The Chevrolet Prizm was the last phase of a compact car that General Motors sold as a rebadged Toyota Sprinter. Built at the NUMMI joint venture plant in Fremont, California, it carried the Geo name until 1997 and the Chevrolet name from 1998.
Chevrolet Prizm at a glance
| Production | 1988–2001, sold to 2002 |
|---|---|
| Names | Geo Prizm to 1997, Chevrolet Prizm from 1998 |
| Based on | Toyota Sprinter, itself derived from the Corolla |
| Platform | GM S platform |
| Assembly | NUMMI, Fremont, California |
| Markets | United States only |
| Predecessor | Chevrolet Nova of 1985–1988 |
| Last car built | 13 December 2001 |
The article is based on the English Wikipedia page on the Geo Prizm, which covers the Chevrolet-badged years.
History of the Chevrolet Prizm
The Prizm was a rebadged version of the Toyota Sprinter, a car Toyota never sold directly in North America; the Sprinter itself was derived from the Corolla. General Motors grouped these Toyota-derived cars under the GM S platform name. The Prizm succeeded the 1985–1988 Chevrolet Nova, which had also been a Sprinter built at NUMMI, and it was sold only in the United States.
All Prizms were built at NUMMI, the New United Motor Manufacturing joint venture between Toyota and General Motors in Fremont, California, where the plant had already built the Nova and would later build the Pontiac Vibe, one of the Prizm’s replacements. The car was marketed under the Geo nameplate until it was discontinued after the 1997 model year.
From late 1997, as the Geo brand was phased out, production of the newly rebadged Chevrolet Prizm began alongside the newest North American generation of the Toyota Corolla. The last Prizm was built on 13 December 2001, which gave the car a brief 2002 model year and ended one of the longest-running badge-engineering arrangements in the American market.
Design and features
- Toyota engineering: a Sprinter/Corolla with Chevrolet and later Geo badges.
- NUMMI build: made at the GM-Toyota joint venture plant in California.
- Geo then Chevrolet: sold under the Geo brand until 1997 and as a Chevrolet afterwards.
- US only: the Prizm was never offered outside the United States.
Chevrolet Prizm versions
- Geo Prizm (1988–1997): the original Geo-badged cars.
- Chevrolet Prizm (1998–2002): the final generation under the Chevrolet name.
- Sedan body: the only body style sold in the United States.
The Prizm succeeded the Chevrolet Nova and belonged to the same small-car family as the Chevrolet Metro. More cars are in the Chevrolet collection.
Sources
- Geo Prizm, English Wikipedia: origins, production, NUMMI, end of the line
