Cadillac Cimarron

As General Motors prepared for the 1980s, Cadillac product planners considered a sedan smaller than the Seville. While the Seville had sold well, in its research of buyers, Cadillac learned that in place of import buyers, many Sevilles were purchased by traditional luxury-car buyers wanting a smaller car. To diversify and modernize their product range, and complement the Seville which competed with premium European luxury sedans, Cadillac dealers requested a smaller car that could compete with compact European sedans.[4][5]

In one of the shortest development programs undertaken by General Motors, development of the Cimarron began in early 1980,[6][5] even though other vehicles of the GM J-platform had been in development since 1976.[7] While General Motors wanted Cadillac to better compete with other luxury brands, the use of the J-platform to do so was met with heavy resistance. Pete Estes, GM's president at the time, warned Ed Kennard, Cadillac's general manager: "Ed, you don't have time to turn the J-car into a Cadillac."[6]

Originally scheduled for mid-1980s release,[4] the Cimarron was released in early 1981 along with the Chevrolet Cavalier, Buick Skyhawk, Oldsmobile Firenza, and Pontiac J2000 (later marketed as the 2000, then 2000 Sunbird, then finally just Sunbird). With the Seville competing with mid-size/large European luxury sedans, the Cimarron was marketed as a sportier sedan, competing with the Audi 4000, BMW 320i, Saab 900, and Volvo 240.[2]

At its 1981 introduction, the copy text of original sales brochures associated the Cimarron nameplate with "fortitude, adventure and pioneering".[8] The nameplate was chosen from a list that included J2000 (used on predecessor of Pontiac Sunbird); Carmel; Cascade; Caville (blend of "Cadillac" and "De Ville"); Envoy; and Series 62 (predecessor of Cadillac Calais).[9][10] For 1982, the brand nomenclature was "Cimarron by Cadillac", although initially the Cadillac name did not appear anywhere on the car.[6][3] For 1983, the nameplate was simply "Cadillac Cimarron".[6]

The Cimarron used the front-wheel drive GM J platform with a 101.2 in (2,570 mm) wheelbase. Employing unibody construction, the front suspension is a MacPherson strut configuration (mounted to a front subframe), with a rear suspension using torsion beam axle, along with front and rear stabilizer bars.[11]

For 1982, the Cimarron was equipped with a 1.8 L four-cylinder engine, producing 88 hp (66 kW) (the first four-cylinder Cadillac since 1914 and the first engine below 2.0 L displacement since 1908). For 1983, the engine was enlarged to 2.0 L and given fuel injection, though engine tuning would drop peak output to 86 hp (64 kW). For 1985, a 2.8 L V6 (shared with the Chevrolet Cavalier and Oldsmobile Firenza) was added as an option, producing 130 hp (97 kW); for 1987, the V6 became standard. The four-cylinder engines were paired with a 4-speed manual (later a 5-speed), with a 3-speed automatic as an option; the 3-speed automatic was the sole transmission with the V6.

To distinguish the Cimarron from the Chevrolet Cavalier and its Buick, Oldsmobile, and Pontiac counterparts, Cadillac standardized many of the available features offered on J-platform cars at the time, including air conditioning, leather seats, alloy wheels, power mirrors, full instrumentation (including tachometer; the only Cadillac to do so at the time), courtesy lights, intermittent wipers, rear window defogger, and AM/FM stereo.[11] Its interior featured simulated aluminum trim, notably foregoing simulated wood trim.[12][13]

Available options included automatic transmission, cruise control, tilt steering wheel, power windows, power door locks, power driver and passenger seats, sunroof, and a cassette player.[12][13] With the exception of its upholstery and model-specific special suspension tuning, other J-platform models could be optioned nearly identically to a Cimarron though doing so would raise prices close to the $12,131 base price of the Cadillac in 1982.[6][3]

For 1984 and 1985, Cimarron was offered with a special option package called D'Oro, which is Italian and Spanish for gold. This was essentially a gold trim package. For 1984, it only came in black, with a tan leather interior. Gold accents were added to the following: aluminum alloy wheels, grill, fine gold accent stripes on the belt line, bumper rub strips, hood centre line, and a unique D'Oro hood badge. Also included were blackout bumpers with smoke grey fog lamp covers. Inside there was D'Oro plaque on the instrument panel, and the 3-spoke steering wheel had all metal spokes in gold finish.

For 1985, Cimarron received a new redesigned bulging "power dome" hood and new grill to differentiate it from other J-car sedans. There was also a new grooved lower-body silver accent molding optional on tbe "base" Cimarron. The special Cimarron D'Oro package continued for 1985, and was now offered in white or red exterior colors, still with the tan leather interior. D'Oro also received the new grooved lower-body-side accent molding as standard equipment, color-keyed to match the exterior. This package included the new 14” wheels as standard equipment.

In 1986, Cimarron received new rear styling including wrap-around tail lamps. A premium Delco-Bose sound system was added to the options list.

For 1987, Cimarron received flush aerodynamic headlamps. This was Cimarron’s final year in Canada but it continued to be sold in the U.S. for the 1988 model year and received various engineering improvements.

• 1982-1988 Cimarron
• 
  1982 Cimarron
• 
  1982 Cimarron, rear
• 
  1985 Cimarron D'Oro
• 
  1988 Cimarron

The Cimarron's market failure is one in a series of events throughout the 1980s and 1990s which caused Cadillac's share of the US market to decline from 3.8% in 1979 to 2.2% in 1997;[14] it is routinely cited as the nadir of GM's product planning:

• Noted automotive journalist Dan Neil included the Cimarron in his 2007 list of Worst Cars of all Time, saying "everything that was wrong, venal, lazy, and mendacious about GM in the 1980s was crystallized in this flagrant insult to the good name and fine customers of Cadillac."[15] He added that the Cimarron "nearly killed Cadillac and remains its biggest shame."[15]
• Forbes placed the Cimarron on its list of "Legendary Car Flops," citing low sales, poor performance and the fact the car "didn't work, coming from a luxury brand."[3]
• CarBuzz called the Cimarron a "textbook example of what goes wrong when a carmaker tries to badge engineer an economy car into a luxury car."[16]
• Author Hannah Elliott said the Cimarron "appealed neither to Cadillac's loyal followers, who appreciated powerful V8s and Cadillac's domestic luxury edge, nor to buyers who favored Europe's luxury brands, whose cars out-handled and out-classed the Cimarron in every way."[17]
• CNN Money described the Cimarron as "in all important respects, a Chevrolet Cavalier. It also added thousands to the price tag. In all, it was neither a good Cadillac nor a good value. Today, GM executives will readily admit that this was a bad idea."[18]
• Car and Driver said that subsequent Cadillac product director John Howell kept a picture of a Cimarron on his wall, captioned "Lest we forget".[19]

Since the withdrawal of the Cimarron after the 1988 model year, Cadillac has not produced a direct successor to the model line, shifting from the premium compact segment to compact executive cars like the Cadillac ATS and Cadillac CT4 for its smallest sedans.

• Derek Kreindler's Autoblog article on the Cimarron