Chevy Brings Back The Small Business Delivery Truck

Ever since the first vendors of elixirs, fruits, and vegetables, and even snake oils have peddled their wares to passers-by on the streets of busy cities, Chevrolet has provided them with a vehicle that allowed them to reach their customers.

It was in 1936 that Chevrolet first sold the Chevrolet Canopy Pickup. This new vendor-friendly vehicle was based on the then-popular FB-series half-ton pickup truck. This new truck allowed owners of FBs to 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 that were 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. This afforded owners easier access to the rear of the truck, and better protection for their products that they hauled.

“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.”

Fast forward to 2015, and the all-new Chevrolet City Express has arrived. It is a smaller and more maneuverable cargo van that, like its predecessors, gives companies the same selling capabilities that 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.”