The Oldsmobile Alero was a compact car introduced in 1998 as a 1999 model, replacing both the Achieva and the Cutlass. It was Oldsmobile’s last new nameplate and, on 29 April 2004, the last Oldsmobile ever built.
Oldsmobile Alero at a glance
| Maker | Oldsmobile Division, General Motors |
|---|---|
| Production | 1999–2004 model years |
| Class | compact car |
| Body styles | four-door sedan, two-door coupe |
| Platform | shared with the Pontiac Grand Am |
| Trims | GX, GL (1, 2, 3), GLS |
| Base engine | 2.4 L four, five-speed manual |
| Optional engine | 3.4 L V6 |
| Preview | Alero Alpha concept, 1997 |
| Export name | Chevrolet Alero in Europe and Israel, 1999–2001 |
| Final edition | Final 500, dark cherry metallic |
| Last car built | 29 April 2004, Lansing |
Based on one source: the English Wikipedia article on the Oldsmobile Alero.
History of the Oldsmobile Alero
1999: a new compact
The design was previewed in 1997 by the Alero Alpha concept, a V6-powered sport coupe with many of the production car’s elements and a revival of the “coke bottle” styling of the 1960s and 1970s. The production Alero came as a four-door sedan or a two-door coupe, shared its chassis and engines with the Pontiac Grand Am, and was sold in GX, GL and GLS trim, with the GL split into three levels. The base GX had a 2.4 L four and a five-speed manual, while the 3.4 L V6 was available on the other trims and standard in the GLS. Changes over the five-year run were small: for 2003 the daytime running lights moved from high beam to low beam.
The end of the brand
Production ended with the Final 500 Edition: 500 cars in dark cherry metallic with logos inspired by vintage Oldsmobile badges and a plate showing the car’s number. The last of them, a GLS sedan, was the final Oldsmobile built; workers at the Lansing plant signed under its hood, it went to the R. E. Olds Transportation Museum, and in December 2017 it sold at auction for $42,000. A second-generation Alero was previewed by the 2001 O4 concept designed by Bertone, an open four-seater with a 2.2 L Ecotec four, but it appeared weeks after GM announced the end of the brand and was never built.
Outside America
Between 1999 and 2001 the Alero was also sold in parts of Europe and in Israel as the Chevrolet Alero, sedan only. The Oldsmobile badges stayed, but Chevrolet emblems were added to the grille and rear for 2000 because European buyers would not recognise the brand. It was replaced in those markets by the Chevrolet Evanda.
Design and features
- Coke-bottle styling: a deliberate revival of 1960s American design language.
- Grand Am bones: the same chassis and engines as the Pontiac compact.
- Four trim levels: from the manual-gearbox GX to the leather-trimmed GLS.
- Final 500 Edition: the last 500 cars, with vintage-inspired badges and numbered plates.
Oldsmobile Alero versions
- GX: the base car with the 2.4 L four and a five-speed manual.
- GL, GL1 to GL3: the volume trims, with the V6 optional and standard on the GL2.
- GLS: the luxury trim with leather, a premium sound system and the V6 as standard.
- Final 500 Edition: the run-out cars of 2004.
- Show cars: the OSV, OSV II, 442, California and Convertible prototypes built by GM.
The Alero replaced the Achieva and the Cutlass; its planned successor was previewed by the O4 concept. More models are in the Oldsmobile collection.
Video: 2002 Oldsmobile Alero GL start up, engine and tour
Video by Saabkyle04 on YouTube.
Sources
- Oldsmobile Alero, English Wikipedia: history, trims, final edition, exports
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