What was the Pontiac version of the Citation?
The Pontiac version of the Chevrolet Citation was the Pontiac Phoenix, which was produced from 1980 to 1984. The Phoenix was Pontiac's version of the General Motors X-body platform, which also included the Chevrolet Citation, Oldsmobile Omega, and Buick Skylark.
Overview of the Pontiac Phoenix
The Pontiac Phoenix was introduced in 1980 as a compact car to replace the Pontiac Ventura. It shared the same front-wheel-drive X-body platform as the Chevrolet Citation, Oldsmobile Omega, and Buick Skylark. The Phoenix was available as a two-door coupe, four-door sedan, and four-door hatchback.
Like the Citation, the Phoenix was plagued by quality and reliability issues in its early years. However, Pontiac made some improvements to the design and engineering over the course of its production run. The Phoenix was discontinued after the 1984 model year, as Pontiac shifted its focus to other models.
Key Differences from the Chevrolet Citation
While the Phoenix shared the same underlying platform as the Citation, Pontiac differentiated it with some unique styling and feature changes:
- Distinctive Pontiac front-end design with split grille
- Unique taillights and rear-end styling
- Available V6 engine option, unlike the Citation which only offered four-cylinder engines
- More premium interior materials and features compared to the base Citation
These changes helped position the Phoenix as a more upscale and performance-oriented version of the X-body platform compared to the more basic Chevrolet Citation.p>
Legacy and Impact
While the Pontiac Phoenix was not as successful as Pontiac had hoped, it played an important role in the brand's history. It represented Pontiac's attempt to offer a more premium and sporty version of the X-body platform, which was a critical product for GM in the early 1980s. The Phoenix's quality and reliability issues, however, tarnished Pontiac's reputation at the time. Nonetheless, the Phoenix paved the way for future Pontiac models that would better capture the brand's performance-oriented identity. p>
What is the Oldsmobile version of the Chevy Citation?
Despite its flaws, the Chevy Citation spawned several GM X-car clones like the Buick Skylark, Pontiac Phoenix, and Oldsmobile Omega. They all offered the same engine and transmission options, as well as a variety of body styles.
What is the Buick version of the Vega?
The Buick Skyhawk is a subcompact, four passenger automobile introduced September 1974 by the Buick Division of General Motors produced for the 1975 thru 1980 model years. The Buick Skyhawk is a rebadged Chevrolet Monza based on the Chevrolet Vega, sharing its H platform.
What is the Pontiac version of the Cavalier?
Pontiac Sunfire
The Pontiac Sunfire is a compact car by Pontiac that was introduced for the 1995 model year to replace the Sunbird. Not only was the name changed, but dramatic styling changes were included as well. The new styling was shared with the redesigned Chevrolet Cavalier.
Was there a Pontiac version of the Vega?
The Pontiac Division was given its own version of the Vega for the Canadian market, named Astre for the 1973 model year. U.S. Pontiac dealers finally had a subcompact to sell when the Astre made its U.S. debut for the 1975 model year. The Astre used the Vega 140 cu in (2.3-liter) inline-four engine through 1977.
What was the Oldsmobile version of the Cavalier?
The Oldsmobile Firenza was a compact car which was produced by Oldsmobile from 1982 to 1988. It was based on the front-wheel drive GM J platform, which was shared with the Buick Skyhawk, Cadillac Cimarron, Chevrolet Cavalier and Pontiac Sunbird.
What was Pontiac's version of the Cobalt?
Pontiac G5
The Pontiac G5 was a rebadged version of the Chevrolet Cobalt.
What replaced the Chevy Citation?
Following its 1985 discontinuation, the Citation was replaced for 1987 by the Chevrolet Beretta coupe and Chevrolet Corsica sedan/hatchback. In total, Chevrolet manufactured 1,642,587 examples of the model line during its production run.
What was Pontiac's version of the Chevy Nomad?
Pontiac Safari
The Pontiac Safari is a line of station wagons that was produced by Pontiac from 1955 to 1989. Initially introduced as the Pontiac counterpart of the two-door Chevrolet Nomad, the division adopted the nameplate across its full-size wagon range in 1957.
What was the Oldsmobile version of the Malibu?
The Oldsmobile Cutlass was a rebadged, slightly more upscale version of the Malibu, produced through 1999. It was intended as a placeholder model to fill the gap left by the discontinuation of the aging Oldsmobile Cutlass Ciera before the all-new Alero arrived in 1999.
What is Pontiac's version of the Caprice?
Parisienne
The full-size B-platform car was renamed as Parisienne, making it the first time that Parisienne was sold in the United States. For 1982, Parisienne was revised to base on Chevrolet Caprice with different grille insert and taillight trim.
