1925 Chevrolet Half-Ton Panel Van--Brazil

Here in the United States, any decades-old Chevrolet truck is rightly considered a piece of genuine Americana. But Chevrolet trucks run deep in the cultural heritage of other countries as well, especially in rest of the Americas. The trucks' global presence dates back to the early 1920s, when General Motors established a worldwide network of 18 plants to assemble Chevrolet cars and trucks. The first plant, located in Copenhagen, Denmark, built its first Chevrolet--it was a truck--on 7 January 1924.

While customers worldwide developed an affinity early on for Chevrolet trucks, the brand has enjoyed a passionate following in Brazil for more than 85 years.

The first Chevrolet truck assembled in Brazil was fitted with a locally made panel van body and completed in September 1925. Brazil had one of the most rapidly expanding economies in the world at the time, and it took little more than a year for the GM do Brasil subsidiary to book its first 25,000 vehicle sales. Millions more have since followed.

By the late 1950s, GM do Brasil was manufacturing Chevrolet Amazonas pickups and other truck models designed for that nation's truck buyers. The subsidiary was also exporting regionally in Latin America.

Today, the South American nation represents Chevrolet's second-largest market globally. Only in the United States are more Chevrolet cars and trucks sold each year.