The General MotorsJ platform, or J-body, is an automobile platform that was used by General Motors for compact cars from the 1982 to 2005 model years. The third generation of compact cars designed by GM, the J-body marked the introduction of front-wheel drive for its compact model lines, replacing the rear-wheel drive H platform. The J-body was marketed as a world car, with GM brands selling versions of the platform in North America, Europe, Australia, and Japan; in markets outside of North America, the model line was packaged as a mid-size car.
Outside North America, the use of the J platform was phased out after the 1980s in favor of the Opel-based GM2900 platform. In North America, the introduction of the Saturn S-Series would lead to the consolidation of the J-body to the Chevrolet and Pontiac brands.
Following several major revisions, the J platform remained in use into the 21st century; in June 2005, the final example (a Pontiac Sunfire) was produced. Introduced by Saturn for 2003, the GM Delta platform is the fourth generation of compact cars from General Motors.
The design of the J-car began in 1976.[1] Originally, the J-car was only intended for the Chevrolet and Pontiac brands, but soon thereafter Oldsmobile and Buick were added.[1] At the time, GM-controlled divisions in different parts of the world manufactured totally different rear-wheel drive C-segment cars – the Chevrolet Vega in America, the Vauxhall Cavalier/Opel Ascona in Europe, the Holden Torana in Australia and the Isuzu Florian in Japan. It was decided that a common replacement would be developed to eliminate duplication of engineering effort and ensure parts interchangeability – a practice known as badge engineering or platform-sharing. In November 1979, subsequent to the second fuel crisis and only 14 months before the cars introduction, it was decided to create a Cadillac derivative as well. Aside from a hefty price tag, the hastily developed Cimarron had little to distinguish it from the other J-car offerings.[1]
In continental Europe, the car was sold as the Opel Ascona. In Britain, it was known as the Vauxhall Cavalier. Irrespective of badging, European production of the J-body occurred in plants in Germany, Belgium, and Britain.[2] It was generally well received but was narrowly beaten to the European Car of the Year accolade by the Renault 9. The Vauxhall Cavalier version was particularly successful in Britain, where it was the second best selling car in 1984 and 1985 and managed around 800,000 sales across a seven-year production run.[3] At the time, it set new standards for performance and economy in this size of car in Europe; for instance, the 1.6 petrol engined Cavalier for the British market had a top speed of 105 mph, compared to the 101 mph top speed of the 2.0 petrol engined Ford Cortina – its key competitor for a year until the Ford Sierra was launched in 1982.[2] Due to the exterior dimensions, and the engines offered being in compliance with Japanese regulations, the platform was classed in the favorable "compact" designation allowing the Isuzu Aska to compete with other Japanese made products sold in the domestic market at the time. Isuzu also supplied kits for Holden's J-car version, the Camira.[4]
The platform received two major cosmetic redesigns, in 1988 and a more thorough makeover in 1995, along with major powertrain revisions. The 1995 makeover was only sold in North America, as General Motors subsidiaries in other countries had replaced it (mainly with cars based on the GM2900 platform). This makeover had originally been planned for the 1992 model year when work begain in 1988, but General Motors' bad finances forced them to postpone it twice.[7]
A variety of convertible versions were developed as well, from fully official to purely aftermarket. In all cases, final assembly of convertibles was subcontracted by General Motors; in North America by American Sunroof Corporation (ASC); in Brazil by Envemo and Sulam, and in Europe by Keinath and Hammond & Thiede [de]. Hammond & Thiede's version originated with the Karosseriefabrik Voll, which was taken over by H&T in 1985.[8]
Models
Over its 24-year production run, the GM J platform would be sold under 16 different nameplates (five under the Pontiac brand alone). During the 1980s, a version of the J platform would be marketed by every division of General Motors in North America (with the exception of GMC).
Over 5.8 million of the original (pre-1995 facelift) J-cars were sold in North America.[7] Approximately 10,150,000 GM J platform cars were sold across eleven marques on six continents from 1982 through 1997.[5][9][10][11] Consequently, it is the fifth best selling automobile platform in automotive history.
The Cadillac Cimarron shared most of its body panels with the Chevrolet Cavalier, becoming one of the most infamous examples of automotive badge engineering.
Vauxhall: 2-door sedan 2-door convertible 4-door sedan 5-door hatchback 5-door station wagon
The Ascona/Cavalier are badge-engineered vehicles, with the Opel sold in continental Europe and the Vauxhall sold in Great Britain. Station wagon body panels are derived from the Holden Camira produced in Australia.
In a trade agreement between Toyota and GM, the Cavalier was imported into Japan in return for the USDM Geo-division cars for Chevrolet. Toyota Cavaliers are right-hand drive with other detail changes to meet Japanese regulations.
References
^ abcKeenan, Tim; Smith, David C. (October 1994). "Anatomy of a car launch: GM's J-cars: New in '82... and alive in '95". Ward's Auto World. Ward's Communications. 30 (10): 38.
^ abHayward, Matthew (June 28, 2011). "Vauxhall Cavalier Mk2: Vauxhall's new pragmatism..." AROnline. Retrieved September 4, 2013.
^. Car of the year. Archived from the original on February 21, 2015. Retrieved September 18, 2010.
^"GM ties with two Japanese car makers". Nihon Keizai Shimbun. Tokyo: 1. August 18, 1981.
^ abFlammang, James M. (1999). Standard Catalog of American Cars 1976-1999 (3rd ed.). Krause Publications. ISBN0-87341-755-0.
^ abcde1634–1699: McCusker, J. J. (1997). How Much Is That in Real Money? A Historical Price Index for Use as a Deflator of Money Values in the Economy of the United States: Addenda et Corrigenda(PDF). American Antiquarian Society. 1700–1799: McCusker, J. J. (1992). How Much Is That in Real Money? A Historical Price Index for Use as a Deflator of Money Values in the Economy of the United States(PDF). American Antiquarian Society. 1800–present: Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis. "Consumer Price Index (estimate) 1800–". Retrieved April 16, 2022.
^ [The most successful variant: Hammond & Thiede/Voll]. Ascona-Cabrio (in German). Archived from the original on January 18, 2020.
^"International 1st Gen Jbodies – First Generation Forum". j-body.org. Retrieved February 16, 2012.
^. Ascona. Archived from the original on March 30, 2012.
^"Chevrolet Monza". Chevy Wiki. February 9, 2009. Retrieved February 16, 2012.
List of GM VIN codes
May 01, 2023
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Main article List of GM platforms The General Motors J platform or J body is an automobile platform that was used by General Motors for compact cars from the 1982 to 2005 model years The third generation of compact cars designed by GM the J body marked the introduction of front wheel drive for its compact model lines replacing the rear wheel drive H platform The J body was marketed as a world car with GM brands selling versions of the platform in North America Europe Australia and Japan in markets outside of North America the model line was packaged as a mid size car J bodyA 1987 Vauxhall Cavalier the Vauxhall version of the GM J body OverviewManufacturerGeneral MotorsProduction1981 2005Body and chassisClassCompact North America Mid size Global LayoutTransverse front engine front wheel driveBody style s 2 door convertible2 door coupe2 door notchback sedan3 door hatchback4 door sedan5 door station wagon5 door hatchbackChronologyPredecessorGM H platform RWD North America SuccessorGM2900 platform Europe GM Delta North America Outside North America the use of the J platform was phased out after the 1980s in favor of the Opel based GM2900 platform In North America the introduction of the Saturn S Series would lead to the consolidation of the J body to the Chevrolet and Pontiac brands Following several major revisions the J platform remained in use into the 21st century in June 2005 the final example a Pontiac Sunfire was produced Introduced by Saturn for 2003 the GM Delta platform is the fourth generation of compact cars from General Motors Contents 1 Background 2 Development 3 Models 4 ReferencesBackground EditThe design of the J car began in 1976 1 Originally the J car was only intended for the Chevrolet and Pontiac brands but soon thereafter Oldsmobile and Buick were added 1 At the time GM controlled divisions in different parts of the world manufactured totally different rear wheel drive C segment cars the Chevrolet Vega in America the Vauxhall Cavalier Opel Ascona in Europe the Holden Torana in Australia and the Isuzu Florian in Japan It was decided that a common replacement would be developed to eliminate duplication of engineering effort and ensure parts interchangeability a practice known as badge engineering or platform sharing In November 1979 subsequent to the second fuel crisis and only 14 months before the cars introduction it was decided to create a Cadillac derivative as well Aside from a hefty price tag the hastily developed Cimarron had little to distinguish it from the other J car offerings 1 In continental Europe the car was sold as the Opel Ascona In Britain it was known as the Vauxhall Cavalier Irrespective of badging European production of the J body occurred in plants in Germany Belgium and Britain 2 It was generally well received but was narrowly beaten to the European Car of the Year accolade by the Renault 9 The Vauxhall Cavalier version was particularly successful in Britain where it was the second best selling car in 1984 and 1985 and managed around 800 000 sales across a seven year production run 3 At the time it set new standards for performance and economy in this size of car in Europe for instance the 1 6 petrol engined Cavalier for the British market had a top speed of 105 mph compared to the 101 mph top speed of the 2 0 petrol engined Ford Cortina its key competitor for a year until the Ford Sierra was launched in 1982 2 Due to the exterior dimensions and the engines offered being in compliance with Japanese regulations the platform was classed in the favorable compact designation allowing the Isuzu Aska to compete with other Japanese made products sold in the domestic market at the time Isuzu also supplied kits for Holden s J car version the Camira 4 The fourth character in the Vehicle Identification Number for a J body car is J MSRP North America 1982 top trim package sedan before optional equipment 5 Model MSRPChevrolet Cavalier CL 8 137 22 848 in 2021 dollars 6 Pontiac J2000 LE 7 548 21 194 in 2021 dollars 6 Oldsmobile Firenza LX 8 080 22 688 in 2021 dollars 6 Buick Skyhawk Limited 7 931 22 270 in 2021 dollars 6 Cadillac Cimarron 12 181 34 203 in 2021 dollars 6 Development EditThe platform received two major cosmetic redesigns in 1988 and a more thorough makeover in 1995 along with major powertrain revisions The 1995 makeover was only sold in North America as General Motors subsidiaries in other countries had replaced it mainly with cars based on the GM2900 platform This makeover had originally been planned for the 1992 model year when work begain in 1988 but General Motors bad finances forced them to postpone it twice 7 A variety of convertible versions were developed as well from fully official to purely aftermarket In all cases final assembly of convertibles was subcontracted by General Motors in North America by American Sunroof Corporation ASC in Brazil by Envemo and Sulam and in Europe by Keinath and Hammond amp Thiede de Hammond amp Thiede s version originated with the Karosseriefabrik Voll which was taken over by H amp T in 1985 8 Models EditOver its 24 year production run the GM J platform would be sold under 16 different nameplates five under the Pontiac brand alone During the 1980s a version of the J platform would be marketed by every division of General Motors in North America with the exception of GMC Over 5 8 million of the original pre 1995 facelift J cars were sold in North America 7 Approximately 10 150 000 GM J platform cars were sold across eleven marques on six continents from 1982 through 1997 5 9 10 11 Consequently it is the fifth best selling automobile platform in automotive history Vehicle Name Years Produced Body Styles NotesNorth American market nameplatesBuick Skyhawk 1981 a 1989 2 door sedan4 door sedan3 door hatchback5 door station wagon 1983 1988 The 1989 Buick Skyhawk would be the last Buick sold with a manual transmission until 2011 Cadillac Cimarron 1981 a 1988 4 door sedan The Cadillac Cimarron shared most of its body panels with the Chevrolet Cavalier becoming one of the most infamous examples of automotive badge engineering Chevrolet Cavalier 1981 a 2005 2 door sedan2 door coupe2 door convertible4 door sedan3 door hatchback5 door station wagon Longest produced and best selling J body Oldsmobile Firenza 1981 a 1988 2 door sedan4 door sedan3 door hatchback5 door station wagon 1983 88 The Oldsmobile Firenza is the shortest produced version of the J platform in North America Pontiac J2000 Pontiac 2000Pontiac 2000 SunbirdPontiac Sunbird 1981 a 1982 J2000 1983 2000 1984 2000 Sunbird 1985 1994 Sunbird 2 door sedan2 door coupe2 door convertible4 door sedan3 door hatchback5 door station wagonPontiac Sunfire 1994 2005 2 door coupe2 door convertible4 door sedan The Sunfire replaced the Sunbird as part of a major redesign of the J platform for 1995 a b c d e Across all US brands introduction was in spring 1981 but the launch versions were all advertised as 1982 model year cars Global market nameplatesChevrolet Monza 1982 1996 2 door sedan4 door sedan3 door hatchback Produced in Brazil the Monza is a version of the Opel Ascona 3 door hatchbacks have different more upright rooflines than the North American versions Holden Camira 1982 1989 4 door sedan5 door station wagon The body of the Camira station wagon served as the basis for the Vauxhall Cavalier wagon in the UK Isuzu Aska 1983 1989 4 door sedan The Aska was sold as a Chevrolet in South America and briefly as the Holden JJ Camira in New Zealand Opel Ascona C Vauxhall Cavalier Mark II 1981 1988 Opel 2 door sedan4 door sedan5 door hatchbackVauxhall 2 door sedan2 door convertible4 door sedan5 door hatchback5 door station wagon The Ascona Cavalier are badge engineered vehicles with the Opel sold in continental Europe and the Vauxhall sold in Great Britain Station wagon body panels are derived from the Holden Camira produced in Australia Toyota Cavalier 1995 2000 2 door coupe4 door sedan In a trade agreement between Toyota and GM the Cavalier was imported into Japan in return for the USDM Geo division cars for Chevrolet Toyota Cavaliers are right hand drive with other detail changes to meet Japanese regulations References Edit a b c Keenan Tim Smith David C October 1994 Anatomy of a car launch GM s J cars New in 82 and alive in 95 Ward s Auto World Ward s Communications 30 10 38 a b Hayward Matthew June 28 2011 Vauxhall Cavalier Mk2 Vauxhall s new pragmatism AROnline Retrieved September 4 2013 Previous winners Car of the year Archived from the original on February 21 2015 Retrieved September 18 2010 GM ties with two Japanese car makers Nihon Keizai Shimbun Tokyo 1 August 18 1981 a b Flammang James M 1999 Standard Catalog of American Cars 1976 1999 3rd ed Krause Publications ISBN 0 87341 755 0 a b c d e 1634 1699 McCusker J J 1997 How Much Is That in Real Money A Historical Price Index for Use as a Deflator of Money Values in the Economy of the United States Addenda et Corrigenda PDF American Antiquarian Society 1700 1799 McCusker J J 1992 How Much Is That in Real Money A Historical Price Index for Use as a Deflator of Money Values in the Economy of the United States PDF American Antiquarian Society 1800 present Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis Consumer Price Index estimate 1800 Retrieved April 16 2022 a b Keenan amp Smith p 36 Die erfolgreichste Variante Hammond amp Thiede bzw Voll The most successful variant Hammond amp Thiede Voll Ascona Cabrio in German Archived from the original on January 18 2020 International 1st Gen Jbodies First Generation Forum j body org Retrieved February 16 2012 Overview Ascona Archived from the original on March 30 2012 Chevrolet Monza Chevy Wiki February 9 2009 Retrieved February 16 2012 List of GM VIN codes Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title General Motors J platform amp oldid 1111774072, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
