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General Motors The General Motors Company (GM) is an American multinational automotive manufacturing company headquartered in Detroit, Michigan, United States. It is the largest automaker in the United States and was the largest in the world for 77 years bef ...
A platform (informally called the A-body) was a
mid-size Mid-size—also known as intermediate—is a vehicle size class which originated in the United States and is used for cars larger than compact cars and smaller than full-size cars. "Large family car" is a UK term and a part of the D-segment in t ...
platform Platform may refer to: Technology * Computing platform, a framework on which applications may be run * Platform game, a genre of video games * Car platform, a set of components shared by several vehicle models * Weapons platform, a system or ...
designation used from 1982-1996. Previously the A body designation had been used for
rear wheel drive Rear-wheel drive (RWD) is a form of engine and transmission layout used in motor vehicles, in which the engine drives the rear wheels only. Until the late 20th century, rear-wheel drive was the most common configuration for cars. Most rear-wheel ...
mid-sized cars. They were initially offered alongside, but eventually supplanted rear-drive nameplates such as the Malibu for the intermediate class.1982 Chevrolet Celebrity
/ref> Due to the strong popularity of the older rear wheel drive design, General Motors continued their production as the
G-Body The General Motors G platform (also called G-Body) automobile platform name was used three times. * 1969–1972 GM G platform (RWD) * 1982–1988 GM G platform (RWD) * 1995–2011 GM G platform (FWD) The General Motors G platform (also called G ...
until 1988. Introduced for the 1982 model year, the A-Body cars were essentially similar in mechanical layout and interior space to the troubled X-car compacts on which they were based, though longer and classified as intermediates. Initially all four lines offered two and four door sedans for 1982. In 1984, they added a wagon, replacing the rear wheel drive G-Body wagons, which were discontinued in 1983. The A platform underpinned the
Buick Century Buick Century is the model name that was used by Buick for a line of upscale full-size cars from 1936 to 1942 and 1954 to 1958, as well as from 1973 to 2005 for mid-size cars. The first Buick Century debuted as the Series 60 then renamed in 1936 ...
, Cutlass Ciera, Pontiac 6000 and
Chevrolet Celebrity The Chevrolet Celebrity is a mid-size automobile that was produced by the Chevrolet division of General Motors from the 1982 to 1990 model years. Replacing the Malibu, the Celebrity was initially slotted between the Citation and the Impala wit ...
. As part of their legacy, they became enormously popular — as well as synonymous with GM's most transparent example of
badge engineering In the automotive industry, rebadging is a form of market segmentation used by automobile manufacturers around the world. To allow for product differentiation without designing or engineering a new model or brand (at high cost or risk), a man ...
: the four were highlighted almost indistinguishably on the August 22, 1983 cover of
Forbes magazine ''Forbes'' () is an American business magazine owned by Integrated Whale Media Investments and the Forbes family. Published eight times a year, it features articles on finance, industry, investing, and marketing topics. ''Forbes'' also repo ...
as examples of genericized uniformity, embarrassing the company and ultimately prompting GM to recommit to design leadership.


Platform updates

The A-body eventually consisted of a 4-door sedan, 2-door
coupé A coupe or coupé (, ) is a passenger car with a sloping or truncated rear roofline and two doors. The term ''coupé'' was first applied to horse-drawn carriages for two passengers without rear-facing seats. It comes from the French past parti ...
and a 4-door
station wagon A station wagon ( US, also wagon) or estate car ( UK, also estate), is an automotive body-style variant of a sedan/saloon with its roof extended rearward over a shared passenger/cargo volume with access at the back via a third or fifth door ( ...
. * 1982: The Chevrolet Celebrity, Pontiac 6000, Oldsmobile Cutlass Ciera and Buick Century two and four door models are introduced. * 1983: Pontiac introduces the sporty STE variant of their 6000. Oldsmobile introduces the ES performance package for their Cutlass Ciera four door models. * 1984: All four divisions now offered the new wagon body style. Oldsmobile introduces the Holiday Coupe package on their Cutlass Ciera Brougham coupes. * 1985: Oldsmobile introduces an updated Cutlass Ciera with more aerodynamic front and rear styling, an updated interior and a new GT coupe model. The Oldsmobile 4.3 liter diesel engine was dropped after this model year. * 1986: Mid year, the Oldsmobile Cutlass Ciera gets a unique roofline. The Buick Century is restyled. * 1988: Pontiac offers all wheel drive on exclusively on their 6000 STE. All models moved to composite headlamps. Oldsmobile dropped the Brougham nameplate from their Ciera line. * 1989: the Celebrity drops its two-door models. The Cutlass Ciera, Century and 6000 receive major updates. * 1990: the Celebrity drops its four-door models, leaving only the station wagon. * 1991: The Pontiac 6000 (all models), Chevrolet Celebrity wagon and Oldsmobile Cutlass Ciera coupe are dropped. * 1992: Buick dropped the Century coupe. * 1996: For the final year of the A-Body, Oldsmobile drops the Cutlass name, simply calling their sedan the Oldsmobile Ciera. It was updated in 1989 with a slightly longer wheelbase and a more rounded roofline (except for the Celebrity whose roofline remained unchanged as it was to be phased out in 1990). It also briefly saw duty as an
all wheel drive An all-wheel drive vehicle (AWD vehicle) is one with a powertrain capable of providing power to all its wheels, whether full-time or on-demand. The most common forms of all-wheel drive are: ;1x1 : All unicycles Reflecting one axle with one w ...
platform for the Pontiac 6000. Later GM platforms (specifically transaxle based, i.e.
four-wheel drive Four-wheel drive, also called 4×4 ("four by four") or 4WD, refers to a two-axled vehicle drivetrain capable of providing torque to all of its wheels simultaneously. It may be full-time or on-demand, and is typically linked via a transfer case ...
and mid-engine rear-wheel drive) benefited from components and systems developed with the A-Body. Additionally the first generation U-body minivan (1990–1996) was constructed utilizing a lightly modified version of the A-body chassis. The A-body began to be phased out in favor of the
GM W platform The W-platform (also known as the W-body) was a General Motors automobile platform which underpinned both mid size and full-size front-wheel drive cars. Originally code named GM10, it began development in 1982 under Chairman Roger B. Smith and d ...
beginning in 1990, although production did not end for the platform until 1996 due to popularity of the remaining models.


Vehicles underpinned

* 1982–1990
Chevrolet Celebrity The Chevrolet Celebrity is a mid-size automobile that was produced by the Chevrolet division of General Motors from the 1982 to 1990 model years. Replacing the Malibu, the Celebrity was initially slotted between the Citation and the Impala wit ...
* 1982–1991 Pontiac 6000 * 1982–1995
Oldsmobile Cutlass Ciera The Oldsmobile Cutlass Ciera is a mid-size car that was manufactured and marketed from the 1982 through 1996 model years by the Oldsmobile Division of General Motors. It shared the front-wheel drive A platform with the Buick Century, Pontiac 6 ...
* 1996
Oldsmobile Ciera The Oldsmobile Cutlass Ciera is a mid-size car that was manufactured and marketed from the 1982 through 1996 model years by the Oldsmobile Division of General Motors. It shared the front-wheel drive A platform with the Buick Century, Pontiac ...
(final year of the Cutlass Ciera and Cutlass Cruiser, sold without the "Cutlass" name) * 1982–1996
Buick Century Buick Century is the model name that was used by Buick for a line of upscale full-size cars from 1936 to 1942 and 1954 to 1958, as well as from 1973 to 2005 for mid-size cars. The first Buick Century debuted as the Series 60 then renamed in 1936 ...


External links


A-body.net - 82-96 GM A-body Website & Forum


{{General Motors platforms


Notes

A