Oldsmobile | Oldsmobile Cutlass Parts
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What is the history of the Oldsmobile Cutlass?
The Oldsmobile Cutlass was an automobile made by the Oldsmobile division of General Motors. The Cutlass was introduced in 1961 as a unibody compact car. Over the years, the Cutlass name was in effect used by Oldsmobile as a sub-marque, with a number of different vehicles bearing the name simultaneously. The Cutlass name accumulated great brand equity and became one of the most popular nameplates in the industry in the 1970s. However, the proliferation of Oldsmobile Cutlass models caused confusion in the marketplace in the 1980s, when four different vehicles bore the name: the Cutlass Calais compact, the midsize Cutlass Ciera, the Cutlass Cruiser station wagon, and the Cutlass Supreme personal luxury car.
The simple Oldsmobile Cutlass name was revived in 1997 for an upscale version of the new Chevrolet Malibu, replacing the Oldsmobile Ciera, and was exclusively sold in the United States. Built at the Oklahoma City Assembly plant, this model used the 107 in wheelbase GM N platform, shared with the Pontiac Grand Am, Buick Skylark, and Oldsmobile Achieva. This model was a bridge between Oldsmobile's Achieva and Alero models, making this a placeholder model. It was also later regarded as a stop-gap measure to give Oldsmobile a model to sell below the larger Intrigue until the new Alero (also on the N platform) arrived in 1999.
Production of the N-body Cutlass ended July 2, 1999, marking it as the last car to bear the Cutlass name. It was replaced by the Alero. The Alero also replaced the smaller but related Achieva.
