The Chevrolet Citation was the first front-wheel-drive car Chevrolet sold, built from 1980 to 1985. It replaced the Nova, moved the GM X platform to front-wheel drive, and was replaced by the Beretta and Corsica.
Chevrolet Citation at a glance
| Production | 1980–1985 model years |
|---|---|
| Class | Compact car |
| Significance | first front-wheel-drive Chevrolet |
| Platform | front-wheel-drive GM X platform |
| Replaced | Chevrolet Nova |
| Replaced by | Chevrolet Beretta coupé and Corsica sedan from 1987 |
| Body styles | Three-door and five-door hatchback coupés, two-door notchback |
| Sister cars | Buick Skylark, Oldsmobile Omega, Pontiac Phoenix |
| Sport version | Citation X-11 |
| Total built | 1,642,587 |
History of the Chevrolet Citation
The Citation was developed from April 1974 as the replacement for the Chevrolet Nova and the other X-body compacts. General Motors wanted to shrink the X platform and move it to transverse front-wheel drive, partly because the Nova had grown almost as large as the cars above it and because imports such as the Honda Accord and Volkswagen Rabbit were taking compact sales. The company’s experience of front-wheel drive was limited to large longitudinal V8 cars, so it bought several Lancias for study, and the first X-body prototypes were running by the summer of 1976.
The car went on sale for 1980 in three body styles: three-door and five-door hatchback coupés and a two-door notchback with a roofline unique to the Citation. It shared its architecture with the Buick Skylark, Oldsmobile Omega and Pontiac Phoenix, and a performance version, the Citation X-11, was offered alongside the standard car. It was initially marketed between the Monza and the Malibu and later between the Cavalier and the Celebrity.
Citations were assembled next to the Skylark and Phoenix at North Tarrytown in New York, Oklahoma City and Ramos Arizpe in Mexico. Chevrolet built 1,642,587 of them in six model years. The car was withdrawn after 1985 and replaced in 1987 by the Beretta coupé and the Corsica sedan and hatchback.
Design and features
- First front-wheel-drive Chevrolet: the Citation brought the layout to the brand in 1980.
- Three body styles: three- and five-door hatchbacks and a notchback coupé with its own roofline.
- X-11 version: the sporty model of the range.
- Shared platform: also sold as the Buick Skylark, Oldsmobile Omega and Pontiac Phoenix.
Chevrolet Citation versions
- Three-door hatchback coupé: the sportier body style.
- Five-door hatchback: the practical version, shared with the Pontiac Phoenix.
- Two-door notchback: with a roofline used only by the Citation.
- Citation X-11: the performance variant.
The Citation replaced the Chevrolet Nova and was replaced by the Chevrolet Corsica and Chevrolet Beretta. More cars are in the Chevrolet collection.
Sources
- Chevrolet Citation, English Wikipedia: development, platform, body styles, production
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