Some examples:

•Chevy Volt is a unique, extended-range electric car, earning GM goodwill among the alternative-fuel crowd, though it has been built and sold in small numbers since arriving late last year.

•Chevy's redesigned Malibu midsize sedan will be launched early next year with an efficient gasoline-electric mild hybrid system, called eAssist, as the only drivetrain initially. A new-design gasoline four-cylinder will be added later.

•GM continues to explore hydrogen fuel-cell vehicles, and is testing the concept in, no surprise, a Chevrolet — a modified Equinox SUV.

•Chevy Cruze compact sedan, already a runaway sales hit and with a gasoline Eco model rated up to 42 miles per gallon on the highway, will get an even higher mileage diesel version in 2013. That would be the first Detroit passenger-vehicle diesel since the 2006 Jeep Liberty CRD sport-utility, and the first diesel car from Detroit since the 1980s.

Formidable rivals Honda and Nissan both had promised diesel sedans by now but failed to deliver, backing off because of costs.

Volkswagen is the only midprice brand willing to sell U.S. diesels, so a Cruze diesel is a bold move against an entrenched rival.

•GM soon will replace three families of four-cylinder engines with a cutting-edge line of efficient, small 1- to 1.5-liter powerplants that will include three-cylinder engines. That's bold, too. Three-cylinders haven't been sold in the U.S. since GM's Geo Metro, a joint venture with Suzuki, was discontinued after 1994. This time the threes could power vehicles as big as the Cruze, GM small-car chief Jim Federico says.

Using today's mpg rating formula, the 1994 car would have been rated 43 mpg in town, 52 on the highway, hinting at the possibilities of the new GM engine family, which will benefit from much-advanced technology and design innovations.

•Mentioning innovative natural-gas and all-electric models to come, Akerson says, "Stay tuned."

It's uncertain whether the alternative-power mantle sits easily on a red-blooded, mainstream Chevrolet brand that also has shown its 600-plus horsepower Corvette in tail-sliding TV ads.

But if what appear to be permanently high fuel prices make alternative power a mainstream demand, it makes sense, Nerad says. "If that's where the bulk of the lower-price car market is, where people are going — and it's hard to think that it is — then that's where Chevy should be," he says.

You've come a long way, baby

Whither Chevy goes, it will be getting there from a rocky start. "I'm surprised it even happened at all," says Vern Parker, an auto history buff whose classic-car column is published at MotorMatters.biz. "Ol' Louis (Chevrolet) wasn't so great" at getting the first model finished, he says.

Louis was developing a car brand for William Durant, who had founded GM in 1908, then was forced by missteps to surrender the company to bankers in 1910.

Durant saw a line of cars, branded with Chevrolet's famous name, as a way to get back into the auto business. More than that, he wanted to take back GM and needed the cash and credibility he thought the Chevrolet car company would provide. Louis Chevrolet intended to make a big, expensive car and the big, original Chevrolet was built in 1911. It took until 1914 for Durant to get the "real" Chevy he wanted — a true rival in size and price to Ford's Model T, and the battle has continued ever since.

By 1915, Durant was able to reacquire GM, and at least one headline read, "Chevrolet buys General Motors." Almost at once, Chevy became half of a national auto discourse: "Chevy's better than Ford." "Is not." "Is too."

Ford, Chevy push each other to succeed

Both have benefited from the rivalry. A tepid version of Chevy's now-marquee model, Corvette, was introduced in 1953 and might have died after a brief run, except that Ford introduced the rival Thunderbird two-seater in 1955.

"Chevy didn't want it to appear as if they were run out of town by Ford, so they redoubled their efforts and came out with a real car for 1956: Styling, a top that fit, a V-8 with some real performance. "All the Corvette people should thank Ford," Parker says.

Popular NASCAR racing has been fueled by the Chevy vs. Ford debate. Five-time champ Jimmie Johnson races a Chevy. This year's points leader, Carl Edwards, drives a Ford.

But sometimes the battle against Ford, coupled with Chevy's desire to innovate, hasn't worked so well. Detroit's early foray into small cars saw Ford launch the 1960 Falcon compact. The conservative, rear-drive, conventional sedan was a success. In fact, its chassis and other hardware became the platform for the wildly successful Mustang, launched in 1964.

Chevy, by contrast, rolled out the innovative 1960 Corvair. The air-cooled engine sat in back, where Americans expected a trunk. With no traditional driveshaft running from an engine in front to the wheels in back, Corvair's floor was flat, improving passenger comfort.

But car-critic Ralph Nader blacked Chevy and GM eyes by calling the early version of the sporty, low-slung Corvair unstable and dangerous.

Federal safety officials investigated and eventually cleared the Corvair, saying it handled properly and wasn't dangerous. And auto buffs considered it a wonderful break from old-think.

But Chevy killed the car after 10 years and GM paid a big fine for trying to dig up dirt on Nader's personal life to discredit him.

That money went to found the Center for Auto Safety, an advocacy group that continues to dog car companies on safety and other issues.

So, Ford introduced Falcon and wound up with Mustang. Chevy launched Corvair and wound up with Nader and a permanent adversary group.

Then there was Chevy Vega, a beautiful but unreliable small car that made its debut as a 1971 model. Before it was discontinued, it managed to tar Chevy's image and become a synonym for shoddy quality.

Of course, Ford's rival Pinto was no better. Accused of catching fire too easily in crashes, Pinto triggered lawsuits and publicity that hurt Ford more than Vega's unreliability hurt Chevy.

"Chevy's had more product downs than sales downs," Nerad notes. Chevy survived hardware gaffes and quality lapses and remains GM's best-selling brand.

How Chevrolet weathers the next 100 years depends on how well GM's core brand can keep from returning to the bad old days, when "people were being rewarded for saving money rather than creating great products, " Nerad says.

"It's simplistic," he says, "but it's the only answer: You have to have compelling products that people want to buy."

Chevy's greatest hits

Chevrolet doesn't just build cars and trucks. It creates archetypes.

Close your eyes and think of a type of car or truck. It's amazing how often the vehicle in your mind's eye will be a Chevrolet.

Picture a pastel 1950s family sedan, wagon or convertible. What else but the 1955-57 Chevy? American sports cars? Gotta be the Corvette. Sport coupes and convertibles? Odds are you're thinking of either the Chevrolet Camaro or Ford Mustang.

Like low-riders? Take your pick: a '60s Impala, '80s Malibu or '90s Caprice Classic. Prefer SUVs? The Chevy Suburban was on the road before Willys built its first Jeep. Mark Phelan of the Detroit Free Press looks at Chevy's hits.

In chronological order, here are some of the best and most significant cars and trucks in Chevrolet's 100-year history:

1914 Royal Mail: Chevy makes a convincing argument for this little-known car. The brand was born in 1911, but 1914 was the first year it built significant numbers of cars. The two-seat Royal Mail and the four-seat 1914 Grand were the first cars engineered from the ground up to be Chevrolets. Well-equipped for their time, standard equipment included a horn and a speedometer.

1932 Roadster: The first Chevrolet to combine luxury-car looks with an affordable price, the 1932 Roadster began Chevrolet's decades-long run as a leader in automotive design. Sometimes called the "baby Cadillac," the '32 was among the first Chevrolets shaped by famous GM design chief Harley Earl.

1935 Suburban: The longest-lived automotive nameplate in continual use. Chevy nailed the formula for a big vehicle to carry plenty of people and haul heavy trailers. You see the roots of today's luxurious and advanced 2011 Suburban in the '35, the granddaddy of modern SUVs.

1948 3100 pickup: This roomy truck was Chevrolet's first really new model after the WWII hiatus in civilian vehicle production. It redefined Chevy's workhorse pickups with colorful interiors, locking doors and a radio. Its design influenced the 2003 SSR convertible sport truck and the 2006 HHR compact wagon.

1955-57 Bel Air: This three-model-year run was the pinnacle of 1950s automaking. The Bel Air had something for everyone. Its model line stretched from basic transportation to fast and stylish V-8 convertibles and the two-door Nomad station wagon. It was all-new in 1955, with a new small-block V-8 engine (variations of which continued into the 1990s), a lighter and stiffer frame, better handling, modern styling and colors. The finned '57 Chevy Bel Air became the symbol of 1950s America.

1963 Corvette Sting Ray: The glorious little Sting Ray was a breakthrough in style and substance. Designed by Larry Shinoda and one of the triumphs of Bill Mitchell's reign as GM styling boss, it was the first Vette with Chevy's small-block V-8 and an independent rear suspension.

1967 Camaro: Chevy's answer to the Ford Mustang, the Camaro ignited a passionate competition that's still burning. The first generation offered everything the Camaro family provides to this day, with a model range that included six-cylinder and V-8 engines and coupe and convertible bodies.

1999 Chevrolet Silverado pickup: The Silverado introduced the GMT800, one of the most-capable vehicle platforms in the auto industry's history. The GMT800 spun off a dizzying variety of vehicles, from humble work trucks to Cadillac SUVs fit to carry a head of state. Annual sales of GMT800-based vehicles topped the gross domestic product of many countries.

2008 Malibu: A return to the style and value that made icons of earlier Chevys, the Malibu returned the brand to relevance. It was the first mainstream GM sedan in decades that matched or surpassed top Japanese models.

2011 Volt: It solved issues that short-circuited electric cars for a century: range and charging time. Its drivetrain can cover about 40 miles on batteries alone and longer distances thanks to a small engine that produces more electricity.

Chevy's biggest flops

Chevrolet's worst is a subject that'll get you a serious discussion, or a fistfight, at any good bar or water cooler.

Members of USA TODAY's auto team lead off with a terrible trio. Some details are from Krause Publications' Standard Catalog of Chevrolet.

Then come four picks from Mark Phelan, auto critic at theDetroitFree Press, who observes that some of Chevy's biggest flops came when it overreached with technologies that weren't ready, and when management decided Chevrolet had to offer a vehicle but didn't invest enough to do it right.

Vega: Beautiful rear-drive subcompact sold 1971-77. Engines malfunctioned. Taught us about right vs. wrong ways to use aluminum in engines. Vega became a symbol for unreliable.

Chevette: A dowdy counterpoint to Vega, sold from 1976 through 1987. It was based on GM's German Opel Kadett, and offered a bare-bones price leader called Scooter without a back seat.

Sophisticated by contemporary standards, it had a synchromesh four-speed manual, rack-and-pinion steering, disc brakes, overhead-camshaft four-cylinder. But wasn't fun to drive.

Rivals leapfrogged it, and it wound up sold to fleets and people who couldn't afford a real car. A waste of good German engineering.

Citation: The lead model of GM's X-body cars, sold from 1980 through 1985, it was a modern front-drive car with roomy interior and powerful engines. Though it was touted as the most-tested Chevy ever, problems quickly cast a pall. Gaskets leaked. Plastic parts came loose.

And X-bodies triggered lawsuits claiming the rear brakes locked up easily, throwing the cars dangerously out of control in hard stops.

And these from the Free Press' Phelan:

1923 Copper-Cooled Chevrolet: The best thing about this idea is that Chevy killed it fast. Only 500 M-series cars with the air-cooled 135-cubic-inch four-cylinder engine were made. Engineering genius Charles F. Kettering — also responsible for the electric starter, unleaded gasoline, diesel locomotive engines and Freon for air-conditioning and refrigeration — aimed for a small, light engine cooled by blowing air over U-shaped copper fins attached to its cylinders. The cooling system failed, leading to overheating, knocking and reduced power.

1960-1969 Corvair: A noble idea that became synonymous with Detroit's failures. Chevrolet's first attempt to build a sophisticated, fuel-efficient compact car, it was an epic public relations flop. The Corvair's real and perceived failings launched Ralph Nader's career and did immeasurable damage to GM's image.

The Corvair deserved better. It boasted an air-cooled, rear-mounted engine — hallmarks of the iconic Porsche 911— plus good passenger and luggage space. Chevrolet sold 1.8 million.

Every minivan Chevrolet ever made: Building a great minivan can't be easy. If it were, Chevrolet would not have failed repeatedly for nearly 20 years. Chevy should have given up after tanking with the DustBuster-nosed 1990 Lumina APV. Instead, it bombed again with the 1997 Venture. Bafflingly, Chevy then went back to the APV's playbook and gave the 2005 Uplander a funny nose. It repelled parents like fleas at a petting zoo.

Geo: How badly did Chevrolet lose its way in the 1980s? Chevy outsourced developing and making small cars to Isuzu, Suzuki and Toyota.

Chevy didn't want its name on the motley collection, so the Geo sub-brand was born. Most failed, but the Geo Prizm, a rebadged Toyota Corolla, was renamed Chevy Prizm and was kept around when the Geo brand shut down.