From Canopy to City: Chevrolet Means Small Business

History with segment dates to the 1930s

Ever since vendors have peddled produce to passers-by on the streets of busy cities, Chevrolet has provided vehicles that allows them to reach their customers. 

Beginning in 1936, Chevrolet sold the Chevrolet Canopy Pickup – a vehicle based on the popular FB-series half-ton pickup truck. Owners could upfit these vehicles with an optional canvas canopy top and side-drop curtains. During its first model year, Chevrolet saw truck registrations top 200,000 units for the first time in company history.

Thirteen years later, the Chevrolet Canopy Express was unveiled. It was one of 345,000 Chevy Trucks built in 1949. Both the 3100 Series (half-ton) and 3800 Series (1-ton) included variants of the Express model. The 3800 was heavier duty and sported a low rear tailgate and waterproof roll-up curtains, allowing sellers easier access and better protection for their products.

“Before super markets became commonplace, vendors brought produce and baked goods to the buying public in city neighborhoods and the suburbs that were beginning to sprout up across the country at that time,” said Greg Wallace, manager, General Motors Heritage Center. “The Canopy Express body type was suited for any job that needed easy access to the bed of a truck.”

Both vehicles were forerunners of the all-new Chevrolet City Express, a smaller, maneuverable cargo van that, like its predecessors, gives companies like Vital Media Security and Smokey D’s BBQ the same selling power their entrepreneurial brethren enjoyed nearly 80 years ago.

“To this day, small business owners need to remain nimble in a crowded business environment and still be able to reach their customers in a timely manner,” said Ed Peper, vice president, GM Fleet and Commercial. “As we’re already seeing with some of our small business customers, the City Express, with its cargo hauling flexibility and efficient fuel economy, allows them to do just that.”

The addition to Chevrolet’s stable of vehicles offers 122.7 cubic feet (3,474 liters) of customizable cargo space, 24 mpg in the city, and an estimated payload capacity of 1,500 pounds.

To learn more about Chevrolet fleet vehicle options, visit www.gmfleet.com.

Chevrolet City Express Powers Small Business

Small businesses across the country are beginning to add Chevrolet’s all-new 2015 City Express cargo van to their fleets.

According to the University of Michigan Ross School of Business, U.S. small businesses account for 99.7 percent of employer firms. According to IHS Automotive, total small business registrations have increased each year since 2009 with a cumulative 41 percent increase when comparing 2009 to 2013. 

“Small businesses constitute key innovators in the U.S. economy,” said Peter Adriaens, professor of entrepreneurship at U of M’s Ross School of Business. “With 28 million small businesses already active in the United States, of which 98 percent export goods, there is a ripe market to be had for a product like this.”

With an EPA-estimated 24 mpg city and 26 mpg highway, as well as 122.7 cubic feet of customizable cargo space, the City Express was designed to capably provide products and services without fear of breaking the bank or running out of space.

“Small business is an important segment of growth for fleet vehicles,” said Ed Peper, U.S. vice president, GM Fleet and Commercial. “The City Express gives these hard-working entrepreneurs one less thing to worry about when it comes to boosting their business.”

In Des Moines, Iowa, Smokey D’s BBQ, a company that started in a trailer in a driveway and has grown to three area locations, recently took delivery of four City Expresses to keep up with demand for its award-winning product.

“We need a nimble vehicle to deliver our BBQ catering to our customers in a timely manner,” said Darren Warth, owner, Smokey D’s BBQ. “The City Express allows us to retain a smaller physical footprint while still giving us the cargo space we need to keep our customers happy.”

Vital Media Security, a Dallas-based company that couriers sensitive data to offsite locations, recently added two Chevrolet City Expresses to its fleet and has ordered three more.

“The Chevrolet City Express is the perfect representation of our company as it shows our customers that we can do more with less,” said Vital Media Security President and CEO Jerry Judkins. “With great fuel economy and right-sized cargo room, it fits perfectly into our business.”

Locally, Kupper Chevrolet sold its first 2015 City Express to Basin Electric Power Cooperative.