Chevy Parts | Chevy Cavalier Parts
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What is the history of the Chevrolet Cavalier?
The Chevrolet Cavalier was Chevrolet's version of the compact GM J platform. The book American Automobile 1983-1993 notes that the Cavalier was aimed at competing with quality imports such as the Honda Accord. It was one of the most popular cars in the United States and Canada from its introduction in early 1981 as a 1982 model. Even in the 2000s, it was GM's best selling car and trailed only the Ford Taurus, Toyota Camry, and Honda's Accord and Civic in total sales.
The Cavalier was a compact Chevrolet produced from 1982 to 2005. All Cavalier models were driven from the front wheels with McPherson struts at the front and torsion beam semi-independent suspension at the rear. This configuration was pioneered on the 1974 Volkswagen Rabbit (called the Volkswagen Golf outside North America) and was used on a number of contemporary cars including the Ford Escort and Honda Civic. This design results in more predictable handling and better reliability than the various types of fully independent methods used on previous front wheel drive cars such as the Austin 1800 and Austin Mini.
The Cavalier is widely cited as the most successful of Chevrolet's long line of cars aimed at combatting the influx of compact imported vehicles, starting with the Corvair, Vega, Monza and the Chevette, with the Cavalier leading up to current Cobalt. The Chevrolet Vega defined the subcompact class, before being replaced by both the Monza and the Chevette. After the exit of the Vega, the Monza and Chevette would do little to expand Chevrolet's share of small cars, but the arrival of the front-wheel-drive Cavalier would change this.
The Cavalier had poor crash test ratings, most notably the high risk of pelvic injury in the third generation model (according to the NHTSA). The 1995-2005 model received a rating of "Poor" from the IIHS. The Cavalier retired in 2005 as an affordable compact comparable to, but usually sold for less than, the Honda Civic.
