| Cadillac Cimarron | |
|---|---|
 1983 Cadillac Cimarron | |
| Overview | |
| Manufacturer | Cadillac (General Motors) |
| Production | 1981–1988 |
| Model years | 1982–1988 |
| Assembly | United States: Janesville, Wisconsin, (Janesville GM Assembly Plant) South Gate, California, (South Gate Assembly) |
| Designer | John Manoogian II, Irv Rybicki (1977)[1] |
| Body and chassis | |
| Class | Compact luxury car |
| Body style | 4-door sedan |
| Layout | Transverse front-engine, front-wheel drive |
| Platform | J-body (Series 6J)[2] |
| Chassis | unibody |
| Related | Opel Ascona Buick Skyhawk Chevrolet Cavalier Oldsmobile Firenza Pontiac J2000/2000/Sunbird |
| Powertrain | |
| Engine | |
| Transmission | 4-speed Muncie M17 manual 5-speed Getrag 282 manual 3-speed Turbo-Hydramatic 125 C automatic |
| Dimensions | |
| Wheelbase | 101.2 in (2,570 mm) |
| Length | 177.8 in (4,516 mm) |
| Width | 66.3 in (1,684 mm) |
| Height | 54.0 in (1,372 mm) |
| Curb weight | 2,639 lb (1,197 kg) |
The Cadillac Cimarron is an entry-level luxury car manufactured and marketed by the Cadillac division of General Motors for model years 1982–1988 over a single generation, with a mild facelift in 1985.
The first post-war compact car offered by the brand, the four-door was developed to compete with similarly-sized premium sedans marketed by European automakers in North America.[3][4]
The flagship offering of the GM J platform, the Cimarron had joined the project just 11 months prior to the J-Cars' arrival in showrooms, and had very little involvement in the developing the program. Marketed with counterparts from Chevrolet, Pontiac, Oldsmobile, and Buick, the Cimarron was to become one of the most controversial examples of badge engineering in the American automotive industry, sharing much of its entire design, including its exterior, with the Chevrolet Cavalier and GM's other brand variants.[5]
Through its entire production, the Cimarron was manufactured at South Gate Assembly (1981–1982) and Janesville Assembly (1982–1988); both facilities produced the model alongside the Chevrolet Cavalier and its J-platform badge-engineered variants. In North America, the Cimarron was not replaced directly.
The Cimarron is noted as a nadir of GM's product planning — for its low sales, poor performance and ill-conceived badge engineering.[6]
- ^ "85 Years of GM Design: the timeline". Car Body Design. June 18, 2012. Retrieved August 15, 2019.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
1999 Flammangwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Dunn, Jim; Keebler, Jack (August 1985). "Detroit vs. Europe: Luxury Sports Sedans". Popular Science. Bonnier Corporation. p. 71.
- ^ Ristic-Petrovic, Dusan. "1982 Cadillac Cimarron Brochure". www.oldcarbrochures.com. Retrieved August 30, 2018.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
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