The Chevette, as its name implies, was intended to be a small (baby) Chevrolet. At the same time as the
Chevette project was being considered in America, Vauxhall Motors publicised a new design project, provisionally referred to as the Baby R, later designated as the S-car by GM. However, to save costs GM management shelved the S-car project and merged its styling studies with the existing
T-car programme — thus the Chevette would be derived from the Opel Kadett C. The car was first launched in Brazil in 1973 as a slightly restyled Kadett with a hatchback added to the model range. This hatchback was launched in the U.S. and Britain in 1975 with restyled front ends. Initial production was at Vauxhall's Luton, Bedfordshire, factory, then Chevette assembly was moved to the Ellesmere Port plant in Cheshire to allow production of the larger
Cavalier and
Carlton models to be moved to Luton from Opel plants in Belgium and Germany. The UK version of the vehicle was intended to fit into the Vauxhall range below the
Viva, and was initially presented only in its
hatchback version, a style that became very popular during the 1970s. With its Pontiac-inspired 'shovel nose' and inset headlamps, the UK version looked radically different from the Opel Kadett and was accepted by the motoring public as a completely new car; when the saloon, estate car, and van variants appeared and the hatchback was added to the Kadett lineup the common lineage became apparent. The Chevette was one of the first British-built hatchbacks of this size, the first arguably being the Austin A40 Countryman;
Ford did not respond with a similar product until the following year (their similar-sized offerings all having conventional rear boots). Sales began on 1 May 1975, from a price of £1,593. The Chevette was sold in direct competition with its Opel sister until the latter was superseded in 1979 by which time moves were already being made to merge both the Vauxhall and Opel ranges and marketing operations. From 1975 until 1978 the Chevette was the UK's best-selling hatchback, as UK branded rivals failed to respond to the challenge of the imported
Peugeot 104,
Fiat 127, and
Renault 5 until the arrival of
Ford's Fiesta at the end of 1976.
Chrysler UK did not launch its
Chrysler Sunbeam until 1977, while only in 1980 did
British Leyland come up with the
Austin Metro. The Chevette also managed to outsell larger hatchbacks, including the
Austin Maxi and
Chrysler Alpine. The Chevette's 1.3-litre engine and relatively small bodyshell allowed for good performance. The Chevette had light
steering,
clutch, and gear change, as well as good visibility, and was spacious inside. The Chevette's success was probably due to its versatility, which compared well with larger cars such as the
Ford Escort. It was available in three-door
hatchback for the single driver,
saloon models that suited families, an estate car for the service fleets, and the Chevanne van version for utility purposes. The original hatchback was launched in the UK using Vauxhall's slogan and musical jingle, which capitalised on its practicality and widespread appeal: "It's whatever you want it to be! — A sporty coupé, a family saloon, a handy estate...". It was made at the purpose-built factory in Ellesmere Port, Cheshire, under a government initiative to bring employment to the area. More conventional two- and four-door saloons, and three-door estate variants (essentially the
Kadett C with Vauxhall front bodywork and engines) were also offered from June 1976. The two-door coupé version of the Kadett C was the only version of the Opel car not to have a Chevette equivalent. The Viva was discontinued in 1979, with the
Opel Kadett D entering production in the same year. This car was intended also to be produced in the US and UK, as the second-generation Chevette, but due to various industrial issues at the time, GM decided to shelve most of the Ellesmere Port plant, retaining only the assembly shop to build the new car. These would be assembled from knock-down kits, although they were initially imported fully built-up from Opel's plant in
Bochum. Due to the huge loss of workforce this would cause, representations were made that resulted in the decision to continue production of existing models alongside the new. This meant that a new name would have to be found for Vauxhall's version of the new Opel Kadett, so in March 1980, the
Vauxhall Astra was born, replacing the Viva in the Vauxhall range, while the Chevette remained on sale until 1984. At this time, the planned mothballing of most of the Ellesmere Port plant went ahead as originally planned. Meanwhile, General Motors would develop a new entry-level model to be sold in Europe under the Vauxhall and Opel marques, and would build a factory in
Zaragoza,
Spain, for the production of this new car. This longevity led to the Chevette being exported to Germany after 1979, following the discontinuation of the Kadett C to give German buyers the option of rear-wheel drive following the Kadett D's introduction; the Chevette was unusual as it still featured
rear-wheel drive, while most of its competitors were now driven by the front wheels. A further 12,332 Chevettes were sold through Opel dealers in Germany from October 1980, although they never actually carried Opel or Vauxhall branding, being badged simply as "Chevette". By this time, the Chevette was the only Vauxhall-badged car to be sold in markets such as Mauritius and New Zealand; successor models assembled in the UK for sale in mainland Europe, such as the Astra, have been badged as Opels. A van version, based on the estate and called the
Bedford Chevanne, was also built, and badged as part of GM's
Bedford commercial vehicles
marque. Following the introduction of the Astra in 1980, the Chevette line-up was gradually slimmed down in terms of both trim options and body styles. By the time of the Nova's launch in 1983 only the four-door saloon and the three-door estate versions (in two trim levels) remained on sale until the end of production. Although the Chevette was essentially a rebadged Opel Kadett C with revised front-end styling (detailed below), it used the 1,256 cc
overhead valve (OHV) engine from the Viva HC instead of the Kadett's 1,196 cc engines, which were produced by Opel. The Kadett's
double wishbone front suspension, rear-wheel drive, and rear suspension with
panhard rod,
torque tube, and coil-sprung
live axle, were carried over unaltered. Inside, the two cars differed only in terms of their
dashboard and switchgear; the Chevette stuck to the British and Japanese right-hand drive tradition of having the
indicator stalk switch on the right side of the steering column, with wipers on the left; while the Kadett used a single stalk system (typical of many 1970s German cars) on the left of the steering column to control turn signals, headlamps and wipers. The Chevette also had a much more angular instrument binnacle, although the instrument cluster itself was directly from the Kadett (though with imperial rather than metric scales). The Chevette's front end featured a more aerodynamic-looking nose than the Kadett, based loosely on the design of the "droopsnoot"
Firenza, itself said to be inspired by the Pontiac Firebird, a sister GM product. In contrast the Kadett had a more conventional, flat-fronted design. In 1980, the Chevette underwent a facelift with flush fitting headlights, giving it a "family look" alongside the larger
Vauxhall Cavalier version of the Opel Ascona B. Mechanical changes included the introduction of Bosch distributors, revised heater ducting, and a simplified throttle linkage. It also received new wheel designs, revised C-pillar vent covers, and revamped interior trim with redesigned front seats to increase rear knee room marginally. However, it was effectively the beginning of a phase-out in favour of the newer Astra, Vauxhall's version of the front-wheel drive Kadett D, which was launched in March 1980, though it was not produced in Britain until November 1981. The Vauxhall Nova (the rebadged version of the
Spanish built
Opel Corsa) became the entry-level model in the Vauxhall range when it was launched in April 1983, although the Chevette continued alongside it for another year. Production of the Chevette finally finished in 1984. A total of 415,000 Chevettes were sold in Britain. ==Timeline (UK model range)==