Little
Little was an American automobile marque produced by the Little Motor Car Company in Flint, Michigan, from 1911 until its absorption into Chevrolet in 1913.
Last updated August 27, 2026
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Overview
Little was an early twentieth-century American automobile brand associated with William C. Durant's effort to rebuild an automotive business after his removal from General Motors in 1910. The Little Motor Car Company was established in Flint, Michigan, using assets acquired from the failing Flint Wagon Works. It was incorporated on October 19, 1911, by Charles Begole, William Ballenger, William H. Little, and Durant. The company was intended to produce a relatively small, affordable automobile that could occupy market space left open when Buick discontinued the Model 10 and could compete with Ford's growing mass-market business. The brand's namesake, William H. Little, was an experienced automotive manager who had previously worked for Locomobile and Buick. After Durant's departure from General Motors, Little joined Durant's new group of companies and became an incorporator and president of Chevrolet. A. B. C. Hardy was appointed to manage the Little plant. The company operated within a closely connected network that also included Chevrolet, Mason Motors, Sterling Motor Company, and later Republic Motors. The first Little automobile appeared in 1911. It was a two-seat car powered by a four-cylinder engine rated at 20 horsepower, with a wheelbase of approximately 7 feet 7 inches, or 2,310 millimetres. The engines were supplied by Sterling Motor Company, another Durant-controlled business. Contemporary descriptions regarded the Little as a strong product, in some respects better than the early Chevrolet. Durant subsequently ordered a larger model, the Little Six, expanding the marque beyond its initial small four-cylinder offering. Distribution and brand strategy changed in 1912. Durant established Republic Motors to market and distribute Little and Chevrolet automobiles. Some Little cars were rebadged as Chevrolets in an attempt to improve sales and simplify distribution. Republic Motors was incorporated in July 1912 as a holding corporation for Little, Chevrolet, and Mason. This arrangement made the two marques increasingly interdependent, while also exposing the weakness of maintaining closely related products under separate names. In 1913, the Flint plant began building Chevrolet automobiles. William H. Little had recommended moving Chevrolet production to Flint as a way to address pricing problems associated with the first Chevrolet and to preserve manufacturing quality. Once the plant was producing Chevrolet vehicles, the Little marque became increasingly redundant: it occupied a similar market position while carrying a less commercially effective name. Chevrolet acquired the Little company at the end of 1913, ending Little as an independent automobile brand. The marque is therefore best understood as a short-lived Durant-era automotive product line rather than as a continuing corporate enterprise.
History
Little emerged from the industrial and corporate reorganization surrounding William C. Durant's departure from General Motors. After the Panic of 1910–11 and a period of expansion that strained General Motors financially, Durant was removed from the company's board. He responded by assembling a new group of automobile businesses, including Chevrolet, Mason Motors, Sterling Motor Company, and the Little Motor Car Company. Durant acquired the failing Flint Wagon Works and used its assets to establish the Little and Mason operations in Flint, Michigan. Little was incorporated on October 19, 1911, by Charles Begole, William Ballenger, William H. Little, and Durant. The company appointed A. B. C. Hardy to manage its plant. Its commercial purpose was to build a smaller automobile that could replace some of the market position left by Buick's discontinued Model 10 and challenge Ford in the expanding low-priced automobile sector. The first Little, released in 1911, was a two-seat automobile using a 20-horsepower, four-cylinder engine and a wheelbase of approximately 2,310 millimetres. Sterling Motor Company supplied the engines. The product was viewed in contemporary accounts as a capable automobile and was considered superior to the early Chevrolet in some respects. Durant later directed the company to produce the Little Six, giving the marque a six-cylinder model in addition to its original four-cylinder car. The businesses were not operated as fully independent competitors. In 1912, Durant created Republic Motors to distribute and market Little and Chevrolet vehicles. Little automobiles were at times rebadged as Chevrolets, a move designed to benefit from Chevrolet's more marketable identity and strengthen sales. Republic was incorporated in July 1912 as the holding corporation for Little, Chevrolet, and Mason. This arrangement reflected Durant's broader attempt to coordinate several related automobile enterprises while rebuilding scale and distribution. Production strategy shifted again in 1913. William H. Little, who had also become closely involved with Chevrolet and served as its president, recommended moving Chevrolet construction to Flint. The change was intended to resolve pricing difficulties affecting the first Chevrolet and maintain manufacturing quality. The Little plant consequently began producing Chevrolet automobiles. Once the same facility was dedicated to Chevrolet production, Little increasingly duplicated Chevrolet's role in Durant's portfolio. The Little name was also less commercially effective, reducing the rationale for maintaining a separate marque. Chevrolet acquired the Little company at the end of 1913. The acquisition brought the short-lived operation into Chevrolet's developing industrial structure and ended Little's independent existence. The brand left no continuing mass-market business, but its history illustrates the fluid corporate arrangements of the early American automobile industry, when manufacturers, suppliers, distributors, and marques were frequently reorganized or combined. William H. Little remained active in Durant-related automotive businesses, including Sterling and Scripps-Booth, but his health declined by 1920 and he died in 1922.
- 1913
Flint plant begins Chevrolet production
[1]The Little facility began building Chevrolet automobiles after a production move recommended by William H. Little.
- 1913
Little absorbed into Chevrolet
[1]Chevrolet acquired the Little company at the end of the year, ending the marque as an independent operation.
- 1912
Little Six added to the range
[1]Durant ordered production of a six-cylinder model, expanding the product range beyond the original four-cylinder car.
- 1912
Republic Motors established
[1]Republic Motors was formed to distribute Little and Chevrolet vehicles and was later organized as the holding company for Little, Chevrolet, and Mason.
- 1911
Little Motor Car Company incorporated
[1]Charles Begole, William Ballenger, William H. Little, and William C. Durant incorporated the company in Flint, Michigan, on October 19.
- 1911
First Little automobile launched
[1]The marque introduced a two-seat, 20-horsepower, four-cylinder automobile using engines supplied by Sterling Motor Company.
Products and positioning
An affordable, compact American automobile intended to fill the space below or alongside larger Buick products and compete with Ford, while offering a more substantial alternative to the earliest Chevrolet models.
Passenger automobile · 1911
Little four-cylinder automobile
The first Little automobile was a compact two-seat car introduced in 1911. It used a four-cylinder engine rated at 20 horsepower and had a wheelbase of approximately 7 feet 7 inches, or 2,310 millimetres. Sterling Motor Company, another Durant-associated enterprise, supplied its engine. The car was intended to provide a relatively affordable alternative for American buyers and to compete with Ford while occupying market space associated with smaller Buick products.
Passenger automobile · 1912
Little Six
The Little Six was a six-cylinder model ordered by William C. Durant after the introduction of the original four-cylinder Little. It broadened the marque's range and linked the brand to Durant's wider strategy of offering multiple automobile lines through related companies. Detailed specifications and production volumes are not established in the supplied reference material.
Brand decisions
1913
Shift Flint production toward ChevroletStrategyBackground
The first Chevrolet faced pricing difficulties, while William H. Little believed Flint could support better production economics and quality control.
Action taken
The Little plant began manufacturing Chevrolet vehicles.
Aftermath
Little became increasingly redundant beside Chevrolet, contributing to Chevrolet's acquisition of the company at the end of 1913.
1913
Chevrolet acquires LittleM&ABackground
The Little marque overlapped with Chevrolet, while its Flint plant was already producing Chevrolet vehicles.
Action taken
Chevrolet bought the Little company at the end of 1913.
Aftermath
Little ceased to operate as an independent automobile company or marque.
1912
Use Republic Motors to coordinate distributionStrategyBackground
Little and Chevrolet were closely related Durant ventures, but each needed broader sales and distribution support.
Action taken
Durant established Republic Motors to distribute and market both marques, and Republic later became the holding corporation for Little, Chevrolet, and Mason.
Aftermath
The arrangement increased coordination among the brands, but Little automobiles were also rebadged as Chevrolets, weakening the distinction between the two product lines.
1912
Add the Little SixProduct launchBackground
After launching a small four-cylinder automobile, Durant sought a broader model range for the marque.
Action taken
The company was directed to produce the Little Six, a six-cylinder automobile.
Aftermath
The model expanded Little's offering, although the brand soon became commercially duplicative of Chevrolet.
Recent events
- 1913
Little plant begins Chevrolet production[1]
Product launch
The Flint facility began manufacturing Chevrolet automobiles after William H. Little advocated relocating Chevrolet construction there to address pricing and quality concerns.
- 1913
Chevrolet absorbs the Little company[1]
M&A
Chevrolet acquired the Little company at the end of 1913, ending the marque's independent operation.
- 1912
Republic Motors created to distribute Little and Chevrolet[1]
Other
Durant organized Republic Motors to market and distribute Little and Chevrolet vehicles, later making it the holding corporation for Little, Chevrolet, and Mason.
- 1912
Little vehicles rebadged as Chevrolets[1]
Product generation
Some Little automobiles were sold under the Chevrolet name in an effort to improve distribution and sales performance.
- 1911
Little Motor Car Company incorporated in Flint[1]
Other
The Little Motor Car Company was incorporated on October 19, 1911, as part of William C. Durant's post-General Motors automotive ventures.
- 1911
Little introduces its first four-cylinder automobile[1]
Product launch
The marque launched a two-seat automobile with a 20-horsepower four-cylinder engine and a wheelbase of about 2,310 millimetres.
Sources1 sources
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