Chevrolet to Stop Making Chevettes

Chevrolet said Wednesday that it plans to halt production of the Chevette, one of the first American-made subcompacts designed to compete with Japanese small cars.

Chevrolet General Manager Robert Burger said Chevette production will end after the 1987 model year, which began in August.

He cited declining sales and the fact that Chevrolet was producing the Nova subcompact in a joint venture with Toyota at a plant in Fremont, Calif.

The announcement came just 12 days after Chevrolet cut the price of the Chevette to make it the lowest-priced car built in the United States. Chevrolet, a division of General Motors, cut the base price of the hatchback to $4,995, a decline of $601.

The Chevette, GM’s smallest American-built car, was introduced in late 1975 following the energy crisis, which saw long lines at the gas pumps. But in recent years its popularity has declined.

In the first eight months of 1986, Chevette sales amounted to only 45,748, a drop of 48.3% from a year earlier.