Chevy, Ford and Dodge – Rivals for Life
When you think of American autos, Dodge, Chevy and Ford are three brands that come to mind. They are pioneers in the auto industry and they have all closely competed through generations of American history and they are all still competing today.
Whether looking for a stylish muscle car, or an over-the-top fast car, or a sturdy pickup truck or even a car that has its place in history — each of those brands has something to offer consumers.
Brand Beginnings
The beginning of all three brands goes back to the early 1900s. The Ford Motor Company was the first brand as it was founded in 1903 by the very famous Henry Ford. Eight years later, Louis Chevrolet and William Durant started Chevrolet in 1911 and three years later in 1914 the Dodge brothers, Horace Elgin Dodge and John Francis Dodge, founded the “Dodge Brothers” brand.
In 1918 Durant acquired a controlling stake in General Motors, another car company, and a year later the Chevrolet brand became the volume leader in the General Motors family. In 1928, Dodge was sold to the Chrysler Corporation, but the brand still kept its identity.
By the end of the ‘20s these brands became what are known as the “Big Three.” Ford, General Motors and the Chrysler Corporation dominated the American auto industry and all of their developments were spreading worldwide. More than 80 years later and these three companies are still the “Big Three” in the American auto industry.
Chevrolet and Dodge worked hard to overcome the odds of being a predecessor to Ford and all three brands fought to produce the best-selling models. In fact, Chevy and Dodge built vehicles to compete with the famous Ford Model-T and in 1929 Chevy took Ford’s record as having the best-selling car on the market.
Along the Way
Since their beginnings, all three brands have produced some popular, unique, and iconic vehicles, including trucks, performance cars and muscle cars. Ford had the Thunderbird in the ‘50s and ‘60s, and the award-winning Ford GT40 and the Ford Mustang made their debuts in the 60s.
Some of Chevy’s most iconic models are the performance model, the Chevy Corvette and the muscle car, the Chevy Camaro, which are still being produced today. Two of Chevy’s most iconic models, the Chevelle and El Camino, are retired and today they are highly sought after. The Camaro is actually celebrating its 50th anniversary this year!
Dodge joined Ford and Chevrolet in the muscle car crew in the ‘60s and ‘70s with the introduction of the Charger in 1966 and the Challenger in 1970.
2017
So where are these brands today? Still thriving and more competitive than ever! The Mustang, Challenger and Camaro are highly competitive two-door muscle cars and all three companies (Dodge Ram, Dodge’s sub-brand of trucks, officially separated to form the Ram brand in 2011) produce light-duty and heavy-duty trucks.
While Chevy and Ford have been diversifying their products as they are testing out new electric and hybrid vehicles, Dodge is holding on to its reputation for power.
Interested in an American car with lots of history behind the brand name? Check out our inventory of Chevy vehicles at Miami Lakes Chevy here and Dodge vehicles at Miami Lakes Dodge here.
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