The Chevrolet Cobalt was Chevrolet’s compact car from 2005 to 2010. Built on the GM Delta platform, it replaced both the Cavalier and the Toyota-based Prizm and came as a two-door coupé or a four-door sedan, with a sport compact version called the Cobalt SS.
Chevrolet Cobalt at a glance
| Production | 2005–2010 model years |
|---|---|
| Class | Compact car |
| Platform | GM Delta, shared with the HHR and Saturn Ion |
| Replaced | Chevrolet Cavalier and Geo/Chevrolet Prizm |
| Body styles | Two-door coupé and four-door sedan |
| Sport version | Cobalt SS |
| Assembly | Lordstown, Ohio and Ramos Arizpe, Mexico |
| Pontiac twins | G4 in Mexico, G5 in Canada and the United States |
| EPA class | Subcompact |
| Replaced by | Chevrolet Cruze |
History of the Chevrolet Cobalt
The Cobalt was introduced in 2004 for the 2005 model year. It took the place of both the Cavalier and the Toyota-based Geo and Chevrolet Prizm, and it used the GM Delta platform shared with the Chevrolet HHR and Saturn Ion. Chevrolet sold it as a two-door coupé and a four-door sedan in every market where it was offered, and added a sport compact version, the Cobalt SS.
Pontiac sold its own version: as the G4 in Mexico in 2005 and 2006, and as the G5 in the United States, Mexico and Canada, where it was first called the Pontiac Pursuit and later the G5 Pursuit. The G5 replaced the Cavalier-related Pontiac Sunfire, and while it was a coupé only in the United States, Canadian and Mexican buyers could also have a sedan. All Cobalts and their Pontiac equivalents were built at Lordstown, Ohio and Ramos Arizpe, Mexico. In the United States the Environmental Protection Agency classified the Cobalt as a subcompact.
The Cobalt was replaced by the Chevrolet Cruze, which arrived in 2008 in Korea and later in North America, and GM ended Cobalt and Pontiac G5 production in 2010 just before Cruze assembly began. The Cobalt SS, with its turbocharged engine, is remembered as one of the more serious attempts by a Detroit maker at a European-style hot compact in that period.
Design and features
- Delta platform: shared with the HHR and Saturn Ion.
- Two body styles: coupé and sedan in all markets.
- Cobalt SS: the turbocharged sport compact version.
- Pontiac twins: sold as the G4 and G5 in different markets.
Chevrolet Cobalt versions
- Sedan: the four-door family car.
- Coupé: the two-door version, the only one offered as a Pontiac G5 in the US.
- Cobalt SS: the performance model.
- Pontiac G4 and G5: the divisional versions in Mexico, Canada and the United States.
The Cobalt replaced the Chevrolet Cavalier and was itself replaced by the Chevrolet Cruze; it shared its platform with the Chevrolet HHR. More cars are in the Chevrolet collection.
Video: Chevrolet Cobalt test drive
Video by Антон Воротников on YouTube.
Sources
- Chevrolet Cobalt, English Wikipedia: introduction, platform, bodies, Pontiac versions
