It was with this generation that all GM vehicles experienced increased width dimensions to accommodate three passengers on the front bench seat and an additional three passengers on rear bench seat installed vehicles.

This was accomplished with the deletion of running board thereby adding additional room inside the passenger compartment.

During the post-war years and continuing through the early 1950s, the Deluxe range was Chevrolet's sales leader, offering a balance of style and luxury appointments unavailable in the base Special series; and a wider range of body styles, including a convertible, Sport Coupe hardtop (starting in 1950), two- and four-door sedans and four-door station wagons.

In the 1941/42 model years, the 216 cu in (3,540 cc) inline 6 "Victory Six" engine was the only one offered.

A Deluxe of this vintage could easily exceed 80 miles per hour without overdrive.

The transmission was a manual synchromesh 3 speed, with vacuum assisted shift, in which the "three-on-the-tree" shifter[2] was able to be moved between gears by the slightest pressure on the lever.

Although it wasn't a Chevrolet option, a popular after market feature was a large external sunshade that protected the driver from glare off the metal dashboard.

The interior had cloth bench seats and a metal dash, sometimes with a simulated burl wood grain.

The new Bel Air including upgraded cord and leather-grain vinyl trim (available in a choice of several two-tone schemes), full carpeting and other appointments not available in even the Deluxe series, and a wide range of two-tone paint schemes.

The other change was the availability of Powerglide, a two-speed automatic transmission, exclusively in the Deluxe and Bel Air models.

Models sold with the standard three-speed manual transmission got the usual 216.5-cubic inch engine, developing 92 horsepower.

Being a fellow Commonwealth country, tariff rates were more favorable for Australia and New Zealand to import SKD kits from Canada than from the United States.