Chevrolet Chevette
The Chevrolet Chevette is a front-engine, rear-drive subcompact manufactured and marketed by Chevrolet for model years 1976–1987 as a three-door or five-door hatchback. Introduced in North America in September 1975, the Chevette superseded the Vega as Chevrolet's entry-level subcompact, and sold 2.8 million units over 12 years. The Chevette was the best-selling small car in the U.S. for model years 1979 and 1980.
| Chevrolet Chevette | |
|---|---|
1983–1987 Chevrolet Chevette 3-door hatchback | |
| Overview | |
| Manufacturer | Chevrolet (General Motors) |
| Also called | Pontiac Acadian/T1000/1000 Isuzu Gemini |
| Production | 1975–1986 |
| Model years | 1976–1987 |
| Assembly |
|
| Body and chassis | |
| Class | Subcompact |
| Body style | 3-door hatchback 5-door hatchback |
| Layout | FR layout |
| Platform | T-body |
| Related | Opel Kadett Isuzu Gemini Daewoo Maepsy Vauxhall Chevette |
| Powertrain | |
| Engine | 1,471 cc (89.8 cu in) G140 OHV I4 1,599 cc (97.6 cu in) G161Z OHV I4 1,817 cc (110.9 cu in) 4FB1 OHC diesel I4 (1982-1986) |
| Transmission | For gasoline models: 4-speed Saginaw manual 5-speed Borg-Warner T-5 manual 3-speed GM Turbo-Hydramatic TH200 (1976–81) 3-speed GM Turbo-Hydramatic TH180 (1977–87) For Diesel Models: 5-speed manual 3-speed GM Turbo-Hydramatic TH200C |
| Dimensions | |
| Wheelbase | 2-door: 95.3 in (2,420 mm) 4-door: 97.3 in (2,470 mm) (from 1978) |
| Length | 163.8 in (4,161 mm) |
| Width | 61.8 in (1,570 mm) |
| Height | 52.2 in (1,325 mm) |
| Curb weight | 1,843–2,035 lb (836–923 kg) |
| Chronology | |
| Successor | Chevrolet Sprint Chevrolet Metro |
The Chevette employed General Motors' global T platform which was co-developed by Opel and Isuzu in 1973. The first T-car model produced was the Brazilian Chevrolet Chevette released in the same year. Six months later the Opel Kadett C was released in Europe. Worldwide, GM manufactured and marketed more than 7 million T-cars – either as rebadged models or locally-built versions in different countries. T-car variants were sold internationally as the Pontiac Acadian in Canada; Pontiac T1000/1000 in the United States (1981–1987); K-180 in Argentina; Vauxhall Chevette in the United Kingdom, Austria, France, Germany, New Zealand, Sweden, and Uruguay; Opel Kadett C in Germany; Isuzu Gemini in Japan, Holden Gemini in Australia; AYMESA Cóndor in Ecuador (from 1978); Saehan Gemini and Daewoo Maepsy in South Korea; and as a coupe utility (pickup), the Chevy (or GMC) 500 in Brazil and South America. A T-car variant remained in production in South America through 1998.
Introduced on a full-color nationwide campaign in 140–150 of the country's largest daily papers, the New York Times said the "little American car holds its own with the foreigners." Looking back on the Chevette in 2011, the same publication called the Chevette "haphazardly made, sparsely trimmed and underpowered." Consumer Guide described the Chevette as “unimaginative to an extreme.”