Did GM own Chevy?
Yes. Chevrolet, commonly known as Chevy, is a division of General Motors (GM) and has been since GM acquired Chevrolet in 1918. The brand remains a core part of GM's product lineup and corporate strategy.
Origins of the Chevrolet brand
Chevrolet Motor Company was founded in 1911 by racing driver Louis Chevrolet and General Motors founder William C. Durant to compete in the booming U.S. auto market. The brand quickly built a reputation for affordable, reliable cars and trucks that would underpin GM's mass-market strategy for decades.
Acquisition and integration into GM
General Motors acquired a controlling stake in Chevrolet in 1918, folding the brand into its corporate structure as a GM division. Over subsequent decades, Chevrolet grew to become GM's primary source of volume in North America and a global name in cars, trucks, and utility vehicles.
Chevrolet today within GM
Today, Chevrolet operates as a distinct GM brand, focused on value-oriented mainstream vehicles, crossovers, SUVs, trucks, and increasingly electrified models. It sits alongside GM's other brands—GMC, Buick, and Cadillac—as a key pillar of the company's lineup and strategy for global markets.
Key milestones in the GM-Chevrolet relationship
The following milestones illustrate how Chevrolet became and remained part of General Motors.
- Chevrolet Motor Company is founded in 1911 by Louis Chevrolet and William C. Durant.
- General Motors acquires Chevrolet in 1918, integrating it as a GM division.
- Chevrolet grows into GM's high-volume, mass-market brand, a leadership position that has endured for decades.
- GM's ongoing reorganizations and product strategies through the 20th and 21st centuries kept Chevrolet as a core brand, expanding into electrification and global markets.
These milestones show that Chevrolet's status as part of GM is long-standing and foundational to GM's business model.
Global presence and regional context
Chevrolet's footprint varies by region, with the brand maintaining strong market presence in the Americas and parts of Asia-Pacific. In Europe, GM reduced its Chevrolet-focused activities as part of broader corporate restructuring and the consolidation of European brands under Opel/Vauxhall and other GM assets. The relationship, however, remains that Chevrolet is a brand owned and overseen by General Motors.
Summary
In short, Chevrolet has been owned by General Motors since 1918 and operates as one of GM's primary brands. The bond between GM and Chevrolet shapes the automaker's product strategy, global reach, and ongoing transition toward electrification.
