Chevette

The Chevette used General Motors' global rear-drive T platform, which was co-developed by Opel and Isuzu in 1973. The first to use the T platform was the Brazilian Chevrolet Chevette released in 1973. Six months later the Opel Kadett C was released in Europe. Worldwide, GM manufactured and marketed more than 7 million T-cars. T-platform variants were marketed 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, the Chevy 500 in Brazil and South America. A T-platform variant remained in production in South America through 1998.

Under the direction of chief engineer John Mowrey, Chevrolet began developing the Chevette on December 24, 1973. It was a response to federal CAFE standards and the 1973 oil crisis. The Chevette was based on GM's World Car, Project 909 – what would become the T-car program. The team reworked the international platform for the Chevette, ultimately sharing no actual body panels with other T-platform variants. The first North American Chevette, a low level trim two-door hatchback marketed as the Chevette Scooter, was assembled on August 18, 1975, and officially introduced on September 16, in Washington, DC. Production reached 2,793,353 over its 12 model years 1976–1987. Global T-car sales surpassed 7 million. The last Chevette was manufactured on December 23, 1986, at Lakewood Assembly.

The Chevette was initially available only as a two-door hatchback with a 1.4-liter or 1.6-liter OHV gasoline inline-four engine. Engines produced from 52 to 60 hp, subsequently 53 to 70 hp, driving the rear wheels through a standard four-speed manual transmission. A three-speed automatic transmission was an available option. The EPA rated the base 1.4-liter engine at 28 miles per US gallon city and 40 miles per US gallon highway. The 1976–1978 Chevette models can be identified by round headlights. The least expensive Scooter trim carried a $2,899 suggested retail price.

For 1977, the Scooter hatchback included a rear seat, with a rear-seat delete option. For 1978, a new four-door hatchback used a 97.3-inch wheelbase, two inches longer than the two-door. For 1979, the front fascia was revised with a flat hood, and new rectangular headlights. For MY 1980, the rear fascia was revised with a squared-off hatch and wraparound taillights. In August 1981, a diesel engine option was new with a late 1981 availability – this was a 1.8-liter Isuzu unit. The Pontiac T1000 was introduced in the spring of 1981. For MY 1982, models featured a five-speed manual transmission option on gasoline-powered two-door cars. For MY 1983, the Chevette featured revised front and rear fascia, and the Chevette CS was introduced. For MY 1984, the low-cost Scooter model was discontinued for the US. For MY 1986, the Chevette base model was discontinued. For MY 1987, Chevrolet dropped the Chevette S model and the diesel engine option. The Chevette's price was also dropped to $4,995. Sales fell to just over 46,000 units, and production ended on December 23, 1986.

In 1978, General Motors Advanced Engineering developed a concept car, the Electrovette, based on the Chevette, but using an electric motor powered by lead-acid batteries. It was a strict two-seater and sat on a shortened wheelbase. The car had a range of about 50 mi at 30 mph, and a top speed of 53 mph.

A luxury variant of the Chevette, the Leata Cabalero, was manufactured and marketed for model years 1976 and 1977 by Stinebaugh Manufacturing Company. The Leata featured power windows, power seat and cruise control, as well as baroque styling with custom fiberglass body panels. 97 were made either in pickup or hatchback body styles.

The Chevrolet Chevette was first launched by General Motors (Brazil) in 1973 as a two-door sedan. A four-door sedan followed in April 1978, and then a three-door hatchback was added in November 1979. A three-door station wagon version, called the Marajó in Brazil, was added in September 1980. In 1983, the Chevette received a thorough facelift with rectangular headlights. The hatchback remained in production until 1988, while the Marajó continued to be available until 1989. The two-door sedan remained in production until 1993, only outlived by the pickup version (Chevy 500), which continued until 1994. The Chevette originally appeared with a 1.4-liter single overhead cam inline-four. In 1981 this was augmented by a locally developed 1.6-liter version. As a tax cut for sub-1-liter cars appeared in late 1990, General Motors do Brasil responded with the 1.0-litre "Chevette Junior" for early 1992. A 1.8-liter Isuzu diesel-engined version was also built in Uruguay. In Argentina, the Kadett C was originally marketed as the Opel K-180, but between 1992 and 1995, the equivalent of the Brazilian Chevette was sold there as the GMC Chevette. Production in Colombia continued until 1998. Around 1.6 million units were built in Brazil.

The Chevrolet Chevy 500 was the coupé utility version of the Brazilian Chevette. Launched in 1983, it competed with offerings from several other manufacturers. Its payload was 500 kg. Using the 1.6-liter OHC inline four rated at 70 hp, this model continued in production until 1994, and was the last Chevette version built in Brazil.

Created by Horacio Torrendell, a fibreglass-bodied version (based on the Vauxhall Chevette's bodywork) called the Grumett was built in Uruguay. It was available either as a station wagon, as a pickup, a coupe, or as a double-cab pickup. By 1980 the Vauxhall parts had become impossible to import and Grumett switched to Chevette parts from Brazil. The Grumett used the original 1.4-liter version of the Chevette engine.

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