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128-582: Ford 7.3 L "Godzilla" V8 The Blue Bird Vision is a school bus that is manufactured and marketed by Blue Bird Corporation in North America and exported worldwide. In production since 2003, the Vision became the first cowled-chassis bus built on a proprietary chassis designed and manufactured by the same company. While it is sold primarily in a school bus configuration, the Blue Bird Vision

256-793: A business-only vehicle . In the past, GM also assembled the Suburban and Avalanche in Mexico for export to other markets, chiefly the U.S. and Canada. In 2009 China became Chevrolet's third-largest market, with sales of 332,774 vehicles, behind only the United States and Brazil (1,344,629 and 595,500 vehicles respectively). By 2010, Chevy sold just over half a million, with the Cruze being its best seller there. A total of 673,376 locally-manufactured Chevrolets were sold in China in 2018 (down from

384-527: A "shell" version was sold for upfitters as well. To better compete with more modern designs of luxury recreational vehicles, Blue Bird began to update the design of the Wanderlodge. Following the 1988 introduction of the 102" wide body, the Wanderlodge line was redesigned entirely for 1991 (effectively sharing only Blue Bird emblems with the All American). In 1994, a second version of the Wanderlodge

512-493: A 10-year supply agreement with Blue Bird, starting early in 1992, as a 1993 model. Under the agreement, the Chevrolet/GMC B7 would only be sold to Blue Bird. Blue Bird offered a choice of other cowled chassis (Ford B700/B800, International 3700, 3800, and later Freightliner FS-65). The CV200 was produced through 2002. The 2002s were considered 2003 models. In place of bringing all-new product lines to production, during

640-419: A 1946 heart attack, A.L. Luce began to hand over day-to-day operations of Blue Bird to his three sons. By the end of the decade, the company became the seventh-largest school bus manufacturer in the United States. Following the outbreak of World War II, school bus production went on hiatus; Blue Bird produced buses for the U.S. Navy. As steel was heavily rationed, company engineers were required to re-engineer

768-471: A 50° wheel cut, for improved maneuverability over previous Type C buses. The instrument panel featured large back-lit gauges and switches. The Blue Bird " Handy Bus " option package specified wheelchair lifts and flat-floor interiors. The Vision was available in standard (72") or high (77") headroom. From 2003 to 2009, the Vision came with the Caterpillar C7 engine as standard equipment, and in 2008,

896-616: A Blue Bird body. Unable to secure a chassis, Luce instead purchased the display vehicle, importing it to the United States. After reverse-engineering the chassis design (to modify American-produced vehicles), Blue Bird completed its first forward-control prototype in 1949, naming it the All American . In 1950, the All American entered full-scale production. For 1952, Blue Bird became the first school bus manufacturer to produce its own chassis (rather than from outside suppliers). With

1024-545: A CNG fuel system Gasoline Uses redesigned Roush CleanTech fuel system for both gasoline and propane fuels 315 hp 2,400 lb-ft torque Vehicle-to-grid capability (V2G). [REDACTED] Media related to Blue Bird Vision at Wikimedia Commons Blue Bird Corporation Blue Bird Body Company was founded in 1927 in Fort Valley, Georgia, as A.L. Luce closed his automobile dealership to concentrate exclusively on bus production. Remaining under family control into

1152-614: A controlling interest in General Motors . After the deal was completed in 1918, Durant became president of General Motors, and Chevrolet was merged into GM as a separate division. In 1919, Chevrolet's factories were located at Flint, Michigan ; branch assembly locations were sited in Tarrytown, N.Y. , Norwood, Ohio , St. Louis, Missouri , Oakland, California , Ft. Worth, Texas , and Oshawa, Ontario General Motors of Canada Limited . McLaughlin's were given GM Corporation stock for

1280-542: A dedicated vehicle (away from adaptations of automobiles). While designs based on cutaway vans were not invented by the company, the 1975 Micro Bird introduced several key features retained by van-based buses today. Along with a full-height entry door, the Micro Bird added windows forward of the entry door (to aid loading-zone visibility). The 1977 Mini Bird used the chassis of the GM P30 stepvan ; slightly larger than

1408-495: A handful of 2nd Gen Bluebird Visions remain with the C7. For 2011, Blue Bird made several detail changes to the Vision. On the outside, the exterior design of the rub rails was changed slightly. To increase parts commonality with the All American, the Vision was given the instrument cluster and steering column introduced with the newly redesigned All American D3. The propane-fuel Vision saw major changes related to its powertrain. Following

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1536-459: A large stake of the company was owned by the Volvo Group, the largest bus manufacturer in the world. However, during the early 2000s, due to financial difficulties of its other parent company, Blue Bird was sold from Henlys in 2004. In 2006, Blue Bird was acquired through a bankruptcy filing by Cerberus Capital Management . Looking to develop its entries in the transportation sector, Blue Bird

1664-629: A market share of 21.5% of the region's plug-in electric passenger car segment. Combined global Volt/Ampera sales passed the 100,000 unit milestone in October 2015. As of June 2016 , the Volt family of vehicles ranks as the world's all-time top selling plug-in hybrid, and it is also the third-best-selling plug-in electric car ever, after the Nissan Leaf and the Tesla Model S . Volt sales in

1792-399: A need for school buses. In all but the most remote rural communities, centralized schools (with the graded class structure of urban schools) had succeeded one-room schoolhouses. In metropolitan areas, urban populations began to move into suburbs. Depending on location, the practice of walking to school had become increasingly impractical (particularly as students progressed into high school). At

1920-526: A need to find a reliable source of chassis supplier for its Blue Bird Conventional Type C buses. At the time, a 1991 supply agreement with General Motors was set to expire at the end of 2003 with little signs of renewal. Although many company customers made use of Navistar-sourced chassis for the Blue Bird Conventional, in 1995, Navistar became the parent company of Blue Bird competitor AmTran (renamed IC Corporation in 2001). Freightliner ,

2048-422: A number of buses on the assembly line. Production was restarted on a makeshift assembly line on other company property, with some work completed under tents. The Fort Valley factory was rebuilt by the spring of 1946, following several challenges; while building materials themselves were no longer rationed, the ability to secure large quantities of beams, trusses, and sheetmetal remained a formidable task. Following

2176-489: A number of changes to the Vision conventional at the School Transportation News Expo trade show. Designated as a 2015 model, the updated Vision entered production in October 2013. Distinguished by a redesigned grille with a larger Blue Bird emblem, a number of changes were made to the exterior lighting. Another distinguishing exterior feature was the roof stripe. In a change made to all Blue Birds,

2304-470: A propane-fueled powertrain. In place of the diesel engine, the propane-fueled version used a GM 8.1L Vortec V8 engine with a propane system developed by CleanFuel USA. Previous school buses fueled by propane were aftermarket conversions (typically of the Chevrolet/GMC B series bus chassis). As Caterpillar ended on-road engine production, the C7 diesel was discontinued at the end of the model year. Only

2432-532: A racer as the foundation for his new automobile company. The first factory location was in Flint, Michigan at the corner of Wilcox and Kearsley Street, now known as " Chevy Commons " at coordinates 43°00′31″N 83°42′36″W  /  43.00863°N 83.70991°W  / 43.00863; -83.70991  ( Chevy Commons ) , along the Flint River, across the street from Kettering University . One of

2560-681: A record of 767,001 in 2014). In 2018, Chevrolet held just 2.90% share of the Chinese market (down from a record market share of 5.33% in 2012). The best-selling Chevrolet models in China by 2019 were the Cavalier (~ 10 000 units per month). Malibu (~ 3500 units per month), Equinox (~ 2000 units per month), Cruze - at one time the best-selling model (~ 1500 units per month), Sail (~ 1200 units per month), new Orlando (~ 1000 units per month), Malibu XL (~ 800 units per month), Trax (~ 100 units per month), Lova RV (~ 100 units per month), representing just 9 of

2688-480: A redesigned drivers' compartment, the All American received a new set of engine offerings. From its founding in 1932 until the middle of the 1980s, the operations of Blue Bird were overseen either by A.L. Luce or his three sons. In 1984, the board of directors was expanded outside of the family for the first time; in 1986, the company hired Paul Glaske, president of Marathon LeTourneau (a Texas-based heavy equipment manufacturer). Glaske oversaw day-to-day operations of

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2816-626: A replacement for the City Bird, in 1992, Blue Bird launched the Blue Bird Q-Bus, designed for mass-transit and charter applications. In contrast to the City Bird, the Q-Bus shared no design commonality with a Blue Bird school bus. In addition to the Q-Bus, the APC (All-Purpose Coach) and CS (Commercial Series) were introduced, as commercial buses based on the bodies of the All American and TC/2000;

2944-523: A second update introduced for 2015 production (though released in mid-2013). Though built on a proprietary chassis, the Vision continued the use of the basic Blue Bird Conventional body structure, introduced in 1957. In 2003, the Vision made its debut for 2004 production (the Conventional remained solely on Navistar chassis, becoming the SBCV in 2005). Upon the introduction of the Vision, Blue Bird became

3072-620: A side project in a Ford Motor Company dealership in Perry, Georgia . Along with the dealership in Perry, Luce owned the Ford franchise in Fort Valley, Georgia , a rural farming community south of Macon . In 1925, Luce sold a customer a Ford Model T with a wooden bus body; the customer sought to use the bus to transport his workers. Due to a combination of unsatisfactory construction quality of

3200-402: A supplemental source of demand, the manufacturing segment was becoming saturated by the end of the 1970s. From 1979 to 1982, three of the six largest school bus manufacturers—Carpenter, Superior, and Ward—would file for bankruptcy. To preserve sales, Blue Bird began the use of financing for bus acquisitions in 1984. The unprecedented strategy proved successful, with sales increasing further in

3328-449: A time of relative turmoil for school bus manufacturers; this would carry into the 2000s. Several school bus manufacturers underwent acquisition or changed hands (AmTran and Thomas Built Buses ); by 2001, several others (Crown Coach, Carpenter, Gillig, Wayne) would end school bus production forever. Instead of being family-run companies, school bus manufacturers were now owned by larger companies with ties to truck manufacturing. For Blue Bird,

3456-557: A wide range of vehicles, from subcompact automobiles to medium-duty commercial trucks. Due to the prominence and name recognition of Chevrolet as one of General Motors' global marques, 'Chevrolet', 'Chevy' or 'Chev' is used at times as a synonym for General Motors or its products, one example being the GM LS1 engine , commonly known by the name or a variant thereof of its progenitor, the Chevrolet small-block engine . On November 8, 1911,

3584-434: Is Our Business", appearing in company advertising (and inside bus bodies) into the 1990s. Company founder A.L. Luce died in 1962. Shortly after, the three Luce sons sought to diversify the company product line, fearing that demand for school bus production would eventually recede; while the baby boom generation affected student populations, the generation (as a whole) would complete high school shortly after 1980. In 1965,

3712-697: Is also manufactured in Rayong, Thailand. Starting in 2003, the Holden Commodore was badged as the Chevrolet Lumina in Thailand for the VY and VZ model series. Exports lasted until 2005. General Motors is currently exploring cost-cutting options as part of its restructuring plan. One of these options involves expanding the Rayong, Thailand plant to add additional capacity to export Colorados to

3840-459: Is also offered with various commercial and specialty seating and design configurations. The Vision is produced by Blue Bird Corporation in its Fort Valley, Georgia manufacturing facility alongside its Blue Bird All American product line. Prior to 2014, the Blue Bird Vision was also produced in LaFayette, Georgia ; this facility is now closed. In the early 2000s, Blue Bird Corporation was in

3968-703: The Chevrolet Camaro , all were commercially successful and included family sedans, practical station wagons, and sporty coupes and convertibles. As the popularity of small, fuel efficient imported vehicles began to find buyers in the US during the 1970s and 1980s, the Chevrolet Vega was introduced while the Chevrolet Chevette was the result of international collaboration. By the mid-1980s, the Vega

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4096-882: The Chevrolet Cavalier , followed up by the Chevrolet Celebrity . Chevrolet during the 1990s formed a partnership with Toyota and introduced the Geo Prizm while also offering the domestically produced Chevrolet Corsica . As mid-sized family sedans began to gain popularity, the Chevrolet Lumina found many buyers and as minivans began to find buyers, the Chevrolet Venture followed the popular selling Chevrolet Trailblazer and Chevrolet Traverse SUV's. The basic Chevrolet small-block V8 design has remained in continuous production since its debut in 1955, longer than any other mass-produced engine in

4224-585: The Chevrolet Cruze , Chevrolet Spark , Chevrolet Optra , Chevrolet Aveo , Chevrolet Tavera , Chevrolet Captiva , Chevrolet SRV , Chevrolet Beat , Chevrolet Sail and Chevrolet Aveo U-VA . The Chevrolet Forester , a rebadged Subaru , was imported directly from Fuji Heavy Industries in Japan until 2005. The Cruze and Tavera were built at the Halol plant. Chevrolet also was the sole engine supplier for

4352-702: The Chevrolet Tahoe . In 2018, the Corvette was added to the roster, making it the most expensive vehicle in the lineup. It is legally imported, as the government has seized and destroyed expensive vehicles that were bought into the country illegally. In 2019, the Camaro returned to the Philippines with a 2.0-liter turbo engine at 275 hp and 398Nm to compete with the Ford Mustang ever since it

4480-1059: The Chevy C2 , which is a reworked older-generation Corsa B. Vehicles based on US platforms are the Avalanche, the Suburban, the Equinox, the Tahoe, the Cheyenne (which is similar to the Silverado), the Aveo, the HHR, the Traverse, the Malibu, the Camaro and the Corvette. The Chevrolet Optra , assembled in South Korea by GM Korea, was also sold in Mexico. The second-generation Epica was sold as

4608-539: The Chrysler Corporation formed Plymouth in 1928, Plymouth, Ford, and Chevrolet were known as the "Low-priced three". In 1929 they introduced the famous "Stovebolt" overhead-valve inline six-cylinder engine, giving Chevrolet a marketing edge over Ford, which was still offering a lone flathead four ("A Six at the price of a Four"). In 1933 Chevrolet launched the Standard Six , which was advertised in

4736-585: The Corvette , a two-seater sports car with a fiberglass body. In 1957 Chevy introduced its first fuel injected engine, the Rochester Ramjet option on Corvette and Chevrolet Bel Air passenger cars, priced at $ 484 ($ 5,251 today). In 1960 Chevrolet joined the newly popular "compact car" market by introducing the Corvair , with a rear-mounted air-cooled engine. In 1963 one out of every ten cars sold in

4864-470: The Cummins ISB6.7 became an option. For the 2008 model year, Blue Bird made a number of updates to the Vision. While the bus body itself remained unchanged, the hood design saw an extensive redesign. To increase space and improve engine cooling required for lower-emissions engines, the sharply angled hood was replaced by a more aerodynamic design that offered a larger grille. The hood design also moved

4992-577: The Formula Rolon single-seater series in India. In 2017, GM ceased the production and sale of Chevrolet cars in India, but it continues to run service centers. In 1999, Opel was rebranded to Chevrolet as a coincidence of Chevy's entry to Indonesia. Chevrolet stopped selling cars and ceased production in Indonesia by the end of March 2020. From 1995 to 2000 Toyota in an agreement with GM sold

5120-526: The Sonic , Captiva , Camaro , and Corvette in limited numbers through an agreement with Yanase Co., Ltd. dealerships. In the 2000s, General Motors Asia Pacific (Japan) had distributed and marketed the TrailBlazer also. As of 2010 , Mitsui Bussan Automotive distributes and markets the Chevrolet Tahoe , Chevrolet Express , Chevrolet HHR , Silverado , and Traverse . Previously, it had also marketed

5248-632: The plug-in hybrid Chevrolet Volt , sold as the Opel/Vauxhall Ampera in Europe , which received multiple awards including the 2012 North American Car of the Year, European Car of the Year , and World Green Car of the Year. The Volt/Ampera family was the world's best selling plug-in electric car in 2012 with 31,400 units sold. The Opel / Vauxhall Ampera was Europe's top selling plug-in electric car in 2012 with 5,268 units, representing

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5376-626: The 1920s. In the mid-2000s, Suzuki imported and marketed the Chevrolet TrailBlazer and the Chevrolet Optra wagon in Japan. Suzuki, a GM partner, also assembled and marketed the Chevrolet MW microvan. The MW was originally a rebadged Suzuki Wagon R+ and later a rebadged Suzuki Solio. Suzuki had also marketed the Chevrolet Cruze subcompact in the past. In the 2010s, General Motors Japan Limited distributed and marketed

5504-400: The 1990s, Blue Bird explored several methods of reducing the environmental impact of school buses, with several methods reaching production. In 1991, Blue Bird developed the first school bus powered by compressed natural gas (CNG), an All American Rear Engine. In 1995, Blue Bird began a collaboration with John Deere to produce school buses with CNG engines, lasting into the 2000s; along with

5632-497: The 1990s, technology limited its development to the prototype stage. In 1994, the company developed a battery-powered school bus in an effort with Westinghouse Electronic Systems for a school district in California. In 1996, Blue Bird collaborated with Electrosource, Inc in an effort to design a battery system intended for buses. While the late 1990s were calmer than the late 1970s for the school bus industry, it still remained

5760-658: The 1st generation Chevrolet Camaro by the Yutivo family-owned General Motors plant. Other than Chevrolets, the plant also assembled Opels , Pontiacs , Holdens , Buicks , and Vauxhalls for the Filipino market. GM withdrew from the Philippines in 1985 and returned in 2000. During Chevrolet's absence in the market, many cars like the Chevrolet Suburban and the Chevrolet Astro have been imported new in

5888-516: The 2003 Blue Bird/GM CV200). For 2017 production, the Cummins diesel lineup was expanded by the introduction of the Cummins ISV5.0 turbodiesel 5.0L V8 (as seen in the Nissan Titan XD ). For the Cummins ISB6.7, the 7-speed Eaton Procision dual-clutch transmission became an option, which was soon discontinued by the end of 2019. Blue Bird announced an electric version of the Vision in late 2017 that entered limited (special order only) production in 2018 and mass production 2019. For 2021, production of

6016-417: The All American had been offered in a rear-engine configuration since 1961, a version with a company-sourced chassis was first introduced in 1988. Introduced in late 1987, the TC/2000 (see below) became the first new full-size Blue Bird bus in nearly 30 years. As a running change during 1989 production, Blue Bird introduced a new generation of the All American (redesigned for the first time since 1957). Alongside

6144-540: The All American was given an all-new chassis (positioning the engine lower), adopting the larger windshield of the TC/2000, and redesigned dashboard and control panels (later used in the TC/2000). During the late 1990s, Blue Bird Corporation would undergo the first of several ownership changes. After increasing sales each year throughout the second half of the 1990s, Blue Bird was acquired from Merrill Lynch Capital Partners by Henlys Group PLC for $ 428 million (with Henlys also paying $ 237 million of Blue Bird company debt). At

6272-426: The All American, CNG engines were produced for the TC/2000. In 1996, Blue Bird debuted the Envirobus 2000 concept school bus. Derived loosely from the Q-Bus, the Envirobus served loosely as a testbed for safety-related technology along with the viability of CNG-powered school buses. Along with alternative-fuel buses, Blue Bird became the first school bus manufacturer to develop fully electric school buses; during

6400-476: The American market passed the 100,000 milestone in July 2016. In October 2016, GM began production of the Chevrolet Bolt EV , the first ever affordable mass market all-electric car with a range over 200 mi (320 km). The Chevrolet Bolt won several awards including the 2017 Motor Trend Car of the Year award, the 2017 AutoGuide.com Reader's Choice Green Car of the Year, Green Car Reports Best Car To Buy 2017, Green Car Journal 's 2017 Green Car of

6528-416: The Atlanta Constitution on November 12, 1911. Others claim that the design was a stylized Swiss cross , in tribute to Chevrolet's home country. Over time, Chevrolet used several different iterations of the bowtie logo at the same time, often using blue for passenger cars, gold for trucks, and an outline (often in red) for cars that had performance packages. Chevrolet eventually unified all vehicle models with

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6656-489: The Blue Bird emblem from the back of the hood sides directly onto the grille. Several changes to the Vision would reflect the connection of Blue Bird to Volvo in the early 2000s; rather than sourcing parts from the All American, the 2008 Vision would source a number of parts from Volvo trucks (headlights, steering column, and instrument cluster). Along with the traditional manual and air-powered service doors, an electric-powered service door became an option. As Blue Bird unveiled

6784-490: The CS and APC lines were retired. In 2003, the company entered the low-floor segment with the introduction of the UltraLF and UltraLMB. Chevrolet Chevrolet ( / ˌ ʃ ɛ v r ə ˈ l eɪ / SHEV -rə- LAY ), colloquially referred to as Chevy , is an American automobile division of the manufacturer General Motors (GM). Louis Chevrolet (1878–1941), Arthur Chevrolet (1884–1946) and ousted General Motors founder William C. Durant (1861–1947) started

6912-418: The Camaro and right-hand-drive Corvette in Japan. Kazakhstan-based Allure Group of Companies and Uzbekistan-based UzAuto Motors opened an assembly plant for the manufacture of Chevrolet-branded cars in March 2020, in the city of Kostanay . As of 2024, the vehicles are assembled from semi-knocked-down or complete-knocked-down kits. Assembly of the Chevrolet Onix from complete knock-down kits commenced at

7040-435: The Chevrolet Export Boxing plant at Bloomfield, New Jersey was repurposed from a previous owner where Knock-down kits for Chevrolet, Oakland, Oldsmobile, Buick and Cadillac passenger cars, and both Chevrolet and G. M. C. truck parts are crated and shipped by railroad to the docks at Weehawken, New Jersey for overseas GM assembly factories. Chevrolet continued into the 1920s, 1930s, and 1940s competing with Ford, and after

7168-508: The Chevrolet Motor Car Company was incorporated. It was founded by Swiss race car driver and automotive engineer Louis Chevrolet with his brother Arthur Chevrolet , William C. Durant and investment partners William Little (maker of the Little automobile ), former Buick owner James H. Whiting , Edwin R. Campbell (son-in-law of Durant) and in 1912 R. S. McLaughlin CEO of General Motors in Canada . Former Buick officers were also employed, including Curtis R. Hatheway as secretary. Durant

7296-737: The Cummins B6.7 diesel is the only engine offered in the vision. Coinciding with other alternative-fuel vehicles from the company, the Blue Bird Vision is offered with propane/LPG , compressed natural gas, and gasoline. For 2019, a battery-electric drivetrain became an option for the model line. Allison PTS 2300 (2007–2011) Allison PTS 2500 (2007–present) Allison PTS 3000 (2010–present) Discontinued as Caterpillar exited on-highway engine production. V8 Production of this variant discontinued as supply of General Motors engines ended. 2016–2021 (gasoline and CNG) Gasoline (2016–2021) Compressed Natural Gas (2016–2021) 2016 production introduced an option of regular gasoline fuel system & also

7424-422: The Ford Modular Engine was discontinued and the 7.3L Godzilla V8 was introduced with gasoline and propane options. For 2024, the roof cap was changed and an angled black background replaced the vertical black background around the 8 way flashers (same roofcap as the T3FE). As with its Blue Bird Conventional predecessor, the Blue Bird Vision is offered with a diesel-fuel engine as standard equipment. Currently,

7552-484: The Impala was added to the lineup as Chevrolet began importing the American-built sedan to South Korea for the first time. In 2018, Gunsan plant was shut down on May 31 and VIDAMCO plant in Hanoi , Vietnam was sold by Vinfast in June. Chevrolet Cruze and Chevrolet Orlando was discontinued on May 31. Also Chevrolet Captiva discontinued in July 2018. Their best-selling vehicle is Chevrolet Spark and Chevrolet Malibu . The American-built Chevrolet Colorado pickup

7680-446: The LTC body. In an effort to match demand for its product lines, Blue Bird made several changes to its production facilities, closing Blue Bird East in (in Virginia) in 1992 and opening Blue Bird de Mexico (in Monterrey, Nuevo León ) in 1995. After few major changes to its school bus product lines through the 1990s, in 1999, the Blue Bird All American underwent its second redesign in 10 years. In order to increase forward visibility,

7808-423: The Micro Bird, the Blue Bird MB-II/IV by Girardin allowed Blue Bird to offer an updated body design; at the time, Girardin was the sole manufacturer to produce a full cutaway body for single rear-wheel van chassis. The MB-II and MB-IV were sold by Blue Bird until 1999, when they adopted the Girardin branding. Coinciding with the 1991 redesign of the General Motors medium-duty truck line, General Motors entered into

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7936-425: The Micro Bird, the model line shared the body width of the full-size Conventional and All American. During the 1970s, Blue Bird introduced the "Handy Bus" option package. Available on any model line from the Micro Bird to the All American, the Handy Bus option featured a wheelchair lift and side door and onboard wheelchair accommodations. By 1980, Blue Bird would become the highest-volume school bus manufacturer in

8064-435: The Middle East, Chevrolet-badged cars, trucks, SUVs, and crossovers are sourced from GM Korea (in South Korea) and GM in North America. Formerly, some models were sourced from GM Holden in Australia. The Middle Eastern market has a separate division called Chevrolet Special Vehicles , which (as of December 2007) sourced the high-performance 400 bhp (300 kW) CR8 sedan from Holden Special Vehicles . The Holden Commodore

8192-449: The Middle East. In Pakistan, Chevrolet introduced its cars in collaboration with a local automobile manufacturer called Nexus Automotive . The lineup from Chevrolet Pakistan included the Chevrolet Optra , Chevrolet Spark , Chevrolet Joy , Chevrolet Aveo , Chevrolet Cruze , and Chevrolet Colorado . Chevrolet has been in the Philippines for a long time, assembling the Chevrolet Bel-Air , Chevrolet Impala , Chevrolet Malibu and even

8320-426: The Model T Ford and the 80th anniversary of its construction. Alongside the 1948 Blue Bird All American, a replica of Blue Bird Number One sits on the Blue Bird factory floor in Fort Valley. By the 1940s, the demand for school buses expanded the presence of Blue Bird from rural Georgia to multiple states across the Southern United States . Following World War II, several changes across the country further created

8448-450: The Starcraft versions of the G-Van and Chevrolet TrailBlazer . Mitsui Bussan Automotive had been importing and distributing certain GM models since 1992, but will cease their GM import business in November 2011, as GM Japan wants to consolidate the distribution channels. The Chevrolet models that have been imported by Mitsui will no longer be sold once existing inventories are depleted. As of 2022, General Motors Japan imports and distributes

8576-434: The TC/2000 was manufactured with a Blue Bird-produced chassis; initially produced only as a front-engine bus, a rear-engine configuration was introduced in 1991. To reduce manufacturing costs, the model line was offered with a single diesel engine and automatic transmission configuration and a simplified drivers' compartment. The TC/2000 achieved success in its market segment; by 1990, nearly one in ten new school buses sold in

8704-571: The United States and Canada. Along with the Blue Bird Conventional (and the later Blue Bird Vision), many Blue Bird body designs would share design elements with the All American, including the TC/2000, TC/1000, APC and CS commercial buses, and Wanderlodge recreational vehicle. In 1950, A.L. Luce retired from daily operations of Blue Bird, with operations of the company handled by his three sons; A.L. "Buddy" Luce Jr. became company president and general manager; George Luce oversaw engineering and Joseph Luce overseeing production and assembly. The same year,

8832-407: The United States as the cheapest six-cylinder car on sale. During the Great Depression the Chevrolet Master introduced a streamlined appearance, showing Art Deco influences and before and after the World War II era, the Chevrolet Deluxe and Chevrolet Fleetline found many buyers. Chevrolet had a great influence on the American automobile market during the 1950s and 1960s. In 1953 it produced

8960-404: The United States was a Chevrolet. During the 1960s and early 1970s, the standard Chevrolet, particularly the deluxe Chevrolet Impala series, became one of the United States' best-selling lines of automobiles in history. During that era, the mid-sized Chevrolet Chevelle which was used to introduce the Chevrolet Monte Carlo , and the economically priced Chevrolet Nova , which was the basis for

9088-563: The United States was a TC/2000. At the beginning of the 1990s, Blue Bird had secured its position as the highest-volume school bus manufacturer; following the launch of the TC/2000, the company held nearly a 50% market share. After nearly six decades as a family-run company, in 1991, the Luce family decided to put Blue Bird Body Company up for sale. After showing the company to potential buyers through much of 1991, six buyers offered bids. For $ 397 million, Merrill Lynch Capital Partners purchased an 82% share of Blue Bird in November 1991, changing

9216-557: The United States, with over 20 times the yearly sales of only two decades prior. Despite the added presence of the company, as an entire industry, school bus manufacturing was in turmoil due to several factors. While the volatile economy of the time was impossible to foresee, many of the early 1960s predictions of the Luce brothers had largely come true. By the early 1980s, the baby-boom generation had completed its secondary education, leveling off student population growth. No longer provided with

9344-420: The Vision developed advances for the driver in terms of driver sightlines in the critical loading-zone area. Eliminating a major blind spot, the patented Safety View™ Vision Panel ahead of the entry door is a wide-angled Fresnel lens made from laminated glass. As of 2018 production, the Blue Bird Vision has been produced in three distinct generations. For 2008, the Vision chassis underwent a major redesign, with

9472-555: The Vision in November 2006, the company also previewed a prototype Type C bus using the same chassis. The Blue Bird EC-72 was designed as a school bus with a lower production cost than the Vision, primarily through the simplification of its overall design and lack of customization. 28 prototypes were produced, but the EC-72 has yet to enter full-scale production. In 2009, the Vision became the first factory-produced school bus equipped with

9600-410: The Vision saw several introductions. Alongside the propane-fueled Ford V10, development of more Roush CleanTech fuel systems led to the introduction of gasoline and compressed natural gas (CNG) variants of the Vision. The CNG fuel option is available on the vision. The gasoline variant marked the first time since 2003 that a full-size school bus was available with a gasoline engine (the last example being

9728-404: The Wanderlodge developed a loyal customer base, including celebrities and heads of state among their owners. In the 1970s, Blue Bird further diversified its product line, entering the transit bus segment. In 1976, the City Bird was introduced as a rear-engine variant of the All American developed for smaller mass-transit routes. During the decade, the design of small school buses evolved into

9856-459: The Wanderlodge from the All American school bus with several exterior restylings in the late 1980s. In 1988 a 102 inches (259.1 centimeters) wide version of the Wanderlodge was introduced—wider than the school bus bodies. The final Wanderlodge to share a body and chassis with the All American was produced in 1990. During the end of the 1980s, the Blue Bird product line saw several changes. While

9984-698: The Year , and was listed in Time magazine's Best 25 Inventions of the Year of 2016. On February 14, 2021, Chevrolet unveiled the 2022 Bolt EUV and redesigned Bolt EV . As of 2010 Chevrolet had operations in over 140 countries, and global sales in 2011 set a record with 4.76 million vehicles sold worldwide. Mexico has a mix of Chevrolet models from different GM brands and platforms branded as Chevrolet. The models come from Chevrolet USA, GM Korea, Mexico and other origins. Examples of Opel-sourced vehicles are Vectra, Astra, Corsa, Meriva, Zafira and Captiva (Opel Antara). Mexico also has some cars of its own, such as

10112-485: The body designs, using wood as part of the body structure. Alongside its buses for the Navy, Blue Bird also produced ambulance buses . Intended for mass evacuations, the vehicles were fitted with four stretchers. In 1948, on a trip to Europe, A.L. Luce and his son George attended the 1948 Paris Auto Show . After viewing a GM-chassis forward-control bus on display, Luce sought to buy a similar bus chassis to produce with

10240-601: The brand would be withdrawn from Europe from 2016 onward, with the exception of the Camaro and Corvette . Chevrolet vehicles were to continue to be marketed in the CIS states, including Russia . After General Motors fully acquired GM Daewoo in 2011 to create GM Korea , the last usage of the Daewoo automotive brand was discontinued in its native South Korea and succeeded by Chevrolet. In North America, Chevrolet produces and sells

10368-401: The bus body and the rough conditions of the rural Georgia roads, the wooden bus body started to disintegrate before the customer had finished paying for the vehicle. Driven to produce an improved design to sell to his customers, Luce sought input to develop a stronger bus body capable of surviving unimproved roads. In place of wood, Luce constructed his bus body from steel and sheet metal; wood

10496-451: The company began assembly of a second product line, as the All American entered full-scale production. In an effort to guarantee year-round demand, Blue Bird turned to exports for its buses, entering Central America and South America. During the late 1950s, several changes were made to the body design of Blue Bird buses. In 1957, the body underwent a complete redesign, including a higher roofline and flatter body sides; with several revisions,

10624-407: The company began production of full-steel bus bodies, an innovation which soon replaced the wooden bodies which were then in common use around the United States. In a 1939 conference, Blue Bird engineers contributed to the selection of school bus yellow , still in use today. Completed in 1927, the first bus completed by A.L. Luce was sold to a customer and put into use as a school bus. Following

10752-469: The company launched bus assembly outside of North America for the first time, opening Blue Bird Central America in Guatemala. While assembling the bodies of the Conventional and All American, Blue Bird Central America lowered production and maintenance costs by using locally sourced chassis (from Mercedes-Benz, Hino, Nissan Diesel, and Toyota) in place of sharing components from the United States. In 1963,

10880-656: The company on November 3, 1911 as the Chevrolet Motor Car Company. Durant used the Chevrolet Motor Car Company to acquire a controlling stake in General Motors with a reverse merger occurring on May 2, 1918, and propelled himself back to the GM presidency. After Durant's second ousting in 1919, Alfred Sloan , with his maxim "a car for every purse and purpose", picked the Chevrolet brand to become

11008-604: The company, while the sons of Buddy and Joseph Luce worked elsewhere in company management. In 1987, Blue Bird introduced the TC/2000 , adding a second transit-style school bus product line. Developed as a competitor to the Wayne Lifestar , the model was marketed to secure purchases from operators of large bus fleets, priced closely to conventional-style buses. In line with the Blue Bird All American,

11136-588: The country via grey-market and sold to retailers. Chevrolet's current Philippine operations are under the control of The Covenant Car Company Inc. The company was officially incorporated on July 1, 2009 and assumed business operations on October 1, 2009. There are at least 24 dealerships around the country as of 2020. Its current lineup include the Chevrolet Spark , Chevrolet Sail , Chevrolet Cruze , Chevrolet Malibu , Chevrolet Colorado , Chevrolet Trax , Chevrolet Trailblazer , Chevrolet Suburban , and

11264-446: The current Blue Bird Vision and All American continue to use this body. As an option, a "high-headroom" body was introduced, raising interior height to 77 inches. At the beginning of the 1960s, Blue Bird stood as the fourth-largest manufacturer of school buses in the United States. To accommodate the added demand, the Luce brothers added several production facilities to supplement the Fort Valley, Georgia plant. In 1958, Blue Bird Canada

11392-416: The discontinuation of the GM 8.1L V8 in 2010, Blue Bird began a partnership with both Ford Motor Company and ROUSH CleanTech . The end result of the partnership was the propane Vision equipped with a 362 hp Ford 6.8L V10 and Ford 6-speed automatic transmission. In 2013, a detail change saw the deletion of the namesake Safety View™ Vision Panel forward of the entry door. In July 2013, Blue Bird unveiled

11520-478: The early 1990s, Blue Bird changed hands several times in the 2000s; in February 2015, it became a publicly owned company (with previous owner Cerberus Capital Management holding a 58% share). As the second quarter of the 20th century began, Albert Luce Sr. was an entrepreneur who developed some of the earliest purpose-built school buses, transitioned from wagons . What is now Blue Bird Corporation began life as

11648-404: The end of the decade, the baby-boom generation began their education, having an impact across the education system for the next 30 years. Near the end of 1945, the company suffered a major setback, as its Fort Valley factory was destroyed by fire (nearly claiming the life of A.L. Luce). While the factory building was burned to the ground, a significant amount of equipment was salvaged along with

11776-535: The entry door to increase loading-zone visibility. By the end of 2002, however, production plans for Ford-based Blue Bird Conventionals failed to materialize. Although the Blue Bird/Ford never reached production, Blue Bird chose to develop the concept further. As with its All American, TC/2000, TC/1000, Wanderlodge, and Q-Bus product lines, Blue Bird developed its own chassis for the vehicle. Though sharing nearly its entire body with its Conventional predecessor,

11904-468: The establishment of Blue Bird Body Company in 1932, the bus became retroactively known as Blue Bird "Number One". In 1946, the bus was reacquired by the Luce family; as part of the restoration, the body was placed on a Ford Model TT chassis, undergoing a second restoration in the 1970s. In 2008, Blue Bird "Number One" was donated to the Henry Ford Museum , marking the 100th anniversary of

12032-516: The exception of the van-based Micro Bird, Blue Bird builds the chassis of each bus its produces. Currently in its sixth generation, the Blue Bird All American is the longest-running bus model line. While not the first forward-control school bus (the Crown Supercoach was introduced in 1932), the All American would become one of the designs to widely expand its use, leading its wider use by school districts and school bus operators throughout

12160-474: The factory. The engine design has also been used over the years in GM products built and sold under the Pontiac , Oldsmobile , Buick , Hummer , Opel ( Germany ), and Holden ( Australia ) nameplates. In 2000, Chevrolet brought back the iconic Impala , although unlike its predecessors, this car was a mid-sized front-wheel drive four door sedan. It was produced until 2020, and the last generation (2014-2020)

12288-403: The first American body manufacturer to design a cowled chassis for its bus bodies; previously, in-house chassis were reserved for transit-style school buses. As it would serve no other purpose beyond bus use, Blue Bird optimized the exterior of the Vision to maximize forward visibility; the hood was sharply angled from the base of the windshield, as were the front fenders. The 2003 Vision featured

12416-508: The first major Blue Bird venture outside of school buses made its debut. Named the Blue Bird Transit Home (re-branded as Wanderlodge in 1968), it was a $ 12,000 luxury recreational vehicle based on the All American type. Using the heavy-duty frame and all-steel body to its advantage, the vehicle was marketed as higher-quality than other RVs of the time; the interior was largely built to order. For over 25 years of production,

12544-617: The first twenty months, with increased production expected. The Chevrolet Cobalt compact sedan will be the first Chevrolet-branded vehicle to be assembled at the plant, with plans to expand to many other models in the coming years. Chevrolet entered the Malaysian market in 2003, replacing Opel . Between 2003 and 2009, a joint-venture between GM and DRB-HICOM called Hicomobil, marketed the Chevrolet Aveo , Chevrolet Optra , Chevrolet Nabira and Chevrolet Lumina . The joint venture

12672-426: The full-length roof stripe was replaced by a shortened design of a single length. The Volvo-sourced headlamp clusters were replaced with single-piece clear-lens units; the change was intended to simplify beam adjustment. To lower the risk of burned-out lights, all clearance lights on the Vision were changed to LED bulbs (a change also made to the All American). 77 inches became the sole option for roof height as well. For

12800-438: The gold bowtie in 2004, for both brand cohesion as well as to differentiate itself from Ford (with its blue oval logo) and Dodge (who has often used red for its imaging), its two primary domestic rivals. Louis Chevrolet had differences with Durant over design and in 1914 sold Durant his share in the company. By 1916, Chevrolet was profitable enough with successful sales of the cheaper Series 490 to allow Durant to repurchase

12928-412: The interior, the drivers compartment saw fewer substantial revisions, with the drivers' seat receiving a height-adjustable seatbelt; another option included a rear-view backup camera. To further increase the appeal of the propane-fueled Vision, for 2015 production, Blue Bird introduced an optional 98-gallon extended-range fuel tank (standard equipment being 67 gallons). In 2016, the powertrain lineup for

13056-624: The mid-1980s; as the highest-selling bus manufacturer, nearly one out of every three new school buses was a Blue Bird. While the 1980s would prove successful for Blue Bird in school bus production, the company saw mixed results in other segments. After 10 years of weak sales, the Blue Bird City Bird was discontinued in 1986. Despite volatile sales in recreational vehicles, the Wanderlodge remained successful, accounting for nearly one in five Blue Bird vehicles sold. To better compete with more modern designs, Blue Bird began to differentiate

13184-460: The name from Blue Bird Body Company to Blue Bird Corporation. Under the terms of the sale, the remaining 18% of the company was equally distributed between Paul Glaske and 14 management employees selected by the Luce family; Buddy and Joseph Luce retired while the rest of the management team was retained. During the early 1990s, following the success of its school bus product lines, Blue Bird commenced efforts to further diversify its product lines. As

13312-675: The office was relocated to the General Motors Building at Cadillac Place in Detroit. In January 1921 a General Motors management survey recommended that the Chevrolet Division be cancelled, but Alfred P. Sloan Jr . recommended that the division be saved and William S. Knudsen , a former Ford employee who oversaw production of the Model T, was made Vice President of Operations and performance improved In May 1925

13440-611: The parent company of Thomas Built Buses , ended its chassis supply to all competitors after 2000. As a response to its situation, Blue Bird began development of a next-generation Blue Bird Conventional. In collaboration with Ford Motor Company, Blue Bird designed a bus using a Ford F-650 Super Duty medium-duty truck chassis. Introduced in 2000, the F-650 had yet to see use in cowled-chassis applications. Several prototypes were constructed in line with development of features previously unseen on school buses; this included wide-angle lens next to

13568-649: The plant in March 2024. A separate dealer in Almaty , authorized by GM, imports and sells the Tahoe and Traverse. Uzbekistan-based UzAuto Motors and Kyrgyz supplier DT Technikis are opening an assembly plant near Bishkek in the summer of 2024. Components will initially be imported from Uzbekistan, with plans to build components independently in the coming years. The plant will assemble Chevrolet and Isuzu vehicles. The Chevrolet brand has been licensed from GM. The plant will assemble 10,000 cars from semi-knocked-down kits within

13696-737: The proprietorship of their Company article September 23, 1933 Financial Post page 9. In the 1918 model year, Chevrolet introduced the Series D , a V8 -powered model in four-passenger roadster and five-passenger tourer models. Sales were poor and it was dropped in 1919. Beginning also in 1919, GMC commercial grade trucks were rebranded as Chevrolet, and using the same chassis of Chevrolet passenger cars and building light-duty trucks, sharing an almost identical appearance with GMC products. Until 1921, Chevrolet Corporate headquarters were located at 57th and Broadway in New York City until April when

13824-621: The region in 2018 after a 50-year absence with the launching of the Camaro and Silverado pickup truck (HSV was partially and formerly owned by GM subsidiary Holden , which GM retired in 2021). In 2021, General Motors Specialty Vehicles took over the distribution and sales of Chevrolet vehicles in Oceania, starting with the Silverado. In 2005, Chevrolet was relaunched in Europe , primarily selling vehicles built by GM Daewoo of South Korea with

13952-420: The sale to begin his own company, concentrating solely on bus production. Inspired to begin production in order to support the local economy, Luce also felt school buses would be a necessary resource as part of the shift towards consolidated schools. The early use of farm wagons on a part-time basis soon evolved into purpose-built school bus products, each with economy and function as major priorities. In 1937,

14080-580: The staggering total of 628 (sic) models of passenger cars being produced in China by February 2019. Until 2003, GM India—originally a joint venture with Hindustan Motors , sold the Opel Corsa , Opel Astra and the Opel Vectra . Launched by GM's India operations, Chevrolet officially began business in India on June 6, 2003. The Corsa and Astra were built at a plant in Halol , Gujarat. Chevrolet sold

14208-508: The tagline "Daewoo has grown up enough to become Chevrolet", a move rooted in General Motors' attempt to build a global brand around Chevrolet. With the reintroduction of Chevrolet to Europe, GM intended Chevrolet to be a mainstream value brand, while GM's traditional European standard-bearers, Opel of Germany and Vauxhall of the United Kingdom , were to be moved upmarket. However, GM reversed this move in late 2013, announcing that

14336-412: The technical advancements Chevrolet benefited from was the implementation of an overhead valve engine from the very beginning, as the company was developed by the former owner of Buick , which had patented the overhead valve and cross-flow cylinder design as being more efficient than the conventional use of the flathead engine . Actual design work for the first Chevy, the costly Series C Classic Six ,

14464-592: The third-generation model Chevrolet Cavalier as the Toyota Cavalier in Japan in exchange for the Geo/Chevrolet Prism in an effort to avoid additional restrictions on their exports to the US. The OHV Chevrolet Stovebolt engine was used and reverse-engineered by Toyota when they created the Toyota Type A engine when GM had a factory manufacturing GM cars in Japan at Osaka Assembly during

14592-699: The time, Henlys sought to expand its operations in North America, with 10% of the company owned by Volvo Group . During the 1990s, Blue Bird would enter into several joint ventures as part of its school bus production, for both small and full-size school buses. In an effort to supplement the Blue Bird Micro Bird, in 1992, Blue Bird entered into a supply agreement with Quebec-based bus manufacturer Girardin Minibus to supply Blue Birds with Girardin-produced MB-II/MB-IV school buses (branded as Blue Birds) on cutaway van chassis. While configured similar to

14720-476: The volume leader in the General Motors family, selling mainstream vehicles to compete with Henry Ford 's Model T in 1919 and overtaking Ford as the best-selling car in the United States by 1929 with the Chevrolet International . Chevrolet-branded vehicles are sold in most automotive markets worldwide. In Oceania , Chevrolet was represented by Holden Special Vehicles , having returned to

14848-511: The world, although current versions share few if any parts interchangeable with the original. Descendants of the basic small-block OHV V8 design platform in production today have been much modified with advances such as aluminium block and heads, electronic engine management, and sequential port fuel injection. Depending on the vehicle type, Chevrolet V8s are built in displacements from 4.3 to 9.4 litres with outputs ranging from 111 horsepower (83 kW) to 994 horsepower (741 kW) as installed at

14976-766: Was badged as the Chevrolet Lumina in the Middle East, as well as South Africa. The longer wheelbase Holden Caprice was sold as the Chevrolet Caprice in the Middle East. The Middle East fleet (particularly Saudi Arabia) includes the likes of the Groove, Captiva, Blazer, Tahoe, and Traverse in the SUV/crossover category, and the Silverado in the truck category. Previously, the Cruze, Malibu, Sonic, and Avalanche, among other models, were offered in

15104-524: Was dismissed from his senior management position at General Motors in 1910, a company that he had founded in 1908. In 1904 he had taken over the Flint Wagon Works and Buick Motor Company of Flint, Michigan. He also incorporated the Mason and Little companies. As head of Buick , Durant had hired Louis Chevrolet to drive Buicks in promotional races. Durant planned to use Chevrolet's reputation as

15232-415: Was drawn up by Etienne Planche, following instructions from Louis. The first C prototype was ready months before Chevrolet was actually incorporated. However, the first actual production was not until the 1913 model. So in essence there were no 1911 or 1912 production models, only one pre-production model was made and fine tuned throughout the early part of 1912. Then in the fall of that year the new 1913 model

15360-507: Was ended and Naza was taking over Chevrolet's dealership as Naza Quest Sdn Bhd in 2010. The lineup of Chevrolet cars available were Chevrolet Sonic , Chevrolet Cruze , Chevrolet Malibu , Chevrolet Captiva , Chevrolet Orlando and Chevrolet Colorado . In 2018, Naza Quest Sdn Bhd ceased to distribute new Chevrolet vehicles in Malaysia, but continues to provide warranty support and aftersales service for existing Chevrolet customers. In

15488-587: Was gone and the Chevette was about to be discontinued. Lacking a line of competitive small cars, Chevrolet imported several Japanese models and re-badged them as Chevrolets. The Suzuki-sourced Chevrolet Sprint and the Isuzu-supplied Chevrolet Spectrum were a better match to compete against the popular Toyota Corolla and Honda Civic . The Chevrolet Citation was the division's first compact sized front-wheel-drive car along with

15616-540: Was introduced at the New York auto show . Chevrolet first used the "bowtie emblem" logo in 1914 on the H series models (Royal Mail and Baby Grand) and The L Series Model (Light Six). It may have been designed from wallpaper Durant once saw in a French hotel room. More recent research by historian Ken Kaufmann presents a case that the logo is based on a logo of the "Coalettes" coal company. An example of this logo as it appeared in an advertisement for Coalettes appeared in

15744-494: Was introduced in 2010. Many global-market Chevrolet vehicles are designed and manufactured by GM Korea of South Korea, but they had been sold under the Daewoo Motors brand in South Korea until February 2011. The Daewoo brand was fully replaced by Chevrolet in March 2011. All Daewoo products relaunched under the Chevrolet brand, with the release of the Chevrolet Camaro , Chevrolet Orlando and Chevrolet Aveo . In 2015,

15872-591: Was introduced, as the Wanderlodge BMC debuted. To expand its availability, the Wanderlodge BMC was produced using a chassis from Spartan Motors; a Blue Bird QMC commercial variant was introduced, designed as a mobile workstation. In 1997, Blue Bird expanded into the passenger motorcoach segment, introducing the LTC-40 (Luxury Touring Coach); for 1998, the Wanderlodge LX/LXi were introduced, adapting

16000-539: Was larger and classified as a full-size passenger car. In 2005, General Motors re-launched the Chevrolet marque in Europe , using rebadged versions of the Daewoo cars produced by GM Korea . The Chevrolet division largely recovered from the economic downturn of 2007–2010 through launching new vehicles and improving existing lines. GM began developing more fuel efficient cars and trucks to compete with foreign automakers . In late 2010 General Motors began production of

16128-632: Was opened in Brantford, Ontario . In 1962, Blue Bird Midwest was opened in Mount Pleasant, Iowa . At the beginning of the decade, Blue Bird introduced its roofline brand emblem, becoming the first bus manufacturer to do so. In 1962, Blue Bird introduced a panoramic windshield design, used on the All American through 2013 (and still on use on the Vision). In the early 1960s, Blue Bird introduced its long-running company slogan: "Your Children's Safety

16256-458: Was paired with North American Bus Industries (NABI) and Optima Bus Corporation by Cerberus. At the beginning of the 2000s, Blue Bird sought to modernize its aging transit bus line; the Q-Bus was nearly a decade old and the CS and APC coaches were essentially commercial versions of the All American and TC/2000 school buses. For 2002, the 96-inch wide Q-Bus was replaced by the 102-inch wide Xcel102 and

16384-470: Was used as a secondary material. Completed in 1927, the bus was put into use as a school bus. While buses would initially remain a side project for Luce (with only nine bus bodies produced between 1929 and 1931 ), the onset of the Great Depression would change his company forever. Following a 95% decline in car sales in 1931, Luce sold both of his Ford dealerships, using the $ 12,000 proceeds from

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