Cadillac Cimarron
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| Cadillac Cimarron | |
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| Missing image 1987_Cadillac_Cimarron.jpg 1987 Cadillac Cimarron | |
| Manufacturer: | General Motors |
| Production: | 1982–1988 |
| Successor: | Cadillac Catera |
| Related: | Buick Skyhawk Chevrolet Cavalier Oldsmobile Firenza Pontiac Sunbird |
| Class: | Sedan |
| Body Styles: | FF 4-door sedan |
| Platform: | J-body |
| Engines: | 2.0 L OHV I4 2.8 L 60° V6 |
The Cadillac Cimarron was first introduced by General Motors in 1981 for the 1982 model year.
Although GM had experimented before with smaller Cadillacs such as the Seville, the Cimarron was by far the smallest and, in many opinions, the least distinguished Cadillac model ever produced, before or since.
General Motors had originally planned on revealing the Cimarron model in the mid-80s. However, a rising demand for smaller, more fuel efficient cars and GM's desire to compete with BMW and Mercedes-Benz helped to hurry the production.
The Cimarron was part of General Motors' "J-car" line, which was an economy car concept (similar to Chrysler's K-car) that spread over each GM marque. Each GM division had their version: the Buick Skyhawk, Pontiac Sunbird, Oldsmobile Firenza and the Chevrolet Cavalier. Each of these models were essentially the same basic car, with minor differences in features and major differences in price. This was the first and only time in history that General Motors produced a common model that spread over all GM car divisions (excluding GMC Trucks).
While some motoring press critics had high praise for the car and Cadillac's first manual transmission since the early 1950s, the car buying public saw the Cimmaron as a ruse. Consumers thought it was absurd to pay twice as much for what essentially was a well-optioned Chevrolet Cavalier with Cadillac emblems, and thought General Motors should have developed a compact model specially for Cadillac. Even though interior fabrics and craftsmanship were top notch, the Cimarron took a lot of criticism for it's standard four-cylinder engine (a V6 engine was standard in 1987 and 1988) Even though the Cimarron had grown comparatively more refined by the end of its production run, buyers stayed away, and the car was discontinued after 1988. Oddly, the same strategy applied to the Cadillac Escalade, which 15 years later was proven to be a sales success.